Spirit Voyage

Epiphany CD by Manose is the latest release by the Nepalese flutist, with guests Deva Premal & Miten.

The rising sun; prayer flags fluttering in the breeze; a quenching rainstorm – simple images leap to life in these new songs by Nepal native Manose. With his bansuri flute -- accompanied by guitars, cello, percussion and guest vocals by Deva Premal & Miten -- Manose unveils the divinity that resides within each of us.

Manose, Nepal’s premier flutist, fell in love as a child with the bamboo flute. His astonishing ability to improvise is grounded in a technical mastery gained from devoted study to classical raga music, allowing him to explore the instrument’s practically limitless potential for subtle expression.

Since 2005, Manose has been touring worldwide with Deva Premal and Miten, seducing thousands with the lilting, mellifluous sounds of his simple bamboo flute.

In addition to his work with Deva Premal & Miten, Manose has collaborated with Grammy winner Jai Uttal, as well as bluegrass hero Peter Rowan, kirtan superstar Krishna Das, the Chicago Children’s Choir, tabla maestro Swapan Chowdhury, John Densmore of the Doors and The New Maihar Band, an ensemble created by the late Ustad Ali Akhbar Khan.

Manose's hometown, Boudha, Nepal stands on the ancient trade route leading from the Himalayan mountains down into the Kathmandu valley.  It is just upriver from Nepal's most holy Hindu temple, and is home to an important Buddhist shrine.   

Here eight-year-old Manose fell in love with the bamboo flute one night when a breeze wafted its song through his window.  Truly, the sound of the bansuri is seductive.  It has a resonate quality that mimics the human voice.  And because it is not valved like a silver flute, its potential for subtle expressiveness is practically limitless.      

He purchased a two-rupee flute from a street hawker and began to carry it with him in his school bag where it vied for space with his favorite sling shot.  His real relationship with music began when Manose heard about an old man who played haunting music on the shenai.  That man, Madan Dev Bhatta, a disciple of Ustad Bishmilallah Khan, initiated Manose into the study of classical raga music, often known as North Indian classical music.   

At the same time, Manose began to collect cassettes by flute maestro Hariprasad Chaurasia.  To augment the lessons he was getting from Bhatta, Manose would play the cassettes again and again, trying to copy what he heard, often practicing five or six hours a day.  "I wanted to learn," says Manose.  "I wanted to have something."  

Now, as a performer in a variety of genres from raga, to Nepali folk, to fusion rock, his sound has matured into something at once ethereal, powerful, and playful.   Now, as a performer in a variety of genres from raga, to Nepali folk, to fusion rock, his sound has matured into something at once ethereal, powerful, and playful.      

He is widely recognized as Nepal's premiere flautist and is the recipient of national awards including instrumentalist of the year.  And even while living in the United States, he still manages to be a vital part of the music scene back home.  His music videos air regularly on Nepali TV, he is a member of one of the county's most popular rock bands, 1974AD, and he is a regular participant in Nepal’s fledgling jazz festival, Jazzmandu.  

In the United States, Manose performs and records with Grammy-nominated fusion artist Jai Uttal, The Chicago Children’s Choir, singers Krishna Das and Deva Premal, tabla maestro Swapan Chowdary, and blue grass great Peter Rowan.  He is also a member of the New Maihar Band, an ensemble created by living legend Ali Akbar Khan.  He has performed in Canada, France,England, Switzerland, Germany, Hong Kong, and Malaysia.