Out of Genre (First Hand Records, FHR09, 2011)
Sitar maestro Jonathan Mayer takes the sitar out of its comfort on his latest album titled Out of Genre. As the title implies, the sitar ventures into uncharted territories. Jonathan Mayer is the son of the late John Mayer, the great pioneer of indo-Jazz fusion in the UK. Jonathan follows his faher’s adventurous spirit by performing a wide range of genres with his sitar.
Jonathan Mayer’s sitar explorations take him to the worlds of Johan Sebastian Bach, jazz, North India and electric sitar fusion.
Jonathan studied sitar from Clem Alford, Pandit Subroto Roy Chowdhury, both of Senia Gharana, and Ustad Wajahat Khan of Imdadkhani Gharana. He also studied composition from his father and later with Andrew Downes at the Birmingham Conservatoire where he gained a B.Mus (Hons).
He has worked with Joji Hattori, Paul Weller, Kathryn Tickell, BBC Concert Orchestra, Kumar Bose, Kavita Krishnamutri, Kuljit Bhamra, Erich Gruenburg, Rohan De Saram, Kenny Wheeler, The Orlando Consort, John Wilson, Bombay Dub Orchestra, Future Sounds of London, Sarah Brightman, Noel Gallagher, and Paul McCartney.
Buy the album:
- In North America: Out of Genre
- In Europe: Out of Genre
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
Can’t wait to hear this. Jonathan is a great player and was wonderful when he played with us as Bombay Dub Orchestra
Cheers
Andrew