Sacred Chants of Buddha

Craig Pruess is one of the few session musicians, singers, conductors or composers active in the UK music scene who has mastered and synthesized three great musical traditions of the world: Western classical and contemporary, Indian classical, and African drumming. His credits are extensive and impressive: two UK number one film scores for quot;Bend It Like Beckhamquot; and quot;Bride & Prejudicequot;, plus art films, quot;The Mistress of Spicesquot;, quot;What's Cooking?quot; and quot;Bhaji on the Beachquot;. He has scored some of the most successful independent TV drama series in UK history (quot;Peak Practicequot; for ITV), and arranged and conducted orchestras for Massive Attack, Def Leppard, Bond and Sir Cliff Richard. The latter garnered him gold and platinum records for production honors, with many chart hits, including composing the number one UK chart hit single at the Millennium, quot;Two Worldsquot; (the double A side to Sir Cliff Richard's quot;The quot;Millennium Prayerquot; - a million seller). As a session musician and Indian music consultant, Craig played sitar on the Manic Street Preacher's number one UK album quot;This Is My Truth Tell Me Yoursquot; (on the track quot;Tsunamiquot;). Craig has created the Indian music colors (playing sitar, tambura, swaramandala - zither) for the Johnny Depp film quot;Charlie and the Chocolate Factoryquot;, the Harry Potter film quot;The Goblet of Firequot;, the Madonna film quot;The Next Best Thingquot;, the Heather Graham film quot;The Guruquot;, and most recently quot;Shoot on Sightquot; with Greta Scacchi. Other keyboard and sitar session work has included Elton John, Mike Oldfield, Katie Melua, Gareth Gates, Selena Jones, Joe Cocker and Japan. Craig is an accredited yoga/meditation teacher for the international Art of Living Foundation, and regularly stages music/meditation concerts/experiences internationally. He has performed for the Dalai Lama, at the WOMAD Festival in the UK, Glastonbury Festival, and also for Prince Charles (private concert at the Prince's home). His original ground-breaking albums quot;Sacred Chants of Shivaquot;, quot;Sacred Chants of Buddhaquot; and quot;The 108 Sacred Names of Mother Divinequot; are sold in over 80 countries around the globe, with quot;Sacred Chants of Shivaquot; selling many millions in the Indian subcontinent, with 'Sacred Chants of Buddha' selling over a million in Nepal alone. (most are bootlegs!). Born and raised in Westchester County, New York, Craig attended MIT, and later traveled and became a full time member of staff at the East African Conservatoire of Music in Nairobi, Kenya (1971-1973), before coming and settling in England in March 1973. For his full professional biography and early background, see his Heaven on Earth Music website. Besides being a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, record producer and seasoned arranger, Craig is also a sound designer and sound engineer with a great wealth of experience and technical expertise, which shows in his unique and crystal clear recordings. Indian music is a very old and powerful tradition, with intricate knowledge of the connection between sound/vibration and the human body and emotions. Craig has also studied Ayur-Veda (the science of perfect health), and his approach to music and recording is a totally life integrating and life affirming undertaking. 'Sacred Chants of Buddha' was originally commissioned by the Times of India record label in Mumbai, Times Music, as a heartfelt response to the nuclear arms race between India and Pakistan at the time. The executives from TOI were very concerned (naturally), so they asked Craig t