Why Guitar?

Rock music is an extremely well known type of music; hence a lot of people like to become skilled at guitar playing. It has become popular to spend time playing guitar. Your attractiveness increases exponentially if you play a guitar skillfully. The guitar is all around us. It’s a versatile instrument. Because of its marvelous popularity it has become a symbol of social revolution.

There are a few teenagers who’re really serious about a profession as rock stars, but in most cases most people plan to study guitar for the sake of learning. A good number of people lose hope very soon and give up their own vision, because they cannot find out the most advantageous way to learn playing a guitar.

Your View Of Guitar

How do you view a guitar? What is it that you would like to be? A guitar owner, a guitarist, or perhaps a music performer who conveys music using a guitar!

If you want to be only a guitar owner, you only need an adequate amount of money to purchase a guitar. Then guitar is just one more gadget, just like a portable play station, a computer game, or a fashion accessory. If you decide you fit in with this segment, how much time will it take you to have fun with a guitar? 30 minutes? You basically really want people to see you playing the guitar.

If you wish to be described as a guitar player, you have to be no-nonsense about it. You have got to dedicate a great many time gaining knowledge of the basic principles of guitar playing. Will you be studying all on your own or from your close friends? How Long can it take you to learn about guitar? You better understand that it �±s really a life long process.

When you are a musician who uses guitar to share his music, you also are focused entirely on your playing. At this level you without a doubt know precisely the total breadth of music. When you’re a superb music performer, you not only play your guitar beautifully but can also intelligently discuss music. People in this particular segment listen to, read, and examine all genres of music. How much time should it take these guitar players to learn guitar? They know that it is a practice for their complete lifetime.

What’s the prime variance between Individuals who would like to be guitar players, and musicians who showcase their music through guitar? Well, the guitar players are just guitar players, while a few musicians grow to be legends.

Internal Motivation Or External Influence

People who find themselves inspired by external influences commonly don’t have the discipline required to become guitar player. Whenever they understand that they should put in a significant amount of effort, they throw in the towel and proceed to a subsequent ‘smart’ activity. Work and delayed gratification are definitely not what they bargain for. In contrast, should you have an internal motivation to master guitar, you will learn it, no matter what it takes.

Learning guitar is much perspiration and inspiration, but it is equally crucial to love the process of practicing guitar. Learning to play the guitar does take a long time. The length of time, depends absolutely upon you.

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Indiegogo.com

Launched in 2008, Indiegogo is a very popular crowdfunding site that was founded by three partners: Danae Ringelmann, Slava Rubin, and Eric Schell. Each of them bring different skills to the table in terms of finance, marketing, and IT. It has seen 3,500 projects uploaded from 100 different countries around the world. So, as long as you have a bank account, you will be able to participate.

Like the majority of crowdfunding sites online, Indiegogo is free to add your proejct to, and also like a majority of the sites online, Indiegogo takes a commission from the successful site. At the time of this writing, it’s a 4% fee, so when you’re deciding on how much money you need to complete your project, add that amount into your request.

Kickstarter.com

Another very popular crowdfunding site is Kickstarter. Unlike Indiegogo, your project on Kickstarter will have a particular deadline. You have only that amount of time to collect all of the donations you’re requesting, or the project fails and you get no money at all. The upside for contributors is that their credit cards won’t be charged. The upside for the project owner is that deadlines usually help people to take action faster.

And that’s a differentiation that Kickstarter makes plain. People who donate to your crowdfunding project are not investors. They have no say in how the project goes from the time you get the funding until it is complete. They don’t get their money back for any reason, and it’s up to the person who put the crowdfunding project up to fulfill on the promises made in return for donations.

On the other hand, your project will run on Kickstarter until the dealine you set for it to be fully funded. If your project is funded early, people can still donate and you’ll end up with more than you asked for. For example, a recent project for social marketing software asked for a mere $10,000 and came away with $181,535!

International members are permitted on Kickstarter as long as they have an Amazon Payments account. The fee for a successfully funded crowdfuning project on Kickstarted is 5%.

There are also specific crowdfunding sites for people who want to do specific things. SellaBand,com is for musicians, Quirky.com is for inventors, and CreateaFund.com is for people who want to create their own crowdfunding site.

