Her bio on
Twitter
reads “Alt-World Songstress. Mumbai & Southern Virginia converge in a kaleidoscope of folk, jazz, and Indian traditions. Bridging Hemispheres.”
While we
here at CuisineCuisine.com are interested in spreading the word about
Indian food, Manisha brings another aspect of Indian culture – new
age Indian music – to the world.
Manisha debuted her singing as a child at 6
years of age, and she has been writing her own songs since she was 11
years old. Although Manisha was trained in Western music traditions,
her music is influenced by her Indian roots.
Always intrigued about new and unique sounds, I (Medini Pradhan)
decided to listen to her music. In addition to hearing the stories she
sang in English, I was pleasantly surprised and musically happy to
hear a mix of old favorite Bollywood tunes, Marathi kids songs, as
well as some funky beats.
Her new album,
“When Parallel Lines Meet”, has been described by MastRadio.com
as
“fresh, uncluttered, and right from the heart, with a true universal
vibe.” Here
is a glimpse into her world.
Interview
by Medini Pradhan.
I loved your “Peace in Progress” album, especially the song “Collage #1, as it incorporates one of my favorite Marathi songs...”Naach Re Mora”! What inspired you to make this kind of music? How would you classify your music?
This kind of music collectively feels like home
to me. Before I embarked on this journey as a performing songwriter, I
had been involved in various musical projects. Very rarely, if ever,
did I let two different styles of music - western & Indian - meet
before the same audience. As I began performing regularly as a
songwriter, my writing gradually incorporated a variety of
influences.
My experimentation was not an entirely conscious
decision, but it was more like what happens when you enter the kitchen
without any pre-conceived notions or recipes. Today
I think of myself as a singer-songwriter in the American folk-jazz
vein, with a global twist.
What is the “No Musician Left Unfed Act”?
Fifteen
summers ago, I had the great pleasure of meeting and working with
pianist
Vince
Evans
in Washington, DC. Vince was touring regularly at the time, and he
played weekly local gigs when he was not on the road. He made a
lasting impression on me when he told me about the efforts he made to
cook at home whenever he could.
When
I began performing regularly in the Boston area as a band leader, I
decided to make a point of preparing tasty & healthy meals for my
fellow musicians at rehearsals or recording sessions. Since
I love to cook, this was a perfect match between food & music. And
that’s how the “No Musician Left Unfed Act” came into being.
You
have some unique sounds in your songs. You also mentioned to me that
you recorded some mustard seeds popping when you were preparing a meal
for one of the recording sessions. What made you think of doing that? Have
you included it in any of your songs?
Daniel
Cantor, with whom I produced both of
my albums at Notable Productions, is a willing partner in my
sound-capturing adventures.
For
example, one afternoon we recorded the sound of the falling rain that
serves as the opening to “Collage #1”
on my first album. As for the mustard seeds, I fondly remember
the “popping” sound from my mother’s kitchen, so we recorded it
once when I was cooking a meal for one of the recording sessions.
However, the mustard seeds have not yet made their debut on one of my
recordings.
In the
meantime, you can hear the sound of popping mustard seeds on the
“Spinach Ukulele”
video (3:50), along with some tunes from
my new album. We had a lot of fun making the spinach AND the video!
How to make Spinach Ukelele :
Watch
the video for guidance.
Wash, dry, and coarsely chop the
spinach. Peel the garlic cloves and coarsely chop them. Heat a small amount of oil in a pan. Be sure to use low heat.
When the oil is ready, add mustard seeds, turmeric, and a pinch of asafetida.
Cover the pan and listen to the seeds “pop”.
Do not let the spices burn.
Add the garlic chunks to the pan. Move the pan around and make sure all the garlic chunks are coated.
When they get light brown, slowly add the spinach.
Add the salt & cayenne pepper after the spinach
cooks down. Season it with a dash of lemon juice and a bit of sugar. Adding a bit of sugar
(optional) in some dishes is not uncommon in Maharashtrian cooking.
This might surprise you, because you would not find it to be sweet if
you tasted it.
Finally, fine-tune the flavor according to your taste. Serve! Kaitlynn, Diane, and I enjoyed the spinach for our lunch with plain white rice and salad.
As an artist and especially as an Indian Alternate music artist, what has been the hardest part in getting your music out
there?
In the past, artists often faced a dichotomous future:
“starving artist” or “superstar”. A handful of artists, like
Madonna, would take 95% of the pie. Today the pie is being divided
amongst more artists around the world. Record labels are struggling,
so people just like you and me are the ones who have the power to help
an artist “make it”.
You can decide which artists will get a slice
of that pie. That’s encouraging to me! Therefore, we artists truly
appreciate it when people like you reach out to us and help us
introduce our music to new audiences.
The good
news is that the American musical landscape continues to evolve. The
response to my new album, “When Parallel Lines Meet”, indicates to
me that people are more open now than ever to the concept of Bridging
Hemispheres. Songs such as “Girls Gone World”, “See Light
(Collage #2)”, “Still”, and “In Search of Yaman” have found
an audience among those who would not necessarily call themselves
“world music” fans.
And, in
turn, several listeners of Indian origin have told me that the simple
“Mrs. Underwood” is one of their favorite songs on the album, in
addition to hybrid tunes such as “How Things Change”,
which contains an excerpt of “Le To Aye Ho” from the film, Dulhan
Wahi Jo Piya Man Bhaye.
You have said “solo artist is hardly a solo effort” - whom do you credit your success to?
One day I looked at the term “solo artist” and felt that it was an
odd pairing of words. While I do perform as a “solo artist” today,
there are so many people who have been supportive of my endeavors over
the years, including family members, friends, teachers, colleagues,
and listeners. I am grateful for all the kindnesses I have experienced
along the way.
What do you want to say with your music?
I’ve said enough already, so I’ll let my music speak for itself. : )
Thanks,
Manisha, for letting us take a glimpse into your unique musical world.
To keep up with Manisha, please visit www.ManishaMusic.com and sign
her mailing
list. You can buy Manisha’s music at numerous online
outlets, such as iTunes and Amazon, but I recommend visiting her
webstore, where you can also stream her
music in its entirety.
