Who says songs don't have a life of their own? In reality musicians are just there to make them a reality. Songs are not dogs you can keep on a lead and take for a walk when you wish to go. They are rather lions – and they do what they want! So watch out when you see 'composed by ...' It often means that the lion is in a good mood and lets the 'composer' pat him. -- Prem Joshua
Sometimes it is possible to wonder into a shop and discover something new.
So it was with Prem Joshua when I found a few of his CDs in a New Age shop called Soluciones not far from the main square and harbour in the old Spanish colonial town of Puerto de la Cruz.
Soluciones had around half a dozen Prem Joshua CDs, I settled on Yatri, which I heard parts of in the shop, not that I could hear it all too well as some imbecile was shouting his mouth off.
Yatri is a fusion of jazz and Indian music, and as such seems typical of much of the work of Prem Joshua.
Unusual for a westerner, Prem Joshua plays the sitar.
Prem Joshua has been praised by Sitar Maestro Ravi Shankar and his daughter Anoushka Shankar, herself an outstanding sitar player, which is praise indeed.
In 2003, Prem Joshua was nominated for the BBC Radio 3 World Music Award.
The BBC Radio 3 World Music Award lost all credibility when it was seen to be rigged.
Seize the Day were clear winners (that is in terms of votes cast) of the BBC Radio 3 World Music Award 2003, and yet you will not see them listed as winners. BBC did not like the result and pulled the plug on Seize the Day.
Seize the Day were clear winners of the BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards 2003, until that is the BBC rigged the awards, they didn't like their anti-war message. Attending the awards ceremony, Theo Simon, lead singer, was stopped at the door and ordered to remove his Not in My Name, anti-war badge.
Seize the Day had the last laugh though, when they invaded the stage and all stripped naked.