You can participate in crowdfunding on many different levels and you can get funding for just about any project you want to get funded. To learn more about any of the issues involved with crowdfunding and how it works, visit us at http://90MinuteCashAdvance.com.

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Jazz music was born from the creative hands of black people who experienced oppression and slavery in America in the late 18th century. Expression of a resistance against the racist and oppressive political system was manifested in the way of black Americans to play their music.

The interesting thing from jazz music was that the origin of the word “jazz” was derived from a vulgar term used for sexual acts. Most of rhythms in jazz were ever associated with the brothels and the women with an unfortunate reputation.

Jazz music is a symbol of freedom, hope and the skills of show ones self in through one of best art forms which is music. Meaning, African American citizens fought oppression since the beginning of slavery, and this music represented that resistance. Jazz music has a foundation of the basic rules of composition, but it has since expanded its way toward newer forms of music.

New Orleans jazz musicians presented their performances in bars, gambling houses, and even places of prostitution which in those days was flourishing in New Orleans. In 1917, almost all places of entertainment in New Orleans were closed because they were considered to reduce public concern against the government and to increase criminal activities. Then, Jazz grew out of the city of New Orleans.

One of jazz legends who was believed was the legend around 1891. An owner of hair shaving shop in New Orleans, named Buddy Bolden blew his cornet and the time became the beginning of jazz music as a new breakthrough in the music world. Half a century later, American jazz music gave many contributions to the world of music. Jazz was also studied at university, and eventually became a serious music and was calculated by the world of music.

Jazz as a popular art began to spread to almost all of American society in the 1920s (known as the Jazz Age). Jazz was more widespread in the swing era in the late 1930s and it peaked in the late 1950s as a modern jazz. In the early 20s and 30s, “jazz” has become a common word.

The influence and development of blues music could not be left when discussing jazz music in the early years of its development. Expressions that shined when playing the blues were in line with the style of jazz. The ability to play the blues music became the standard for all jazz musicians, especially to be used in improvisation.

Blues music itself, which was originated from the southern region, had a very broad history. Blues players usually used guitar, piano, and harmonica, or played together in a group who played his own musical instruments.

Jazz music that was rooted in the blues, evolved into New Orleans, RAG time, boogie woogie, dixie and swing. Then, in the early decades of the 1940s, jazz entered be bop era. Be bop music was the outlet of the Negro protest in the United States. The atmosphere of World War II made all of society and the musicians frustrated.

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A year ago, the festival Jazz Britannia was such a success that the Barbican along with BBC Four are bringing to us this year, a 3 day festival which celebrates the evolution of British folk music from the end of the Second World War right up to its modern day revival. From the 2nd to 4th February ‘06, the Barbican holds a series of live events encompassing three themed concerts, free music, films and talks. Tying in with the event is BBC Four’s very special three-part documentary series of the same title that engages with the disparate and sometimes argumentative elements of the contemporary folk scene.

To kick off on Thursday 2nd February, Which Side Are You On? is a night that features two of the biggest names in folk music of the British Isles and will be hosted by the force that is, Billy Bragg. The monumental Scottish firebrand singer-songwriter Dick Gaughan, will take to the Barbican Hall stage alongside Martin Carthy, a mainstay of the English folk scene.

Daughters of Albion on Friday 3rd February brings together some of England’s finest female folk artists and singer-songwriters in a themed concert to sing songs of experience. The set list places ancient folk ballads alongside West Country trip hop and 21st Century R’n’B. All performances will be accompanied by an ensemble featuring ex-Pogue and master multi-instrumentalist David Coulter, guitarist Neil MacColl and Van Morrison’s drummer Liam Bradley, all arranged by MD Kate St John. Artists include June Tabor, Sheila Chandra and Norma Waterson.

The final night, Into The Mystic celebrates the current resurgence of interest in the psychedelic, mystical, neo-folk of the late 1960s and early 1070s. It explores how this renewed interest has been reflected on a new generation of artists today. It will feature artists from pioneer bands such as Pentangle, The Incredible String Band, Donovan and Vashti Bunyan.

