He is a true multi-instrumentalist playing flutes and Irish whistles, keyboards, guitars, kalimbas, theremin and zithers.

In world fusion music he has worked with tabla player Talvin Singh, violin virtuoso Dr L Subramanium, sarangi maestro Ramesh Mishra and tabla masters Sarwar Sabri, Partha Murathi Mukherje, and Ustad Faiyaz Khan.

He's released 5 CDs with Jazz Orient (a.k.a. Re-Orient) with sitar maestro Baluji Shrivastav featuring many of his own compositions. 2 of his pieces are alongside tracks by Trilok Gurtu, Hariprasad Chaurasia and Larry Coryell, on the world music CD compilation Crossing Borders.

He has released 6 albums with world music fusion group The Rain Garden with sitar player Carl Peberdy and has featured in it's ranks percussionist Sudha Kheterpal.

His music has been heard on BBC TV and on TV and radio stations all over the world.

A big cousin to the succesful Dream Traveller album
A blend of world music instruments, minimal music, and subtle electronics, each track revealing a new sound vista. A journey through a day, and the seasons with hypnotic and evolving repeated patterns, on a huge cornucopia of instruments and including Earth field recordings.

Release dates
Friday 6th May - digital pre-release. (Bandcamp waves fees to artists on Bandcamp Friday)
Monday 9th May - other streaming & download stores.
When they arrive from duplicating - CDs

Instrumentation.
Chris Conway - piano, keyboards, sampled bass, tin & low Irish whistles, bombarde, acoustic & electric 9 string, & nylon string guitars, metallophone, kalimba, kantele, zither, singing bowl, theremin, effects, voice, overtone chanting, bodhran, temple bells, chimes, percussion,
field recordings - rain, wind, children, thunder, ocean.
Mo Coulson - Celtic Harp on 1 track

Links
Bandcamp - listen/download

Amazon - soon
Spotify - soon
CD - soon
Album Web Page - story, liner notes

Jazz Orient (aka Re-Orient) recorded their first track in 9 years since their "Undiscovered Time" album (as Re-Orient).

Recorded remotely in London and Leicester, Sangeet is a Linda Shanovitch song arranged into a Latin street dance song with Indian spice. There are special guests too - here's the line-up..
.Baluji Shrivastav - sitar, tabla
Linda Shanovitch - vocals
Chris Conway - piano, keyboards, bass, drum loops, vocals
Oscar Castellino - lead and harmony vocals.
Shreya Nayak - vocals.
Paula & Fabiana Chavez - street calls

check it out here - pre-release on Bandcamp, other stores, in the new year.

chris conway & ajahn achalo - three jewels and a lotus- new download release

After 8 months of work the collaborative album with Buddhist monk Ajahn Achalo and myself, all conducted by email between his monastery in Bangkok and my studio in Leicester has been completed. His chanting and my wafty music, plus guests sitar player Neil Donoghue I worked with on Ayurveda Gold, and Celtic harper Mo Coulson

His students are releasing a CD but it will only be distributed at monasteries in Thailand and Malaysia, but he has said I can co-ordinate a digital release. It has just gone up on Bandcamp, where you can listen or download it and name-your-price (including £0). iTunes, Spotify, etc to follow.

chris conway & neil donoghue - ayurveda gold - new release

Chris Conway & Neil Donoghue release a new album Ayurveda Gold on iTunes, Amazon download, YouTube and Spotify and other download stores. It will be released in October on CD on the Paradise Music label.

Indian tinged atmospheric music explores the 5 Ayurvedic elements- Air, Fire, Earth, Ether, & Water, and features Neil Donoghue's sitar & guitar playing and Chris Conway's multi-instrumental wizardry, so a wonderful array of exotic instruments weave together to form a dreamlike journey through the elements.
Read more info here

Downloads

Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.com

continuous version
iTunes - continuous
Amazon.co.uk - continuous
Amazon.com - continuous

the rain garden - in another sphere - re-release

The Rain Garden's debut cassette album Back Of Beyond from 1990 has been re-released. This was my first ever album!!! Remastered from the 1989 cassette album recorded live straight into the back of my hi-fi cassette recorder in my front room.

Guitar & sitar duets are interspersed with flute & tabla and bombarde pieces - background keyboards were triggered live by sequencer...

It's a name-your-price download from Bandcamp and £9 as a lovingly pressed CDr. See album page...

