BISHI: Albion Voice
Gryphon Records
Dur:42mins
www.bishi.co.uk

“Albion Voice is a hugely accomplished work” The New Internationalist


Click the name of each song to read more it .... there are 9 songs in total 'Pan to Artemis' is a bonus track on the iTunes release.

Note: The soundcloud encoding is a little lumpy in places - the fidelity is perfect on CD/ MP3 :)


Bishi’s new album Albion Voice explores themes of Britain ancient and modern, the rich tapestry of East London's folklore, social politics and cultural mix providing a vivid backdrop to the writing. Bishi sings in English, Bengali and Bulgarian to reflect the Babylonian nature of London and all world cities today. 

The words of Chaucer, Milton and Mary Elizabeth Fyre track the development of English from a medieval ‘mongrel tongue’ to the modern language of today.

Diverse influences - from Bulgarian throat singing to the experimental work of Meredith Monk, Christian choral music to traditional Indian song with a flavour of medieval folk - combine to create an eclectic yet coherent work of style and grandeur.

Harp, Sitar, Lute and ‘Mr. Tickle’ – the cabinet pipe organ from Worthing – are just some of the instrumental voices that can be heard throughout the record. 

One of the highlights of the record is ‘Dia Ti Maria’ - featuring The Kronos Quartet - the worlds leading string ensemble.  The debut performance of this 8min choral work grabbed the front page of the New York Times who announced Bishi as the 'New British Diva'.

Albion Voice - the title track features, (Film composer) John Williams’ string players and a C16th recorder rumored to have been played at the court of Queen Elizabeth 1st! 

The album was recorded over three years in London, Wales, upstate NY, LA & Buenos Aires - the central themes of migration, National evolution and the search for identity in a multicultural world were greatly informed by through this process of working and travel.

The artwork is based upon royal heraldry and commemorative ceramics. Bishi appears as both The Queen and Britannia with elements of Indian symbolism worked into the images - the British lion has been replaced with the Royal Bengal Tiger and the Tudor Rose with the Sacred Lotus.

A line of collectable china, tea towels & other artefacts will soon be available from www.bishi.co.uk.

Lable: matt@gryphon-records.com
Press: Andy Fraser                        andy@somefriendly.co.uk
Live: Claudine Spiteri               claudine@livestockproductions.co.uk
General contact: friends@bishi.co.uk

BISHI: ALBION VOICE

These are four different religious recordings done on location in Aleppo, Syria. ANy questions please email info@lostorigins.com

Assyrian Chant

The album opens in a timeless English woodland - it's late afternoon, riders pass by on horseback as a distant bell calls to prayer.

The spoken text is the Prologue from Chaucer's Canterbury tales, Bishi took lessons in middle English from a Chaucerian Scholar to aquire an authentic turn of phrase. We can clearly hear the Saxon, Norman and Celtic influences upon the ever changing English language as waves of settlers have an impact on the way we speak.

It seemed appropriate to start with one of the languages great journeys as themes of Multiculturalism, National and personal identity weave around all the songs of the album.


Middle English

Whan that aprill with his shoures soote 
The droghte of march hath perced to the roote, 
And bathed every veyne in swich licour
 Of which vertu engendred is the flour; 
Whan zephirus eek with his sweete breeth 
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth 
The Tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne 
Hath in the ram his halve cours yronne, 
And smale foweles maken melodye, 
That slepen al the nyght with open ye 
(so priketh hem nature in hir corages); 
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, 
And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes, 
To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes; 
And specially from every shires ende 
Of engelond to caunterbury they wende.