Meanwhile, the BBC 4 series will be divided into three one hour episodes which chronicles how the music was coerced into a revolutionary soundtrack by the Left in the 50s, how the hippie generation bent it into progressive folk-rock in the 60s and 70s only for punks like The Pogues and Billy Bragg to bring things back to basics in the 80s and 90s. The story of folk will be told by a stellar cast of musicians, live performances and archive footage and the debates that arise in its argumentative world will be discussed.

www.barbican.org.uk/music

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John McLaughlin, quite simply, is an eloquent. A guitarist whose musical vocabulary is both fluent and succinct; a musician who has proved he can work on equal terms with players from around the world and in any context. The language of music has rarely been expressed better.

He is also the guitar hero’s guitar hero; admired by Johnny Marr, Jeff Beck and Robert Fripp amongst many others – there are very few serious guitar players who cannot have been influenced by his virtuoso technique. John is currently recording a new album, with a group of invited musicians, which will incorporate ideas from Asian underground music that originated here in the U.K.

“Asian music and culture have played a pivotal role in my life, whether from a musical or philosophical/spiritual viewpoint. About 12-15 years ago, Jungle music appeared and coincided with a very strong retrospective movement in Jazz. I was never a fan of retrospective music, and I became intrigued by Jungle only to find out that it had its roots in Jazz-Rock, Reggae and Indian music. Drum ‘n Bass is a derivative of Jungle, but for my ears Jungle is more unpredictable and consequently more enjoyable.

“Asian Dub Foundation, Nitin Sawhney, and Talvin Singh have experimented with either Jungle or Drum ‘n Bass, and in addition have introduced a vast array of Indian percussion with it and Indian vocalists. I’ve even heard Shakti influences in some of their recordings.

“Some of the recordings they have done are very interesting from the conceptual point of view, and the sometimes very tasteful use of synthesizers.

“With these artists, there are some really interesting groups such as D Note and Lemon D, who have also made some excellent recordings.

“Now while the music might not be as ‘rich’ as jazz music, for me, some of them are more interesting musically.

“The other aspect of ‘Underground’ is the world we live in, insofar as it is now extremely industrialised. We live surrounded by the sound of industry, and my idea is to incorporate this ‘industrial music’ into new forms of music. That’s the tricky part. The other part is putting together some of the world’s finest musicians, from East and West, and placing them in a musical situation where their particular musical conventions might not work. In other words it makes them think in different ways, and then putting all of this together.”

Born in Yorkshire on January the 4th 1942, John McLaughlin grew up in a musical family but was essentially self-taught as a guitarist and took on various influences from blues, flamenco, jazz and classical music. His love of music informed his dedication and has led him to being one of the foremost talents in the world today.

“On my iPod I have a selection from:- Miles (early & late period), Coltrane (early & late period), Bill Evans, Charles Lloyd, Cannonball Adderly, Joshua Redman, Brad Meldhau, Sly and the Family Stone, D Note, Lemon D and other UK ‘underground’ groups, Bluth, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Vinnie Colaiuta, Massive Attack. The list is endless.”

He emerged publicly during the British blues revival of the Sixties, featuring in bands such as Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames and the Graham Bond Organisation, before cementing his reputation in avant-garde jazz with the similarly brilliant John Surman and Dave Holland. Drumming legend, Tony Williams picked John to play in his group Lifetime, with Jack Bruce and Larry Young, after hearing a tape of his playing and soon after Miles Davis came a’ calling. Miles was moving into his Jazz-Fusion period and was sweeping up the cream of young musical talent to join him; even though Miles risked alienating Tony Williams, a man he respected and admired, by asking John to join him on the recording of In A Silent Way, his move was vindicated by John’s beautiful, soulful playing on what has now become a landmark recording. John continued to perform with Williams and Davis but soon formed his own band, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, playing jazz-rock fusion that was by turns muscular and contemplative. John’s career since then has found him in varied musical environments with a succession of dazzlingly accomplished partners from the screaming jazz-rock of his work with Carlos Santana to the exhilarating indo-jazz of Shakti to the exuberant flamenco work-out of his trio guitar work with Paco DeLucia and Al DiMeola. John gives the impression that, like Miles, he never wants to sit on his laurels.

