About This:
Manisha Shahane's music sounds as if Claude Debussy and McCoy Tyner are vying for Suzanne Vega's attention in Bollywood. Produced by Daniel Cantor and Shahane at Notable Productions in Boston, her full-length debut features original songs rooted in folk, jazz, Western classical, and Indian traditions. Juxtapose grooving modern bass lines with late 19th century piano composition, layer it with Indian pop sensibilities, and you'll begin to understand what Manisha's music is about.

Peace In Progress features Shahane on voice and piano, Blake Newman on acoustic bass (Jeff Robinson Trio), and Jerry Leake on tabla/percussion (Club D'elf, Ali Akbar Khan). This bilingual album, which received airplay on 30 radio stations nationwide and even on a station in Israel, features songs that draw upon her childhood in southern Virginia and her Maharashtrian heritage.

Recorded primarily in the Boston area, Peace In Progress includes appearances by notable area musicians like guitarists Kevin Barry (Mary Chapin Carpenter), Prasanna (Joe Lovano, Hari Prasad Chaurasia), and Raj Banerjee; percussionist Ricardo Monzon (Myanna, Boston Pops), drummer Matthew Taylor, Dominique Gagne on flute, and even Shahane's parents. Producer Dan Cantor (Jim's Big Ego) also hops on the drums for a couple of tunes, adding texture to Shahane's alternating moods and time signatures, as the album ranges from the simplicity of a vocal/tabla duet to the rich, deep sounds of the sordo, and an exospheric electric guitar.