presents

Emam & Friends 2020

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Being locked in during the Coronavirus pandemic in Goa gave me a good chance to create another album which I think is my best so far. I reached out to some great musicians in Poland and added them to tracks that we had recorded earlier and never released. Also went over some old recordings and found tracks that had not been released. The result is, in my opinion, a wonderful collection of music for your listening pleasures!

Click one the song names to listen.

1) All That Exists (Mahalakshmi) Mahalakshmi composed this as a mellow lullaby. When I heard it, immediately I knew I would want to record it as a more upbeat and jazzy piece. So, here it is! Mukesh Sharma sarod Robert Szydło bass Łukasz Sobołak drums Arshad Khan tabla Mahalakshmi vocals, piano Ahsan Ali sarangi Emam dumbak

2) Goa Groove (Emam) Originally the title of this song was Goa Chill, then Mahalakshmi told me it's too groovy to chill out with. So, now it's called Goa Groove! Composed and created in Goa with a bass and drum tracks added by our friends in Poland. Mukesh Sharma sarod Julien Moretto violin Robert Szydło bass Mahalakshmi piano, keyboard Emam dumbak Łukasz Sobołak drums

3) Another Life (Emam) Another song in my favorite rhythm cycle: medium tempo seven. A fusion of Indian classical, Jazz & Eastern European music. Mukesh Sharma sarod Matthew Montfort guitar Julien Moretto violin Lewis Patzner cello Emam ghatam, bayan Jim Dooley drums Ambika Prasad dholak

4) Dance of the Hermit - Vocal Mix (Emam) About eight years ago, we went into the studio with the amazing Polish singer Michał Rudaś, in Warsaw, and recorded his voice on a couple of my songs. Then I forgot about the tracks and didn't do anything with them until 2020 during lock-down. A completely different version of this song was released on the album Sacred Insanity. In this version we feature the great vocals of Michał. Emam tabla Michał Rudaś vocals Mahalakshmi piano Moses Sedler cello

5) Outside Of Time (Mahalakshmi) Note from Mahalakshmi (song's composer): This piece arrived in my ear in a moment "Outside of Time" after having come to India for the first time. I lived in a western culture my entire life and the experience of India shook my mental constructs apart. I found myself in an unfamiliar land that was also somehow distantly familiar, jostling unknown memories that seemed to arise from a thick haze beyond time. I was suddenly out of space, out of mind and thrust into an experience I could not have predicted... India embracing me as the churning ocean itself. Mukesh Sharma sarod Robert Szydło bass Mahalakshmi vocals, piano Łukasz Sobołak drums Emam tabla

6) Desert Moon (Emam) About eight years ago, we went into the studio with Michał Rudaś, in Warsaw (Poland), and recorded his voice on a couple of my songs. Then I forgot about the tracks and didn't do anything with them until now! This is the third version of this song that is being released. It features all the musicians from the previous mixes as well as the additional tracks from Michał. Mukesh Sharma sarod Michał Rudaś vocals Geetika Varde vocals Kai Eckhardt bass Gari Hegedus oud Irina Mikhailova vocals Moses Sedler cello Dave Lewis drums Emam ghatam, vocal recitation

7) Dance of the Hermit - Bansuri Mix (Emam) I was listening to the original tracks from this song, that was released on the album Sacred Insanity, and discovered a fantastic bansuri track from Manose that was only partially used. Here we present the entire bansuri track because it is just wonderful to listen to! Manose bansuri Gari Hegedus oud, mandocello Matthew Montfort guitar Moses Sedler cello Emam tabla

8) Vrindaban (Emam) Years back, while visiting Vrindaban, city of Lord Krishna in North India, I was inspired to compose a melody for chanting "Om Namah Shivay" and here it is, an instrumental version of it. Mukesh Sharma sarod Matthew Montfort guitar Kai Eckhardt bass Łukasz Sobołak drums Mahalakshmi piano Emam dumbak Arshad Khan tabla Ambika Prasad dholak

9) Whisper In My Ear (Emam) This is another piece which has already been released in four different versions (with different musicians), two of which were on the album Jai Ganesha. In this version we have brought together all the musicians and created a mix with everyone. Mukesh Sharma sarod Irina Mikhailova vocals Kai Eckhardt bass Gari Hegedus oud Deepak Ram bansuri Moses Sedler cello Indu Prakash vocals Dave Lewis drums Emam tabla, harmonium, vocals

Łukasz Sobołak's drum tracks recorded by Łukasz Damrych Wrocław (Poland) Michał Rudaś vocal tracks recorded by Emam at Studio 100 Warszawa (Warsaw, Poland) Robert Szydło's bass tracks recorded by Robert Szydło Wrocław (Poland) Dave Lewis drum tracks recorded by Benjamin Tierny Los Angeles, California All other tracks recorded by Emam at various locations

Arranged, mixed, edited and mastered by Emam. Special thanks to Mahalakshmi for her assistance in editing. Produced by Emam for Eternal Music. Published by Emam & Friends - (BMI).