“My first band was formed while I was still at school. After that I became a kind of permanent side-man until 1970. I had just played a gig with Miles and we were speaking together in the band room. All of a sudden he said ‘John, now’s the time to form your own band’. Since he was the most honest man I’d ever met, and my hero since the age of 15, I had to justify his faith in me, even though at that time I didn’t feel ready to be a leader. Since then I haven’t stopped. As far as ‘feeling comfortable’ is concerned, I love all great musicians and great music wherever they may come from so I’m delighted to play with Spanish, Indian, Western musicians, whatever. However, in a way I am against being ‘comfortable’ in music. I need to be provoked in music, and of course I also provoke in my turn. For me, it is somewhat dangerous to be too comfortable in music. Human nature quickly becomes indolent.”

The list of partners that John has chosen to collaborate with has been a catalogue of the world’s best and most innovative artists: Billy Cobham, Jerry Goodman, Zakir Hussain, L. Shankar, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Jan Gabarek, Trilok Gurtu, Kai Eckhardt, Joey DeFrancesco as well as the aforementioned Carlos Santana, Paco DeLucia and Al DiMeola. Also, John’s work as a “side-man” has enabled him to work with the last great Miles-influenced generation of jazz legends (or “Miles’ Boys”) including Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams, Dave Holland, Keith Jarrett, Jack DeJohnette, and Airto Moreira.

“Music is a communicative art: firstly amongst the musicians performing, and secondly with the audience. One of my main criticisms of the ‘Retrospective’ Jazz I spoke about earlier, was the lack of interactionbetween musicians which is to me one of the principal criteria in good Jazz, or good music in general. Jazz and Indian music are essentially collaborative or interactive musics because improvisation plays such an important role – the most important role. What this means is spontaneity, but there’s no spontaneity without other humans to be spontaneous with.

“I will never be able to repay my debt to Miles for his ‘influence’. Since the age of 15 he has been influencing me in the most marvellous way musically. Being able to play and record with him was critical for me in being able to learn his way of playing and leading, recording, whatever. His way was simply masterly. ‘My Goals Beyond’ half of which contains several, quite exceptional, acoustic guitar pieces was an exception to what I’ve just written, but of course, there is always room for the ‘solo’ artist to produce great works. Since this was the only ‘solo’ recording I ever made in my life, this is indicative of my interest in solo work.”

The work for which John may be most fondly remembered, certainly on the Indian Sub-Continent, is his collaboration with Indian classical maestros who formed the heart of Shakti. John found himself in conversation with the powerhouse talents of L. Shankar, Zakir Hussain, and T.H. Vinayakram (and later, the sublime Hariprasad Chaurasia) and was completely at ease in this exalted company. The Shakti recordings sum up everything that is good about music; the breadth, subtlety and shades of emotion that are contained within are, quite simply, breathtaking. Shakti are the only Indo-jazz fusion group that has gained widespread acceptance in India and is a testament to the universality of the musical language that exists with great musicians and to John’s musical honesty that he immersed himself entirely within an idiom that other western musicians find difficult to engage with except on a superficial level.

“My relationship with Asia in general, and India in particular has been very long and until now, a wonderful adventure. My life, and as a consequence, my work also, would be dramatically different without these influences. Actually unthinkable!

I don’t agree entirely that western musicians engage superficially with Indian classical music. Yes it’s true that lots of the new ‘World Musicians’ use the sounds of Asia simply for effect and to add colour. This is unfortunate, but then again, there are lots of people who want to hear this kind of music, whether for ambient sound or otherwise. It’s not at all demanding. Joe Harriott was certainly an exception. To say clearly what drew me to Indian music or to Indian culture for that matter, is unknown to me.

“However, from a musical point of view, there is a deep connection between jazz and Indian music. They are the only two schools of developed rhythmic improvisation on the planet. The foundations are different since the western way is harmonic, but since the advent of modal music by the late 1950′s (Miles again), and the outstanding work done subsequently by John Coltrane in modal music, we have even more in common.

