Sanjay Mishra
Sanjay Mishra | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Born | Calcutta, India |
Genres | jam, fusion, classical, contemporary chamber music |
Occupation(s) | musician |
Instruments | guitar |
Years active | 1985–present |
Labels | Akar Music, City Hall Records |
Sanjay Mishra is an American guitarist and composer born in India and subsequently becoming a citizen of the United States who began performing after completing his studies at the Peabody Conservatory of Music. Sanjay plays with an ecelecticism well suited to his multicultural background combining both Eastern and Western influences. He has been quoted saying, "I come from a tradition that has a lot of improvisation. Sometimes Western classical music can seem a little rigid, I had to find some middle ground."[1] Sanjay plays a nylon string MIDI classical electric guitar. He uses various looping devices and MIDI instruments to create a lush sound.
Education
Graduated from the Peabody Conservatory of Music, Johns Hopkins University in 1987
Early career
Sanjay first came to public acclaim for his album Blue Incantation with guitarist Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead. It is one of Mr. Garcia's rare collaborations in his later years and represents some of his last works. Tributes to Mr. Garcia's work occur in Sanjay's concerts.[2]
Present and future
His latest album Chateau Benares (October 2006) with guest appearances by DJ Logic and Keller Williams, among others, was received with rave reviews on National Public Radio and The Washington Post.
He has also composed music for films. His score for the French film Port Djema was presented The Lifetime Vision Award at the Hamptons Film Festival in New York and described as "hauntingly beautiful".[3] The film won The Golden Bear at The Berlin Film Festival in 1996.
Mr. Mishra primarily records on Akar Music, distributed by City Hall Records in San Rafael, CA. His music has also been released on PolyGram, Philips, EMI Records, Mercury, Ryko, Putumayo, Melodia and other labels. He is author of Guitar Atlas: India, published by Alfred enhanced by Sanjay's "intimate knowledge of the relationship between Indian music and the guitar".[4]
He is currently Head of the Recording Technology Program at Northern Virginia Community College in the Washington D.C. area.
Discography
Albums
- The Crossing – Sanjay Mishra Album (1991)
- Blue Incantation – with special guest Jerry Garcia (1995)
- Port Djema - Soundtrack (1998)
- Rescue – with Dennis Chambers (2000)
- Chateau Benares (2006)
- LampLighter (2015)
Compilations
- Music From the Tea Lands (2000) Putumayo World
- Deep Orient, Vol. 2 (2001) Melodia (France)
- Indian Spirit – 3 (2009) EMI Records
Guest appearances
- Trusty – Goodbye, Dr. Fate (1995)
- Dream (2007)
Publishing
- Guitar Atlas: India published by Alfred Publishing
References
- ↑ I had to find some middle ground, Washington Post, by Mark Jenkins, May 5, 1995.
- ↑ From Sanjay Mishra, A World of Guitar, The Washington Post, by L. Peat O'Neil, June 8, 1998.
- ↑ Port Djema Soundtrack, Hauntingly beautiful, by David Stratton, Variety, March 2, 1997.
- ↑ intimate knowledge of the relationship between Indian music and the guitar, by Andrea Seabrook, National Public Radio, November 19, 2006
External links
- Official Site
- Sanjay talks with NPR about his CD and book
- Sanjay on Myspace
- Sanjay on Facebook
- Sanjay on LastFM
- Rolling Stone magazine feature on Sanjay