Filed under: Experiences, Music | Tags: chennai, drummer, jeoraj stanley george, mentor, montry
The heart of Swarathma’s feel-good vibe is powerhouse drummer Montry Manuel. In the second part of the series on his teachers, he writes about Jeoraj Stanley George, acclaimed jazz drummer from Chennai who has mentored Montry over the years. Read on to learn more about Jeoraj, his life and music and impact on Montry.
My mentor, JEORAJ “Jo” STANLEY GEORGE was my second teacher who helped me take my skill set one step ahead. I met him at the Unwind Centre, Bangalore where I had joined a class for Pro Sessions.
My Mentor Jo recording in studio
The most hardworking artist, he learnt his skills from the DRUMTECH Institute, UK and was awarded the best student, the year he graduated from there. He was also trained by Joe Boy for his advanced skill set before joining Drum Tech. He came back to India and settled in Chennai where he started his struggle as an artist. After all his achievements, he had to put in more hard work to get himself noticed in this industry and within a few years he made it big. He has toured with Keith Peters and Carl Peters, Madhav Chari Trio, Amit Heri and Group who specialize in Indian Fusion. He has also toured with AR Rehman. He is also a very well known Session Artist and has been called in as a Guest Artist on many occasions.
Jo's drum setup
He had helped us a lot during the recording of our first album. He was the one who helped me polish my sound, my drum beats and rhythm for songs like Patte Saare, Jaana Kahan Hai Mujhe, Bolo Kya Hai, Yeshu Allah aur Krishna and Barsenge. He taught me the grooves of rock and reggae and the basics of samba beats which have helped me develop better sound for the album.
Get a taste of his music here
On his various visits to Bangalore, we always get together to discuss music and get some tips to learn new tricks to develop a better and more refreshing sound.
Text and Illustrations: Montry Manuel, Edited by: Hafsah Parkar, Pics: Facebook profile
Filed under: Live Art, Tour | Tags: australia, montry, singapore, swarathma, tour poster
Swarathma's Down Under and Back Tour Poster - Design Montry Manuel
Filed under: downloads | Tags: 2010, calendar, Design, download, montry, swarathma, wallpaper
Here's the 2010 Calendar Cover!
Choose a resolution for download
1024×768 | 1280×960 | 1600×1200
January 2010
Choose a resolution for download
1024×768 | 1280×960 | 1600×1200
Filed under: Album Design, Studio | Tags: swarathma, live, Album, montry, manuel, drums, drummer, recording, Studio, akaash, amit, kilam
Montry is Swarathma’s fiery shot of high-energy drumming. Off-stage his wonderful nature charms musicians and listeners alike. Indeed, there’s hardly a musician in Bangalore who has not jammed with Montry, or does not have his number on his phonebook!
It was a dream come true, recording our debut album. After winning the Radio City Live contest, when we finally went into the studios it felt great.
I had never recorded drums in a big studio before. I’d also never played to the metronome (the constant beat per minute reference click sound that recording is done to). I was quite nervous. We had the option of programming the drums but that wouldn’t have sounded ‘live’ or the ‘feel’ would be missing. But it was a risk. What if the drum sound was not good enough? It would be too late to do anything. I wanted to play live, and I was so happy when my band supported me through it.
When Amit Kilam came on as producer, we did not know how much of a difference he would make. From the first day he set us at ease, and by the end of it, he was much more than a producer, he was a brother and friend.
What he did for me I’ll never forget. Swarathma could afford to spend 16 days in the studio. We were apprehensive about how long the drums would take to record. But I did it in just 3 days flat! It was all because of how Amit gave me confidence and made me give my best. He even lent me his equipment.
I must mention Aakash, the man behind Kshitiz Studios in Delhi. I really liked him; he was a peaceful guy. And he knew how bands worked, and gave us his best.
Since then we’ve recorded at Yash Raj Studios (live drums, this time with the band playing along!) we couldn’t have done that if I didn’t have the confidence from our album recording.
Gear:
Drum Kit: Yamaha Pro Series
Snares: Premier, PDP
Cymbals: Sabian 18′ Ride, Paiste 16′ Crash, 10′ and 8′ Splash, China & Hi Hats
Percussions: Cowbells Rainmaker
As told to Jishnu Dasgupta
