Yatri

Prem Joshua, Joshua Prem | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 8, 2005)
• Original Release Date: February 8, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: White Swan Records
• ASIN: B0006HTYXG
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #69,611 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #31 in Music > Indie Music > Jazz > International Jazz

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

Prem Joshua creates a musical synthesis beyond borders. Traveling between India and Europe for over twenty years, he has studied with some of India’s finest musicians, including sitar maestro Ustad Usman Khan, and is well-known to music lovers throughout that vast country. A versatile musician who also plays Indian flute and soprano sax, Prem Joshua writes his own compositions and arrangements, drawing deeply from the well of eastern traditions without losing the pulse of contemporary western music.

Born to a musical family in Germany, Joshua became a fine flautist while still a child before taking up electric guitar and sax. As a teenager, he performed in various rock, jazz and fusion bands, always searching for new ways to express and expand his music.

Joshua first encountered Indian music at the age of 16 while listening to the Concert For Bangladesh album, the legendary live recording featuring George Harrison and other contemporary musicians, and a performance on sitar by Master Ravi Shankar. "I had never heard anything like this before," Joshua recalls. "This was beyond my musical grasp and experience but was something of such immense beauty and depth. It felt unfamiliar and mysterious--yet at the same time like a remembrance of something I knew very well."

At the age of 18, Joshua left home and high school, setting aside all his career plans to go overland to India. Traveling through Greece, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, he studied and played with local musicians everywhere and became deeply involved with traditional eastern music. "I loved the roots of this music and felt an immediate connection that I missed so much in European music."

When he finally reached India he had a sensation of knowing it, as if he was coming home. His intuitive familiarity with the country put him at ease with its beautiful sense of mystery, contradictions, colors and smells. He immediately bought a sitar in Delhi for the price of what you pay for its strings today.

Little did he know that this instrument would soon become the mainstay of his life --and "coming home" to the land of India was only the "outer" part of his journey. "Here, I found the musical and spiritual nourishment and satisfaction that I had been looking for. I started playing with musicians from all over the world and learning from some of India's finest teachers, among them Maestro Ustad Usman Khan, who became my sitar mentor."

Over the years he has refined his distinctive sound, blending the sensuous instrumentation of ancient India with evocative melodies, modern electronica grooves and danceable ethnic rhythms. His creative musical blend has brought recognition from critics, music lovers and the press throughout the East and West. In India, where he has sold over 40,000 records, he is celebrated as the "new guru of fusion."

Accompanied by the versatile tabla and santoor player, Manish Vyas, Prem Joshua has toured around the world, giving highly acclaimed concerts in Malaysia, Japan, Israel, India, Europe and the USA. A native of Germany, he now lives in Tuscany.

Product Description

In the vast scope of his musical expressions, Prem Joshua, himself a Yatri (traveler) beyond musical traditions, creates an inspired collection of songs reflecting his deep love affair with India. Yatri represents Prem Joshua’s continuing discoveries gleaned from over 20 years of traveling through India.

The album’s easygoing, exotic, jazzy vibe reveals a natural openness to the wisdom gained from the simple pleasure of travel, and the friends and experiences gained along the way. Inspired by bus rides through Bali, a guru’s teachings, Indian fables or a dancer’s subtle expression, these songs swing effortlessly between East and West. Featuring artists whose backgrounds are as diverse as their musical input, Yatri is a fine example of true international cooperation.

Through the ages, people have heeded a calling to sacred places within and without. They embark on their voyage with the understanding that the path is as important as the destination. In the East, this journey is called Yatra (pilgrimage). If you feel this call, let this album be your travel companion.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful musical pilgrimage, September 14, 2006

By 

Amaranth "music fan" (Northern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Yatri (Audio CD)

"Yatri" is the Sanskrit word for traveller,and on this album Prem Joshua takes listeners on a transcendent musical journey.Prem Joshua is underappreciated as a New Age artist (though his music is bestselling in India),in the shadow of Yanni,Enya, and Deva Premal.He mixes jazz elements, world music and trance with Indian classical music,making something unique.It's too jazzy for a meditation/yoga session,and too meditative for a dancefloor.It isn't easily categorized;that's the source of its genius.

Highlights-

1)Saroja,parts one and two-Highly meditative.The blending of voices is hypnotic,eerie and beautiful.

2)Cosmo-Bali-tan-Blends the instruments of Brazil,Africa,and Bali.Steel drums,kalimba,berimbau-a fascinating musical journey.

3)Funky Guru-First heard this on Putumayo World Music's compilation "Asian Lounge";the reason for getting this album.A joyful praise of the guru,whoever your guru is.

4)Sarang Solitaire-Very earthy,deep rhythms.

5)Jaisal Nights-Hypnotic.The chanting accentuates the rhythm of the music.

Prem Joshua is a talented instrumentalist and composer.This album should be in every New Age collection!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No Yoga Required, March 31, 2006

By 

Lorenzo "Music Guy" (New Hampshire US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Yatri (Audio CD)

I've become a huge fan of Prem. "Yatri" (next to Mudra) has become my favorite. Prem has something very special going on and I encourage all musically open minded persons to partake in this joyful and fullfilling expression of truly world music.

You don't need Yoga to fully appreciate this music.

Thanks

5.0 out of 5 stars Deeply satisfying and relaxing, January 16, 2011

By 

Celeste8 (Joshua Tree, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Yatri (Audio CD)

This is one of the CD's I play the most often in my yoga class. Although it's relaxing, yes, the music is also complex and interesting--it avoids the sometimes grating monotony of other so-called relaxation music. When I listen to Prem Joshua's CD's in my car, and can focus on the music more single-mindedly, I find his melodies very moving. I'd like to eventually add more of his music to my collection.