Hear some here

the rain garden - back of beyond - re-release

The Rain Garden's 2nd cassette album Back Of Beyond from 1990 has been re-released. The sound was taken from the original cassette master and mastered as best as I could make it - there is a little flutter here & there - but that came from the original 4track it was recorded on.
It is quite amazing to hear this again - I haven't heard it for many years. Guesting was sax player Any Nicholls on 2 tracks and Renuka Russell on shakuhachi on one.
It's a name-your-price download from Bandcamp and £9 as a lovingly pressed CDr.

Hear some here

jazz orient/re-orient - alchemy fest gig report

Jazz Orient - aka Re-Orient - played another gig in London - this time at The Forge in Camden Town.
This time we were a 5 piece line-up
Baluji Shrivastav - sitar, dilruba, pakhawaj, ghatam, temple bells
Linda Shanovitch - vocals, ankle bells, dance
Chris Conway - keyboards, Irish whistles, vocals, theremin, kalimba
Ilyas Khan - tabla
Michael Parker - drums

I made a video vlog - mostly of my epic journey there but you get the vibe of the gig.

jazz orient/re-orient - alchemy fest gig report

Jazz Orient - aka Re-Orient - played a great set at the Purcell Room, Southbank, London as part of Baluji Shrivastav's night at the Alchemy Festival. Jazz Orient played the first set, which was followed by Baluji's piece An Indian In London for sitar & orchestra.
JO/ReO played some pieces form the new album Undiscovered Timeand some old favourites including Dangerous Ground which they first recorded 22 years ago, and as always, an improvisation... Photos when we get them...

The band was a 6 piece with returning old friends in the Jazz Orient family - line-up..
Baluji Shrivastav - sitar, dilruba, pakhawaj, ghatam, temple bells
Linda Shanovitch - vocals, ankle bells, dance
Chris Conway - keyboards, Irish whistles, vocals, theremin, kalimba, bombarde
Gerry Hunt - soprano saxophone, guitar, flute, violin, percussion
Andy Platt - bass, guitar synthesizer
Yousef Ali Khan - tabla

Setlist -Dangerous Ground, Brave Boy, Child Of The Emerald Air, Portrait Of A Swan, I Am A Note, Tides, Vanita's Dance, Improvisation, Boss Me Around, Rendezvous With Rama

Here is a promo slideshow for Re-Orient's album Undiscovered Time

Re-Orient release first album in 5 years.
Re-Orient release their new album Undiscovered Time on the ARC label. Featuring their usual host of exotic instruments and guest musicians French sax player Eric Junkes and long time associate Andy Platt on bass, Undiscovered Time is one of the greatest releases. While in the studio they realised that they were celebrating their 20th anniversary together as a band.

Chris says - "I'm really pleased with how this came out - I think it's one of our best albums. I think we've captured what we do best in the past and we've moved things on too with subtle hints of electronic and ambient music amongst the Indo-jazz.

For more info check out the Re-Orient Undiscovered Time CD page

Re-Orient's first 2 albums Indian World Music Fusion & Seven Steps To The Sun gets a new look and IWMF gets a bonus track. The track is actually a track from the "Re-Orient" album and features world renowned percussionist Hossam Ramzy. For more info go here.
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ARC label celebrate their 35th Anniversary with a FREE world music album download available from Amazon includind a Re-Orient track (that I wrote) called Ila's Dance. The track is billed as being by Baluji Shrivastav instead of Re-Orient featuring Baluji Shrivastav. Never mind... We've been with ARC for 14 of those years.

Available here
Amazon UK
Amazon USA

Chris Conway's world music fusions usually centre around Indian Music or Celtic Music.

Indian music interest began after studying sitar for a year with Dharambir Singh. Meeting sitar playerCarl Peberdy led to the formation of The Rain Garden. UK tours followed, and a host of cassette albums and 1 CD were made in their 15 year association. 4 remastered albums have been released for CD and download..

He was then noticed by, and later toured with, Pushkala Gopal & Unnikrishnan Indian classical dance troupe. This in turn led to his joining Jazz Orient (also known as Re-Orient for their ARC Music CDs), recording 5CDs.
He has also played with Dr L Subramanium, Talvin Singh, Ramesh Mishra, Sarwar Sabri, Kumar Saswat during this time and toured with with kathak dancer Nilima Devi's dance projects.
In 2003 he released Ayurveda blending Indian influences with relaxation and atmospheric music.
In 2005 Chris released an album with Chris Puleston Healing Drum for the Paradise Music label
In 2009 The Rain Garden released India - their first album in 10 years
In 2012 Re-Orient released a new album for ARC Music called Undiscovered Time.

Celtic music - check out the Celtic Music Page