Amyt Datta (born 20 October 1960) is a guitarist, and producer from Kolkata. He toured extensively with the rock band Shiva from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. He later played with Pinknoise, the late-night alter ego to pop/rock band Skinny Alley in the early 2000s and has continued his own solo work, often in collaboration with Jivraj Singh of
Parekh & Singh
Parekh & Singh was an Indian dream pop duo from the city of Kolkata in West Bengal. The duo consisted of Nischay Parekh (vocals, guitar, synths) and Jivraj Singh (drums, electronics). The band released three studio albums: ''Ocean'' (2013), ''Sci ...
. His most recent album The Red Plant was released on 10 December 2021.
Early life
His father was an educationist and his mother belonged to a family with a strong musical tradition. Amyt's maternal grandfather
Raichand Boral
Rai Chand Boral (19 October 1903 – 25 November 1981) was an Indian composer, considered by music connoisseurs to be the Bhishma Pitamah, the father of film music in India.
He was awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest award in Indi ...
is regarded as the father of Bollywood music.
He and his cousin started playing the guitar when they found a lap steel guitar lying around in their home. They started taking guitar lessons which were mostly in Indian classical and semi-classical music. He started taking western music theory lessons from the legendary
Carlton Kitto. His first guitar was what he calls "the Trunk". It was made by his friend who took just Rs. 300 from him. It looked like a log and had a very high action.
Discography
*''D for Brother'' 1992
*''Escape the Roar'', SKINNY ALLEY, 2003
*''Songs from the Moony Boom'', SKINNY ALLEY, 2008
*''Quirkwork'', PINKNOISE, 2009
*''PINKFRAUD'', PINKNOISE, 2009
*''The Dance of the Diaspora'', PINKNOISE, 2009–2010
*''Electropink'', PINKNOISE, 2010
*
Ambiance de Danse', solo, 2013
*
Pietra Dura', solo, 2016
*
Amino Acid', solo, 2016
Roja Planta solo, 2021
Movie career
In 2011, Amyt Datta appeared as a guitarist in a
Bengali rock musical movie
Ranjana Ami Ar Ashbona
''Ranjana Ami Ar Ashbona'' (, ) is a 2011 Bengali language Indian rock musical drama film directed by Anjan Dutt. It won three national film awards in 2011 including best music direction and best feature film in Bengali.
Plot
Anjan Dutt, A ...
directed by Anjan Dutt. In 2019, he appeared in ''If Not for You'',
a documentary about
Kolkata
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
's long lasting love affair with legendary singer-songwriter
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...
.
References
External links
PINKNOISEBound by fret, friendship : Jayashree Singh and Amyt DuttaTales of the Blue-Eyed Boy: An Interview with Amyt Dutta By Priyanka RoyIndia's Best Axe-Men, RollingStone, India.Article on Merinews
*
TimeOut Mumbai ArticleIndiecision InterviewScreen India ArticleKolkata Newsline Article on Jayashree Singh
{{DEFAULTSORT:Datta, Amyt
Lead guitarists
Indian guitarists
Living people
1960 births
Musicians from Kolkata