HARRY MANX
‘BREAD AND BUDDHA’
Label Dog My Cat Records
Release Date November 16 2009

Harry Manx has been dubbed an “essential link” between the music of East and West, creating musical short stories that wed the tradition of the Blues with the depth of classical Indian ragas. His unique sound is bewitching and deliciously addictive to listen to.

Harry forged this distinctive style by studying at the feet of the masters, first as a sound man in the blues clubs of Toronto during his formative years and then under a rigorous five-year tutelage with Vishwa Mohan Bhatt in India. Grammy award-winning Bhatt (with Ry Cooder for A Meeting by the River) is the inventor of the 20-stringed Mohan Veena, which has become Harry’s signature instrument.

Manx’s Indo-blues hybrid is a style that’s a direct byproduct of the nomadic life he has led, a life that has resulted in his highly compelling and charismatic musical persona. Born on the Isle of Man, Manx spent his childhood in Canada and left in his teens to live in Europe, Japan, India and Brazil.

Manx’s time in India was spent meditating with different masters, and several decades of meditation and yoga have allowed Manx to delve deeper into the music, imbuing his work with an intangible spiritual quality. “I always cloak my messages with inspirational ideas in a story,” explained Manx. “I also try and reach the listeners’ hearts rather than their minds.”

Years of busking on the street in various locations around the world have taught him how to truly connect with and move an audience. His training in India allowed him to approach music from a different perspective, where the focus is on the song and on the transfer of energy between the performer and the listener. What makes Harry an exceptional performer is his ability to completely give himself over to the song in the moment, creating a deep well of emotion for the audience to draw from. It’s in the live setting, Manx says, that a bridge between “heavenly” India and “earthy” American blues is most effectively built.

Manx is a prolific artist, releasing nine albums in an eight-year span with no signs of stopping. He has received five Maple Blues Awards, five Juno nominations, the Canadian Folk Music Award in 2005 for Best Solo Artist and won CBC Radio’s “Great Canadian Blues Award” for 2007.

His latest CD, BREAD AND BUDDHA is a musical culmination of thirty years of travel. It is a lush, well seasoned blend of roots, blues, folk and Indian sounds that covers the world map. Ample instrumentation is used including piano, drums, bass, scored strings and steel & acoustic guitars. Two years in the making, this collection of songs is a soulful meditation on the ephemeral nature of human existence.

Blend Indian folk melodies with slide guitar blues; add a sprinkle of gospel and some compelling grooves and you’ll get Manx’s unique “mysticssippi” flavour. It’s hard to resist, easy to digest and keeps audiences coming back for more.

Review

The worldly-wise Harry Manx has created something rather special here. First off, forget blues of the bombastic, rocky kind. It ain’t here. Think calm and reflective and you’ve pretty well nailed it. This is a beautiful record that resembles a softly tumbling river which, just occasionally, meets jutting rocks but finds a non-combative way round them. ‘Nine Summers Lost’ sets the scene nicely with a melodic song that drifts along with a voice that combines fluidity with a hard, gravelly edge. There’s a drum rhythm clattering away in the background but it’s never destracts from the sensatively stroked Mohan Veena and slide guitar strings or that compelling vocal.

‘True To Yourself’  is a tantalising mix of East and West with the gorgeous vocals from Samidha Joglekar and Ravi Naimpally (who also plays Tablas on this track). The lyrics are brief and powerful: “Hold my trembling hand/With the sweep of your eye/Let me drink a few caresses/Before I have to fly.” Now I’m guessing that Manx sings the three verses in English while his guest vocalists sing the same lines in their mother tongue. It’s beautiful.  ‘Dew On Roses’ is another wandering winner, and exemplifies how Manx creates an almost mystical ambience in his music. There’s also poetry in his lyrics: “Tears fall silently/Like dew on roses…”

‘Walking Ghost Blues’ offers an edgier and darker blues sound, while ‘Your Eyes Have Seen’ reverts to moving contemplation and is one of the melodic, distinctive standouts on this lovely album.  ’Humble Me’ is another standout written by Kevin Breit. It’s in narrative style describing how a man and his child escapes by car from a marriage wrecked by booze. Manx is utterly convincing as he sings this moving song in a wistful, pensive style. ‘Moon Goin’ Down’ is guitar-led, tradional blues written by Charlie Patton which Manx makes his own.

If you’re into country blues then this record is definitely for you, it’s an understated beauty.

4/5

Harry Manx UK Tour 2009

November

Tues 24 London Charlotte Street Blues Bar
0207 580 0113 / www.charlottestreetblues.com £7, 8pm

Weds 25 Sheffield The Boardwalk
0871 230 1101 / www.theboardwalklive.co.uk £7, 7.30pm

Thurs 26 Leicester The Musician opening for Clive Gregson
0116 251 0080 / www.themusicianpub.co.uk £7adv £9door, 8pm

Fri 27 Barton-Upon-Humber Ropery Hall at The Ropewalk opening for Edwina Hayes
North Lincolnshire 01652 660380 / www.the-ropewalk.co.uk £8, 8pm

Sat 28 Cropredy The Brasenose Arms
Oxfordshire 01295 750244 / www.brasenosearms.com Free, 9.30pm

Sun 29 Newcastle The Cluny 2 opening for Clive Gregson
0191 230 4474 / www.jumpinhot.com £10, 8pm

Mon 30 Southsea The Cellars at Eastney opening for Bob Cheevers
023 9282 6249 / www.thecellars.co.uk £TBC, 9pm

www.harrymanx.com
www.myspace.com/harrymanx
www.dogmycatrecords.ca