Alisha Sufit is best known as the UK singer songwriter of the 70s band Magic Carpet, whose eponymous album released in 1972 has become a cult collectable on the international vinyl collecting market, since reissued on CD by Magic Carpet Records in 1994. She began singing and writing songs after leaving Chelsea School of Art in London, her earlier style most influenced by Irish, British, and east European folk music. She played the folk, festival and college circuit, later including more jazz influenced songs into her repertoire. The Magic Carpet band line-up consisted of Indian sitar, tabla, guitars and voice - the music latterly described as 'psych prog folk'. The band re-formed in 1996 to releaase a second album entitled Once Moor (Magic Carpet II). Alisha Sufit released two solo albums: Alisha Through the Looking Glass and Love And The maiden. She continues to write songs and poetry and perform mostly in the UK.
Alisha Sufit is best known as the singer song-writer with the 1970s psych prog folk band Magic Carpet. After studying at art school, Alisha began performing in clubs and colleges around the UK, singing her own compositions plus traditional folk songs, self-accompanied on acoustic guitar and Appalachian dulcimer.
In 1971 Alisha joined with ex Chelsea School of Art fellow student Jim Moyes plus two friends to form the Magic Carpet band, "one of the finest Indian-influenced psychedelic folk albums of the 1970's" quote. The line-up consisted of Alisha, vocals, guitar, Clem Alford, sitar, esraj, tamboura, Jim Moyes, guitar, and Keshav Sathe, tabla, Indian percussion. The band made one eponymous album, 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 alongside numerous musicians including The Enid, Fairport Convention, Terry Reid, the legendary Davey Graham (also known as Davy Graham), Incredible String Band etc. She was invited to appear at the Incredible String Bands I.S.B. Convention concert in Leeds in 1994, along with others such as Dr. Strangely Strange.In the 1980s Alisha started singing jazz standards plus her own jazz-oriented compositions accompanied by such luminaries as Peter Ind (bass / Bass Clef), Pete Saberton (piano), Chucho Merchan (bass), Nick Weldon (piano), and Dave McCrae (piano). There is still an unreleased (very alternative!) recording of 3 original Sufit songs arranged by Pete Saberton, performed by Alisha, Saberton, Chucho Merchan and Brian Abrahams (District Six) on drums. The Magic Carpet album began to receive acclaim some 15 years after its release, the original LP now a sought-after collectable on the international vinyl market, currently reissued on CD by the Magic Carpet Records label. It was also reissued on EMI heavy weight vinyl, a signed limited edition which sold out almost immediately.
Moving on from jazz sequins and the perm (!), Alisha revived a lot of her back catalogue and continued to write new material, with a total of 200+ songs to date. In 1994 Alisha released Love And The Maiden, limited edition signed CD, a collection of her early recordings with sleeve notes by legendary guitarist Davey Graham (also known as Davy Graham).
In 1993 she released the album Alisha Through The Looking Glass, on both CD and heavy-weight EMI audiophile vinyl formats - see suppliers below. The album consists of 12 songs richly arranged with contributions by Ray Warleigh on saxophone, Bernard ONeill on bass, Magic Carpet percussionist Keshav Sathe on tabla, Mamadi Kamara on congas / percussion, Chris Haigh on fiddle and Alan Dunn on accordion.
In 1996 sitarist Clem Alford and Alisha got together again to record the album Once Moor, subtitled Magic Carpet II (the rush follow-up!) featured in Sound On Sound magazine. The album was issued on CD and superb EMI heavy-weight vinyl. It consists of original material with a bonus raga by Clem Alford on the CD version only. To quote one review: Gorgeous melody, bittersweet lyrics, writes Phil McMullen of Ptolemaic Terrascope.
In 1999 Alisha contributed 2 tracks to the compilation album Women Of Heart and Mind, a collaboration of women singer song-writers, and in 2005 she was included in an esoteric compilation album called 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 Alishas Cellar.
Yes, I love doing live gigs. One memorable moment was singing to an audience of 997 people at the Marquee in London (a record audience for the venue) when supporting the band The Enid. I asked the crowd to bark in the chorus of a song about a dog. They wouldn't stop! Hilarious!
All sorts - everything from classical Spanish guitar to Indian music, with excursions to eastern Europe and Ireland in between.
Acoustic guitars (Guild and Tanglewood) and a gorgeous Appalachian dulcimer.
