New York Polyphony remix contest cd release.  These guys are great singers and offered a remix thingy - mine is number 10 on the cd and is for 4 voices and (surprise) 4 cellos (sorry, I forgot to use a disco beat). 

Here's to New York Polyphony for doing something fun and different.

Anoushka Shankar accepts the Grammy for the Ravi Shankar cd "The Living Room Sessions Part 1" Feb 10, 2013.

I have almost finished production on "The Living Room Sessions Part 2" and it ought to be out in a few months.

What a bitter/sweet Grammy win. I was there and the fun was missing given the circumstances, still, very glad Ravi Shankar won this Grammy. 

The joy he felt recording the cd comes through. (see the photo below I took at the session).

Dec 11, 2012

A sad day for so many around the world.  All thoughts and prayers to Sukanyaji, Anoushka and Norah, extended family and friends.

I sure don't want to let this man go. He was a down to earth giant - warm and friendly, an astoundingly patient and giving teacher, a punster, he loved to make you laugh, he loved to work hard and work you hard when teaching and he made everyone around him feel comfortable. It's hard to imagine the world without him.

Here he is recording The Living Room Sessions in October 2011 - he has such a fun time recording .. as you can see!

Ravi Shankar Concert in Long Beach California (Nov 4 at Terrace Theater).

I was very happy to be playing tanpura for Ravi Shankar at his concert in Long Beach this month.  What an amazing person / musician .. what an experience... yikes!  The concert was filmed for future release, and also his concert a year ago in Escondido was filmed and will be available soon ...  in December 2012.  Here's a trailer for that one.....

Sorry the quality is low - try youtube for good quality clips:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=UUgnKVpF0eCu2iMzhEJPmLZg&feature=player_embedded&v=zVqvd6mhat8#!

May-July has been a super busy time...

In June I spent time with Ravi Shankar and transferred many older reel to reel tapes to a digital format for future posting on a website for researchers and music lovers alike as well as possible commercial release.

I've also been to Nova Scotia and taught and performed at the Boxwood Festival.  This was a fantastic experience. Part of my composition "Eight Ragas" was performed with a top notch cast, then a week of teaching cello, composition, and ensemble - all that followed by a week long tour of Nova Scotia / Cape Breton performing with a great and large group including Chris Norman, Patsy Seddon, Eamon O'Leary, Brad Leftwich, Linda Higgenbothum, Matthew Olwell, Mike Lean and Jamie Steele.

Been doing a fair amount of string arranging and recording with some very incredible singers/songwriters.
Here is Tammi Brown singing a beautiful minor version of ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH co-produced by Rhan Wilson.
(Sorry - can't get this to embed yet -- copy and paste please!)


http://motemamusic.bandcamp.com/track/angels-we-have-heard-on-high

Last October I was producer, recording engineer & tampurist (a tricky thing!) for my Guruji Ravi Shankar's new 2 cd set "The Living Room Sessions".  I obviously could not be happier about that. It was an amazing experience - four days of recording in his living room in Encinitas Cal - what a joy.

Volume One will be out April 2012 in honor of his 92nd birthday!

Here's a photo I took the first day of recording. At the end of the four days of recording (and during the ringout of the final raga, he said "weee, that was fun" and indeed it was. Can't imagine a nicer recording session of any kind.

Volume One is out now, and Volume Two will be out @ September 2012.

I'm busier than ever this months and the past many months arranging and playing string sessions/parts for singer songwriters. I really like doing this and getting to know "new" songwriters and hear where it is all going these days, and it's good, where it is all going! 

New York Polyphony ep out today on the Ariama website.

New York Polyphony sings 3 chants along with 6 remixes. My remix/re-arrangement of BEATI MUNDO CORDE for voices and 4 celli is on there, and happy to be -  NYP is a great group and how great they offered these recordings up for people to mess with!


http://www.ariama.com/albums/devices-desires-(new-york-polyphony-polyphonic-productions-2011)

Barry's remix of New York Polyphony was chosen as "Judge's Pick" for the groups Indaba remix contest.
Here's is part of BEATI MUNDO CORDE ..........

New Directions Cello Festival, Ithaca NY played some of my arrangements for SUMMER of CELLO.
Here's video for Incense and Peppermints... Thanks you guys.....

Will be released late 2011, with a little help from Roger Tallroth, Olov Johansson & Mikael Marin (of Väsen), Jesse Autumn, Shelley Phillips, Mike Marshall, Darol Anger, Todd Phillips and more.

This cd is made of tunes and compositions composed or learned while on sabbatical in the UK and India in 2006/7. Mostly my own music, but a few trad too. It's sort of "trad-y" sort of "folk-y", and a little classical sometimes - just whatever I like from that time period I'll put it in the mix.

"EIGHT RAGAS" is a new work for baroque ensemble and tabla was premiered by the Santa Cruz Baroque Festival in March 2010. The studio recording will be out we hope by xmas '11, along with pieces by Lou Harrison and harpsichord music written in Calcutta in the 1700's based on  folk songs of the day!

EIGHT RAGAS is an eight movement composition - with each movement based on a raga from each of the eight times of the day & night, chronologically, from pre-dawn to very late night.  This composition and recording was supported by a CREATIVE WORK FUND GRANT - thanks Creative Work Fund!

My remix / arrangment of Weezer's song LOVE IS THE ANSWER (stripped away all but Weezer voices and added cellos, bass, drums and vocals, Shelley played oboe, John Thomas played brass) will be included on a Weezer EP as soon as they stop being so damn busy and get it mastered and all that!

Hear the full remix at:
http://www.indabamusic.com/asset/show/758835

(copy and paste in browser)

Below button is 30 seconds of the track.