“My work with Shakti is not to learn how to play Indian music, (though I have studied it seriously for many years), my work with Shakti is simply the desire to play with these absolutely fantastic musicians. I am first and foremost a western musician, but I have benefited in countless ways from my association with these musicians.”

John’s relationship with Eastern philosophy began in the early 70′s, when he became a disciple of Sri Chinmoy Kumar Ghosh (Sri Chinmoy gave John the name Mahavishnu), and John’s spirituality can be felt quite clearly in his work. Music has always been able to express emotion with more fecundity and nuance than the spoken word will ever be able to bear or, to put it another way, a jazz musician’s job will always be to make a tune sound not like itself but himself. Like Miles, Coltrane, Rollins, Bill Evans and all the other greats too numerous to mention, John expresses a profound emotional resonance and beauty through the notes he plays that is served by his astounding technique rather than enslaved by it; he has never reduced himself to the empty verbosity that technical expertise can engender in less articulate musical linguists.

“We may think that music operates only on the emotional, spiritual and aesthetic levels, but politics and the intellect are there all the time. The reverse is also true insofar as the world’s politicians are concerned only with the economic and political ramifications of their actions. As a result, they forget, or are unconscious, of the corrosive influence they have generally on the hearts and minds of people by ignoring these essential aspects of human existence.”

John McLaughlin has been at the peak of his creative powers for over 30 years and a generation of guitarists are beholden to him in demonstrating the splendour that lies at the heart of the instrument and an indefatigable spirit that keeps him moving forward.

“There is so much left to do, and I really don’t know what keeps me going creatively. Passion???”

Jazz guitar legend John McLaughlin has recently released an educational box-set about improvisation called This is the Way I Do It.

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The Guardian has described Fentazis’ compositions as having “breadth and atmosphere, and his oud soloing, which recalls the drive and dynamism of world oud star Anouar Brahem, is often stunning,”.

Having played music almost all his adult life, Fentazi recalls how as a young boy he didn’t have the means to buy any musical instruments’, he resorted instead to “buy music and listen, which was good because I started to develop my musical ear. Then slowly, slowly I bought my first guitar in 1980.”

Entrepreneurial from the start Fentazi tried to find a teacher to teach him, unsuccessful because he was ‘too old’ at 16 to learn the guitar, Fentazi taught himself. Now when he composes, Fentazi starts with the bass line, playing it on his guitar and later adding the melody. These days Fentazi prefers to play the oud, an ancient Arabic lute, “it is something different and people respond to the sound.” Other instruments Fentazi plays are flutes, percussion and the zorna. All these instruments, Fentazi has taught himself, “I don’t know how,” he says laughing. Renown for the compelling atmosphere Fentazi’s live performances evoke, he is acutely coy, “The best audiences? You can find them anywhere, but it depends how you perform. If you are happy and perform well then you create a good vibe and audience.”

Performances with other prominent musicians most notably include Robert Plant, Ali Slimani, Cheb Mami, Orchestra National de Barbes, and Natacha Atlas. Fentazi is laid back about the number of requests made for collaborations; always he insists “they contact me.” On working with Natacha Atlas, Fentazi is unfazed, “I have been propositioned by Natacha Atlas, who is a very, very nice person and extremely helpful, she said if I want to work together anytime, but I told her it is too late for this album, maybe next time.”

Mul Sheshe (The Turbaned One), Fantazias’ much anticipated second album is to be released this month by Harmonium Monday Records. The title song is “quite funny,” explains Fentazi, “it is about a guy who is confused. He comes from a traditional small village; from there he goes to a big very modern city. And he gets confused.

“Does he go left? Does he go right? Which way to go?”

Mul Sheshe is available from Harmonium Monday Records from July.
See Fantazia at Queen Elizabeth Hall on 9th July 2005

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News From Nowhere: Visions Of Utopia promises to be one of the largest art events in London this year. A number of public sites in North East London, including The William Morris Gallery, the Changing Room Gallery, The Waltham Forest Theatre situated on an island and surrounded by a moat, Lloyd Park, and a massive building site in the centre of Walthamstow, The Vestry House Museum and Walthamstow Town Hall will be used as stages for exhibitions, interventions, installations, audio visual works, music performances and public art activities during September/ October 2005.

