Home » Jazz Musicians » Shanta Nurullah

Shanta Nurullah

Shanta first heard the sitar while on a 1969 study abroad stay in Poona, India. She found a teacher, Bhaskar Chandavakar, and received beginning instruction for five months. After college, she acted in Chicago's Kuumba Workshop had a few bass lessons from Pete Cosey, who sent her to Kelan Phil Cohran, who encouraged her to explore the sitar in her own special way. After several years in Cohran's Black Music Workshop, Shanta formed her first band, Insight. Players with this group included Ari Brown, Malachi Favors, Babu Atiba, Bernice Brooks, Alan Burroughs, Randy Ford, Elihoenai and Yosef Ben Israel. Her next group, co-founded with vocalist Rita Warford, was the all women's emsemble Sojourner, with members from Chicago and Detroit (Chavunduka Sevanhu, Sherri Weathersby, Kafi Patrice Nassoma, Elreta Dodds, Gayelynn McKinney, Ahsia Hill).

Other collaborations were with Eugene Easton and Maia, with whom she formed Samana (Nicole Mitchell, Aquilla Sedalla, Coco Elysses, Regina Perkins). Samana became the first all women's group in the AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians) and released the album Samana (Storywiz Records).

In 2016 Shanta formed Shanta Nurullah's Sitarsys, releasing Sitar Black (Storywiz) and performing nationally. She has performed and appeared on recordings with Nicole Mitchell, Dee Alexander, and Junius Paul.

Shanta's 2026 release, Twos and Threes (Storywiz), features duos and trios with Tatsu Aoki, Fred Jackson Jr., Zahra Baker and Chethan Anant.

In addition to her musical pursuits, Shanta embarked on a career as a professional storytelling, performing nationally. Highlights include appearnces at the National Storytelling Festival, numerous features at the Festival of Black Storytelling & Conference, and at the Yukon, Michigan, Las Vegas and Illinois Storytelling Festivals. Awards include the Zora Neale Hurston Award from the National Association of Black Storytellers, 3Arts Award, and several grants and commissions.