Sandro Shar is a British-Georgian jazz pianist, composer, multi-instrumentalist and researcher.

Most widely known for his work with acclaimed artists and bands such as Knats, Geordie Greep and Eddie Chacon, Sandro has contributed to a wide range of projects, tours and recordings, including Knats’ Mercury Prize-shortlisted 2026 album.

His solo project, however, is only just getting started:

Tamariani, due for release this winter, is an audio-visual album and stage show based on the 19th-century Georgian epic poem of the same name by the legendary poet and chanter Simon Gugunava, also a distant relative of Sandro’s. This large-scale work, combining Georgian polyphony with jazz, classical and experimental electronic approaches, is accompanied by a documentary made in collaboration with filmmaker Jan Heitplatz. The film follows an expedition to the Guria region to explore the poem, its author, their familial connection, and the region’s folklore.

As a researcher, Sandro has worked extensively with archival materials of Georgian polyphony, including historical recordings from the early decades of the 20th century. The old tuning system and sophisticated improvisatory practices heard in these recordings have become a central focus, informing not only his compositional and improvisational voice, but also his work as a practitioner of the tradition itself.

Alongside its practical outcomes, this research has also found its way into academic contexts, with presentations at conferences including the 2026 BFE Conference in London, the 2025 SMA Conference in Manchester, and the 2024 IRCTP Symposium in Tbilisi.

As a co-founder of Georgian Music House, a teaching studio and cultural centre for Georgian traditional music in the UK, Sandro regularly leads workshops and classes, with a focus on the improvisational and compositional processes that once characterised the pre-Soviet Georgian folk idiom.