Modern English

When fair April with his showers sweet, 
Has pierced the drought of March to the root’s feet 
And bathed each vein in liquid of such power, 
Its strength creates the newly springing flower; 
When the West Wind too, with his sweet breath, 
Has breathed new life – in every copse and heath – 
Into each tender shoot, and the young sun 
From Aries moves to Taurus on his run, 
And those small birds begin their melody, 
(The ones who ‘sleep’ all night with open eye,) 
Then nature stirs them up to such a pitch 
That folk all long to go on pilgrimage 
And wandering travellers tread new shores, strange strands, 
Seek out far shrines, renowned in many lands, 
And specially from every shire’s end 
Of England to Canterbury they went



Written by Chaucer/ Bishi/ Hardern
Bishi – vocals 
Produced by Matthew Hardern
Engineered by David Peters 
Mixed by Hardern/Peters

Photo - Paul Morgan
Dress - Sybil Rouge
C&P Gryphon Records Ltd 2012

PROLOGUE

ALBION VOICE
{Bishi/ Hardern}

The lead single from the  'Albion Voice' album.

Recorded over 2 years in London, LA and Buenos Aires the song features, (film composer) John Williams’ string players! It is about the search for identity in a multicultural world.

Bishi’s new album Albion Voice explores themes of Britain ancient and modern, the rich tapestry of East London's folklore, social politics and cultural mix providing a vivid backdrop to the writing.

Bishi – vocals and sitar 
Evar Cativiela – lute 
Ramiro Albino – recorder 
John Howlett – hurdy gurdy & guitar 
Peter Hope Evans – jews harp
The Secret Quartet – strings 
Produced by Matthew Hardern 
Engineered & David Peters 
String arrangement by Neil Kaczor/ Kate St John

ALBION VOICE

DIA TI MARIA
{Milton/Hardern/Bishi}

‘Dia Ti Maria’ is an 8 min choral piece; a song of loss, fortitude and self-realization
Inspired by the Greek Orthodox liturgy, the 1st and last sections are written in Koine (Biblical) Greek. The English lyrics are quotes from Milton’s Paradise lost.

This mix features The Kronos Quartet - the world's No.1 string ensemble.

Originally commissioned by the Brooklyn Youth Chorus the US debut grabbed the front page of the New York Times who announced Bishi as the ‘New British Diva’.
Bishi sings all 50 voices on the recording…

Rich harmonic writing develops from the clusters of Bulgarian throat singing to the more open, pastoral harmonies of English folk. The atmosphere moves from despair to realization and resolve.

Vocal techniques suggestive of Ligeti and Meredith Monk can be heard in the occasional slides and ‘asides’ to give a sense of melodic fluidity to the musical landscape.

Bishi – vocals 
Produced by Matthew Hardern 
Engineered by David Peters 
Mixed by Hardern/Peters

DIA TI MARIA

THE LAST OF ENGLAND
{Kaczor}

Inspired by Derek Jarman's film of the same name this piece features the Liggeti Quartet and an ancient middle eastern instrument called the Duduk.


Bishi – vocals
Charles Adelphia – duduk 
Ligetti Quartet – strings 
Produced by Matthew Hardern 
Engineered by Raz Olsher 
Mixed by Hardern/ Peters

THE LAST OF ENGLAND

SATURDAY'S CHILD
{Bishi/Hardern}

A song of becoming - recorded in LA and London. Bishi playes the sitar and all the string effects are played live by brilliant film players in LA. 

Bishi – vocals & sitar 
The Secret Quartet – strings 
Angele - Harp

Produced by Matthew Hardern 
Engineered by David Peters 
Mixed by Hardern/ Peters 
String arrangement by Neil Kaczor

SATURDAY'S CHILD

DO NOT STAND AT MY GRAVE AND WEEP
{Mary Elizabeth Frye/Bishi/Hardern}

Bishi set this poem for voice after studying with Naaz Hosseini, a member of Meredith Monk's vocal ensemble.

Written in 1932 on a brown paper shopping bag by Mary Elizabeth Frye, a housewife and florist from Baltimore.

The verse has a remarkable power to soothe loss and has become popular at funerals regardless of race, religion or social status around the world over the past eighty years.

Note: The soundcloud encoding of this song isn't great - it sounds perfect on the CD :)

Bishi – vocals 

Produced by Matthew Hardern & Neil Kaczor 
Engineered by Neil Kaczor 
Mixed by Hardern/Peters

DO NOT STAND AT MY GRAVE AND WEEP

Gryphon Records

Related tracks