HARRY MANX RETURNS TO HARMONY ROW FRIDAY EVENING JUNE 20TH
HARRY MANX
7:00PM DINNER & 8:30PM SHOW
Harry Manx has been called 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. He has created a unique sound that is hard to forget and deliciously addictive to listen to.
Manx is a prolific artist, releasing seven albums in a six-year span with no signs of stopping. His first album Dog My Cat (2001, NorthernBlues Music), captured the attention of new fans, musical peers and media with favorable reviews and awards, including Best Blues Album of the Year from the Canadian Independent Music Association. The Juno-nominated follow-up Wise and Otherwise (2002) garnered nods from the American media with excellent reviews in the Chicago Sun Times and The Washington Post.
Jubilee (2003), Harry’s collaboration with famed Canadian guitarist Kevin Breit (Norah Jones), has become a critical favourite, receiving a Juno and Maple Blues Awards nomination, and helped to establish Harry as an innovator in Canada’s Blues music community. Road Ragas (2003), a collection of Manx’s live performances recorded around the globe, captured the essence of his mesmerizing solo shows and cemented a solid reputation for this artist amongst fans and musical peers.
Harry Manx’s much anticipated fifth album West Eats Meet (2004) signaled the launch of his independent label Dog My Cat Records. Produced by Jordy Sharp (Dog My Cat, Wise and Otherwise, Road Ragas) Harry’s serene solo sound is enhanced with decorative elements of tabla, dholak, keys and backing vocals. Its release generated his third Juno nomination, this time in the Roots and Traditional Album of the Year (Solo) category and accolades across Canada.
His most recent solo release, Mantras for Madmen (2005), is blindingly unapologetic when it comes to even greater use of instrumentation. The groove level is kicked up a notch with the addition of bass, drums, and gospel-laden backing vocals with killer harmonies that enrich the ten original tunes. Indian instruments for the two ragas are also thrown into the mix.
Manx’s latest CD, another collaboration with Canadian guitar wonder Kevin Breit called “In Good We Trust”, was released on Stony Plain Records in the spring of 2007. It has received glowing reviews and a number of award nominations, including two three Maple Blues nominations (Acoustic Act of the Year & Recording of the Year), two Canadian Folk Music Award nominations for “Best Ensemble” and “Pushing the Boundaries”. In addition, “In Good We Trust” has been nominated for a Western Canada Music Award for Outstanding Roots Recording (duo).
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. He honed his hypnotic live show on street corners, in cafes, bars and at festivals. But it was Indian music that captured Manx and in the mid 80s he began his five-year tutelage with Rajasthani Indian musician Vishwa Mohan Bhatt (Grammy winner with Ry Cooder for A Meeting by the River). He also received the gift of Bhatt’s custom-made, self-designed Mohan veena-a 20-stringed sitar/guitar-that was the catalyst for Harry to forge a new path with his now signature east-meets-west style of music.
A successful touring performer, Manx has brought his “breathtaking” solo shows across Canada, into the USA, Australia, France and most recently to Singapore and Spain. He has appeared at many prestigious festivals, world-class theatres, concert halls and infamous Blues clubs around the globe. Playing the Mohan Veena, lap steel, harmonica and banjo, Manx quickly envelops the audience into what has been dubbed “the Harry Zone” with his warm vocals and the hauntingly beautiful melodies of his original songs. “The live performances have become the most exciting part of the music business for me,” Harry says. “And it’s not only the playing; it’s all the other magic that happens between myself and the audience. My goal has always been to draw the audience as deep as possible into the music.”
Blending Indian folk melodies with blues, a sprinkle of gospel, and compelling grooves, Manx’s “mysticssippi” flavour is hard to resist, easy to digest and keeps audiences coming back for more.
