Michael Messer's Mitra

Michael Messer's Mitra

Michael Messer: Vocals, Slide & Lap Steel Guitar Manish Pingle: Indian Slide Guitar (Mohan Veena) Gurdain Rayatt: Tabla A unique fusion of blues, slide guitar, Hindustani classical slide guitar and tabla rhythms. Michael Messer's Mitra is a trio comprising British blues innovator and slide guitarist, Michael Messer, Hindustani slide guitar maestro from Mumbai India, Manish Pingle , and London-based tabla player, Gurdain Singh Rayatt. Call Of The Blues - #1 in the iTunes Blues Chart - February 2016 Call Of The Blues - #1 in the World Music Network Chart - May 2016 Call Of The Blues - #1 in the World Music Network Chart - April 2016 Call Of The Blues - #10 in the Transglobal World Music Chart - April 2016 Call Of The Blues - Songlines 'Top Of The World' top 10 - April 2016 Call Of The Blues - #1 in the IBBA (Independent Blues Broadcasters) chart - February 2016 Call Of The Blues was one of the top 10 albums on fRoots Playlist - January/February/March 2016 Call Of The Blues was one of Blues Matters top 10 albums - February 2016 "Magnificent Indian Blues... Call Of The Blues is a remarkable fusion of country blues with Hindustani music, showcasing the splendour of the slide guitar and the talent of three extraordinary musicians". Angel Romero World Music Central "The trio spent two days in the studio recording this quite superb album. Messer’s regular blues repertoire is the source of much of the material – but they’re transformed by the Indian musicians, as the dark, droning mojo of the Delta is lent additional mystery by the layers of raga-like atmospheric ambience. Best of all is ‘Bhupali Blues’, in which the exchange works in the opposite direction, with Messer’s bottleneck blues tropes blending seamlessly into the structure of a traditional raga as the two guitarists exchange licks with scintillating panache". Nigel Williamson Songlines "There's nothing I Like more than a meeting of musical minds where you can't hear the joins, and that is absolutely what we've got here. Messer is rare amongst Brit bluesniks, in that he possesses a real feel for the music and yet gives it his own personal stamp. This is an acoustic blues album that takes the music right back to the deltas; Mississippi and Ganges". Jamie Renton fRoots "...Not since the Beatles teamed up with Ravi Shankar back in the day has there been such an experimental and inspired meeting of musical cultures. I've no doubt this album is going to be internationally lauded for both its musicianship and Messer's stunning vision". Iain Patience Music News USA This is more than another meeting of musicians from different cultures, this is a band with its own unique sound, an exhilarating and highly accessible fusion of blues and Hindustani classical music. With vocals, slide guitars and tabla, these three musicians from opposite sides of the globe create a fascinating musical journey, running from the banks of the Mississippi, via London, to Mumbai and the Ganges Delta. In 2013 Michael Messer travelled to India to perform at a festival in Mumbai. Just before the trip, he was put in touch with one of the new rising stars of Indian slide guitar, Manish Pingle (pronounced 'Pinglay'). Manish invited Michael to his home in Mumbai and after just a few minutes, the two musicians were jamming on two Mohan veenas (Indian slide guitars). Manish had heard some blues, but not the style of rural blues that Michael was playing that night. The two musicians felt an immediate and natural musical rapport and found that they were able to switch from blues to Hindustani music without really noticing the transitions. It was natural and easy, as if they had known each other's playing for years. Michael Messer left Manish Pingle's home that night, vowing that he would find a way for them to play together again. Fast forward six months and Manish Pingle landed at Heathrow in September 2013 for a concert with Michael at the Troubadour Club in London. To make the music complete, they added London-based tabla player, Gurdain Rayatt, to create a trio. Regarded as one of the greatest tabla players of his generation outside India, Gurdain had not heard the style of blues that Michael plays, but as with Manish a few months earlier, the combination of their styles was immediate and totally natural. Manish Pingle and Gurdain Rayatt, two masters of Indian classical music, were playing Mississippi delta and hill country blues with Michael Messer, as if they had played together all their lives. All three musicians and the audience at the Troubadour Club that night were completely captivated by this unique fusion of the blues and Hindustani classical music. Fast forward again to April 2015, and a few days after their first UK tour, Michael Messer's Mitra were at Leif Storm Studio recording their debut album, 'Call Of The Blues'. It took three days to record the ten tracks, the whole album was recorded completely live in the studio. Mitra is a unique musical trio and a true musical friendship.

See Michael Messer's Mitra tour dates