CarnegieBased on the title of the William Morris novel News From Nowhere, and set in and around his birth-place, the project aims to re-examine the legacy of utopianism: upheld by the idealists of the 19th and early 20th century, who believed passionately in the possibilities of radical social change, with visions of a future egalitarian world, it is a distant cry from our post-modern, post-ideological times.

An international line-up of artists, designers, musicians, writers, thinkers and performers will be presenting their work in the context of the various spaces. The events, works in progress and completed pieces will be documented and published on-line in the Visions of Utopia web site. The site will also provide a global forum for open contributions, reports and sightings of utopia.

A special limited edition newspaper, News from Nowhere will be published and distributed, including essays, documentation and interviews with local and global residents, as well as those of the participating artists and organisers. The 18th-century Water House, Morris’s family home from 1848-1856 is now the William Morris Gallery. It is the only public museum in the world devoted to this country’s best known and most versatile designer with internationally important collections illustrating Morris’s life, achievements and influence.

Art Utopia For the first time, a selected group of artists, designers and writers will be given a unique opportunity to place work within the House and permanent displays, resulting in a series of juxtapositions and interventions alongside the work of Morris and the Pre-Raphaelites; featuring the legendary Tony Benn, designers Ralph Ball and Maxine Naylor, architect Meredith Bowles, artists Stephen Williams, Liane Lang, Anderson Inge, Malcolm Barrett, Luis Gonzago Barriera Bras Keith Ball and Steve Wheeler. With sonic work by Isobel Jones and video performance from Claire Robins.

Other Venues
The Changing Room Gallery
Vestry House Museum
Arcadia (a massive building site)
Waltham Forest Theatre, The Moat, Lloyd Park

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East London Metropolitan Opera continues to bring together top professional musicians with members of the local community and children from Hackney schools accompanied by a full orchestra.

For those with more contemporary, independent tastes, a hip triple bill on the 13th July with Billy Childish and the Buff Medways, Ed Harcourt and Paul The Girl, is not to be missed. A cult figure in America, Europe and Japan, Billy Childish is arguably the most prolific painter, poet and songwriter of his generation. In a twenty-year period he has published 30 collections of his poetry, recorded over 90 full-length independent LP’s and produced over 2000 paintings. High praise comes from Alternative Press, USA, “Of all the ’70s punk survivors Childish is one of the select few who didn’t sell out, or end up sucking.” Whilst Time Out describes Billy as “terse, gutsy and powerfully humane.” Ed Harcourt, reviewed by the Observer Music Monthly, has been praised also, “the blissful sound of a besotted drunk in love…Harcourt retains a composer’s eye for detail which repays whatever attention you care to give it.” British artist, Paul The Girl is an admired and accomplished musician; The Guardian review wrote,”…on her own tiny label, Paul is making the most original music of any British artist, of either gender.” Spice festival goers will be spoilt for choice with the line-up of drama performances. From Cardboard Citizens; an clectic mix of theatre, circus and music developed and devised by This Way Up, the UK’s largest arts performance programme for homeless people, to Rajni Shah Theatres’ story of Queen Elizabeth I, a traditional Indian bride and according to the synopsis, “…the relationships we have to the land we live on, and the theatres we all invent.”

Let’s not forget the little people for whom the Movingstage Marionette Company bring double bill, Captain Grimy and The Three Little Pigs, a charming puppet show re-telling these familiar, timeless tales. Also presented by Spice Festival is Richard Pinner, Gold Star BAFTA award winner who will be performing, “excellent close-up magic,” as described by The Stage.

The diverse drama available includes internationally renowned theatre company Rotozaza presenting their unique and innovative acts without any rehearsal. Actors perform by following live instructions. ROMCOM or The Distance Love Can Be Maintained Between Any Two Fixed Points, by Glen Neath is performed by two unprepared actors with headphones telling them what to say and do. The Glasgow Herald likens it to,”…one of Godards movies…as well as comedy it’s a complex study of compatibility and communication.”

