In 1971 Alisha joined ex Chelsea College of Art fellow student Jim Moyes plus two friends to form the Magic Carpet band, (www.myspace.com/magiccarpet1972). The line-up consisted of Alisha, vocals and guitar, Clem Alford, sitar, esraj and tamboura, Jim Moyes, guitar, and Keshav Sathe, tabla. The band made one album entitled Magic Carpet. After a launch at the 100 Club, London, UK, a performance at Cleo Laine and Johnny Dankworth's Wavendon, some airplay on Pete Drummond's Sounds of the Seventies, plus several club and festival appearances, the group disbanded in 1972.During the 70s and 80s Alisha performed as supporting artist with numerous musicians including The Enid, Fairport Convention, Terry Reid, the legendary Davy Graham, Incredible String Band, amongst others.In the 1980s Alisha started singing jazz standards plus her own jazz-oriented compositions playing with various musicians including Peter Ind (bass), Pete Saberton (piano), Chucho Merchan (bass), Nick Weldon (piano), Dave McCrae (piano) and numerous others. The Magic Carpet album began to receive acclaim 15 years after its release, the original LP now a sought-after collectable, currently reissued on CD by the Magic Carpet Records label. For more inofrmtion visit the website – www.magiccarpetrecords.com. The album was also reissued as an audiophile heavyweight vinyl signed limited edition of 1,000 which sold out immediately.In the early 1990s Alisha revived her back catalogue plus continued to write new material, with 200+ songs to date. In 1994 she released Love And The Maiden, a limited edition signed CD, a collection of her early recordings with sleeve notes by legendary guitarist Davy Graham (myspace.com/davygraham). She was invited to appear at the Incredible String Band's I.S.B. Convention concert in Leeds in 1994.In 1993 she released the album Alisha Through The Looking Glass on CD and heavyweight EMI pressed audiophile vinyl, 12 songs arranged with contributions by Ray Warleigh (saxophone), Bernard O'Neill (bass), Keshav Sathe (tabla), Mamadi Kamara (congas), Chris Haigh (fiddle) and Alan Dunn (accordion).In 1996 Magic Carpet sitarist Clem Alford and Alisha got together again to record the album Once Moor (Magic Carpet II), featured in Sound On Sound magazine. The album was issued on CD and EMI audiophile heavyweight vinyl. It consists of original material, with a bonus raga by Clem Alford on the CD version. "Gorgeous melody, bittersweet lyrics" - Phil McMullen, Ptolemaic Terrascope.In 1999 Alisha contributed 2 tracks to the compilation album Women Of Heart and Mind released by Quail Records, an anthology of women singer songwriters, and in 2005 she was included in the compilation album Many Bright Things, contributing the song Silver Witch, accompanied on mandolin and bass by Frank Defina. Alisha continues to write songs, with a forthcoming album to be released entitled Alisha's Cellar.Alisha is currently singing with the Amorphous Androgynous band, and has featured as vocalist on the Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble remix of Falling Down by Oasis, commissioned by Noel Gallagher.
Links: Magic Carpet Records web site - www.magiccarpetrecords.com
Also buy recordings from – http://www.cdbaby.com/Search/YWxpc2hhIHN1Zml0/0
