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Rooted in folk, jazz, classical, and Indian traditions, this debut album is 45-minutes long and comes with an 8-page color insert with images, sketches, lyrics, credits, and stories about how some of the pieces were developed. Manisha Shahane sings and plays piano on the tracks, most of which are her original music and lyrics (primarily in English). There are also lyrics in Marathi, some of which she has written and some of which she has borrowed, including a poem from a children’s book authored by one of her father's friends, former Doordarshan news anchor Anant Bhave, as well as a childhood song about a peacock dancing in the mango grove in the rain. (Marathi, her parents' mother tongue, is a language spoken primarily in the Indian state of Maharashtra, where the city of Mumbai is located.) Manisha's preface reads,
“I used to believe that conflicting internal commentary, misunderstandings in our homes and communities, and wars of all kinds obstructed peace, until I realized that navigating this terrain is part of our collective peace in progress..”
Recorded in 3 Boston-area studios, 1 studio in Virginia, and mastered by Jonathan Wyner at M-Works, Peace In Progress includes appearances by notable musicians such as Blake Newman on acoustic bass (Jeff Robinson Trio), and Jerry Leake on tabla/percussion (Club D'elf, Ali Akbar Khan), guitarists Kevin Barry (Mary Chapin Carpenter) and Prasanna (Joe Lovano, Hari Prasad Chaurasia), plus percussionist Ricardo Monzon (Myanna, Boston Pops). Producer Dan Cantor (Jim's Big Ego) of Notable Productions hops on the drums for a couple of tunes, adding texture to the alternating moods and time signatures inherent in her songs, as the album ranges from the simplicity of a vocal/tabla duet to the rich, deep sounds of the sordo, accompanied by an exospheric electric guitar. Matthew Taylor (drums), Raj Banerjee (guitar), Dominique Gagne (flute), her parents (voice/tabla), and even Mother Nature have also contributed to the project. It is dedicated to her late grandmother who often asked her when her "cassette" would be ready. (Release date: December 13, 2003)
To hear how the producers pulled Manisha’s unsuspecting mother into the whole affair, you’ll have to read & listen for yourself!
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