| Karsangjamtso "Karjam" Saeji | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Maqu County, Gansu Province, China |
| Genres | New Age, Traditional, World |
| Years active | 1991 - Present |
| Website | www.karjamsaeji.com |
| Notable instruments | |
| Vocal, Bouzouki, Dranyen | |
Karjam, or Karsangjamtso, Saeji is a Tibetan singer/songwriter/dancer from the grasslands near Maqu in Gansu Province in China. He performed with the Gannan Tibetan Performance Troupe, from Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture from 1991 and moved to America in 2007. He recorded a CD, Pilgrimage, in 2007 as part of the Lopez Artist Advance Project, on Lopez Island in Washington State.[1] The executive producers of "Pilgrimage" were Lenedra Carroll[2] (formerly manager for Jewel) and Michele and Steve Heller. The producer was Ralf Illenberger.
Karjam was one of the invited performers for the 2008 World Festival of Sacred Music held in Los Angeles, California.[3] "Pilgrimage" was nominated in 2009 for the Just Plain Folks music awards, the largest independent music awards in the world, as were two of the singles off the album, "Danlih" and "Nehnijih Lirang".[4][5][6] On August 28, 2009 at the awards show they announced that Karjam won the Asian Album award for "Pilgrimage" and was the first runner-up for the Best Asian Song with "Danlih".[4]
He is known for his strong singing voice, frequently singing a cappella. He also accompanies himself with the bouzouki, the Tibetan dranyen, and sometimes on the mandolin.
Karjam joins a fairly large group of musicians in the Tibetan tradition now active in the West, including singer Techung, singer Yungchen Lhamo, singer Phurbu T Namgyal, flautist Nawang Khechog and Jewish-American Tibetan-genre performer Amalia Rubin.