2005 Events

Opera Gala Evening:
Hackney Empire:
Tuesday 12th July: 8pm, Tickets: £8, concessions £2.50

Billy Childish and The Buff Medways, Ed Harcourt, Paul The Girl:
Hackney Empire:
13 July: Doors 8.15pm Tickets: £10, conc. £7.50

Cardboard Citizens:
Acorn Theatre:
Thursday 21st July: 7.30pm

Rotozaza:
Hackney Empire:
17th July: 3pm: Tickets: £12/£8

Rajni Shah Theatre:
Acorn Theatre: Sunday 24th July: 4pm & 7.30pm: Tickets:£10/ £7

Movingstage Marionette Company:
Acorn Theatre:
16th July. 11am & 2pm: Tickets:£6, children £4.50.

Richard Pinner:
Bullion Theatre:
Sunday 24th July: 2.30pm: Tickets: £6 children, £4.50.

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If I told you of an artist whose albums have outsold Elvis, The Beatles and all of the Jackson clan added together, I wonder how you might respond?

Well, the artist in question is A. R. Rahman, dubbed “the Mozart of Madras”, whose tunes have mesmerised music lovers the world over. Having first made his name with numerous hit Bollywood soundtracks, he has since composed the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Bombay Dreams. His next musical offering, the stage adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord Of The Rings trilogy, will open in Toronto later this year and, at a cool £10 million, it is the most expensive musical ever.

The good news for London though, is that, in July ’05, A.R. is embarking on his first live UK tour. Expect magical musical soundscapes, stunning visuals and, for the first time in concert history, experience it all in 3D. The publicity release explains it like this: “…the audience will receive 3D glasses to transport them into a magical galaxy, where they will be able to ‘virtually’ reach out to their favourite stars…” Apart from A.R., the concert will feature the very best classically trained, Bollywood playback singers, all of whom are popular artists in their own right. These include Shankar Mahadevan, Hariharan and Sadhna Sargam, to name but a few.

However, life has not always been so kind and, A.R.’s own meteoric rise to fame is itself the stuff of “Bombay Dreams”. Born in Chennai, India, A.R.’s earliest memories are of long periods spent sitting by his father’s hospital bedside – something he assumed that all children did. Following his father’s untimely death, A.R., aged just nine, felt the mantle of responsibility for his family pass onto his young shoulders. Aged eleven, he left home to become a touring musician, working with many eminent names, including the table maestro, Zakir Hussein. In time, the young Rahman earned a scholarship at Oxford University’s Trinity College, where he studied Western Classical Music. On returning to India he set up his studio, Panchathan Record Inn (now one of India’s most technologically advanced recording studios, housing one of the biggest and most comprehensive sonic libraries).

His big break, however, came in the form of maverick film director, Mani Ratnam, who offered A.R., then 26, the role of Music Director on his 1992 film Roja. The gamble was worth it, as the Roja soundtrack revolutionised the sound of Indian film music and went on to win every music award imaginable, including Best Music Director for A.R. Rahman, at the National Film Awards.
Since Roja, A.R. has provided the scores for most of Bollywood’s biggest blockbusters, including the Oscar-nominated Lagaan. His skills are in demand the world over and in 2003 he provided the score for the Chinese martial arts film Warriors of Heaven and Earth.

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The album is regarded as one of the most anticipated recordings of recent times, which Nicola recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra. The recording was conducted by 29 year old Daniel Harding, who was recently appointed Principal Guest conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, and Music Director of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra.

It has been a momentous year for the 17 year old violinist, since her triumph in the BBC Young Musician competition, debuting with some of the world’s most respected orchestras, playing for HM the Queen at the opening of the Scottish Parliament and then signing a six album deal with Universal Music.

The album features a selection of Concerti and violin repertoire, including the sophisticated Szymanowski Concerto No 1, which Nicola brought to the public’s attention last year. The recording will also feature a new Sir John Tavener work, entitled ‘Fragment for the Virgin’ that was especially written for Nicola. The album also features a special backing track of the Mèditation from Thais by Massenet which will give Nicola’s listeners the opportunity to play accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra.

Nicola is playing at the Barbican
30 July at 7.30pm
Box office 0845 120 7500

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