T.J. Rehmi’s unique guitar playing has incorporated the best of all music. Rehmi, a self-taught jazz/blues guitarist, learned how to play tunes by Jimi Hendrix and Frank Zappa. He has since expanded his musical repertoire. Rehmi was an active participant in England’s Asian Underground. He has played Indian classical music and Indo-Jazz Fusion, as well as bhangra, reggae and African music. He was a session player and one of the first to add reggae bass lines into bhangra music. Rehmi is a master of electronic wizardry. He has used sequencing and sampling to enhance his music, but he also uses organic instrumentation. Rehmi’s sound is still rooted in traditional drums and bass structures. Rehmi, a Birmingham native, is the son of Asian immigrants. Although he initially preferred western music, he grew to prefer world music. In the late 1970s, he was part of a number of jazz-funk and reggae groups in his area. He also played in a variety of bhangra bands during the 1980s and 1990s. Andy Hamilton, a jazz saxophonist, was a pivotal moment in Rehmi’s musical development. He took him under his wing to teach him how to read music. Rehmi studied Indian classical music, and Indo-Jazz Fusion with John Mayer. While attending Birmingham Conservatory, he further refined his skills. Allmusic
