User:Mcgumbrie/Jack Clift

Jack Clift (born September 15, 1955 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) is an American Composer and Music Producer. He is best known for his hybrid soundscape technique combining elements of American folk music, Jazz and Bluegrass music with traditional instruments and singers from the many countries in which he has worked as both a studio producer and field recordist. Clift's recordings feature virtuoso performances from Sardegna, Turkey, Corsica, Malta, and most notably Uzbekistan where he has been a part-time resident since 2004, when he co-founded the American-Uzbek musical group, Jadoo.

Mr. Clift has had compositions licensed by NBC for the 1996 Summer Olympics and the nationally syndicated radio program, Car Talk. He co-produced 2 projects last year for Minneapolis record label Soulfood. One of these albums, Tantric Chill was the label's biggest seller in CDs and downloads. In September of 2006, Clift met with John Carter Cash in Hendersonville, Tennessee where the two conceived an ambitious project melding the Central Asian influences of Jadoo with traditional American mountain music, including songs from the vast catalogue of the Carter Family. In October, Clift flew to Tashkent, Uzbekistan and met with Tatar guitarist Enver İzmaylov and the members of Jadoo for the first recording sessions of the project. Upon his return to the United States, he reconvened with Cash in Tennessee to begin introducing the contributions of internationally revered mountain singer Ralph Stanley, recipient of the National Medal of Arts in 2006, country music icon Marty Stuart, The Peasall Sisters (O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Down from the Mountain), Randy Scruggs, Ronnie McCoury, John Cowan, Greg Leisz, and Ron Miles. Selected tracks from this album, entitled Pale Imperfect Diamond, due for official release in early 2008, have already received regional airplay in the US and have been extensively pirated in Central Asia.

Awards

 * 1998 New Mexico Music Industry Awards (Best Producer)
 * 1998 New Mexico Music Industry Awards (Best Musical Production Original Modern Classical Genre )
 * 1998 New Mexico Music Industry Awards (Best Musical Production Eclectic)

Discography

 * Prairie Fire (2006)
 * A Parade for the Fallen (2004)
 * The Earlyears (2003)
 * The Secret Histories (2001)
 * From A Window Black as Rain (1997)
 * On a Bright, Bright Morning (1993)

Notable Collaborators

 * Tim Pierce
 * Alan Pasqua
 * Enver İzmaylov
 * John Carter Cash
 * John Cowan
 * Ralph Stanley
 * Ronnie McCoury
 * Jeff Beal
 * Edgar Meyer
 * Marty Stuart