HARRY MANX
Friday, February 27
Knox United Church
On the surface it would appear that B.C.-based bluesman Harry Manx is your road ready musician. In truth he’s less a musician travelling because of his love of playing music, than a traveller playing music as an excuse to travel.
"Don’t tell my wife that!" Manx says with the laugh of a man admitting a level of truth – Manx has travelled and played music most of his adult life. It was while living a nomadic existence in the ’70s, in Europe and Japan, that Manx first heard the music of Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, the creator of a 20-string slide-guitar called a Mohan Veena. He was inspired to travel to India, look Bhatt up, and become his devoted student for five years. Manx later followed Bhatt on tour as part of his musical education, but was not allowed to play the instrument in public until he had mastered it.
"I wouldn’t call myself a master," Manx says. "My teacher is a master, but he’s happy to encourage me playing in public."
Manx learned to play the classical style of Indian music, called ragas, which creates an interesting juxtaposition with the music that Manx seems to play naturally – the blues.
"There’s more similarity than you might think. Indian ragas, American blues, African music – it’s all old music, very old. There’s a lot of depth and history there. When you get deep enough into the music, it all moves you in the same way.
"I just try to take a little bit of each and mix it all together." Which means that when you think of the fuss that’s created by jazz and classical music purists when musicians mess with the form in North America, it seems a bit strange that Manx’s teacher is supportive of this unusual melding of cultural stories and styles. Manx shrugs that off.
"Well, of course there’s an expectation that you’ll stay true to the original form and structure of the pieces, so that they get handed down properly. The freedom comes in the spaces where you can improvise. Then it becomes more like jazz than classical music."
And it seems to strike a chord with his rapidly growing audience. The responses to Manx’s laid-back, soulful mélange of sound sometimes border on the reverential. The music seems to channel not only the classical musical history of India, but its spiritual soul as well.
"I think I’ve sort of found my niche," he says. "I’m happy with the kind of music I play – it’s not a big pressure zone, and the folk music market is a great market to be in, in Canada. At the same time, there are other kinds of world music I’m interested in exploring. I like African and South American music a lot, and I’ll probably explore that in years to come too.
"It’s just nice to know that what I’m doing right now is working for people," he says. And what Manx is doing right now, specifically, is touring in support of a whole new slate of tunes for a new album called Urban Turban. This is Manx’s first time working and touring extensively with a band – so far, so very good, is his assessment.
"They’re musicians that I brought together – a tabla (Indian drum) player, keyboardist, back-up vocals. They’re great, and they support what I do really well."
And when asked how long he thinks he’ll stay in Saltspring Island, he demurs.
"It doesn’t really matter where my base is. I’ve seen too many nationalities run through me over the years. But it’s such a wonderful, peaceful place to live.
"My life has been so much about letting go and looking forward. I’m starting to want to put down deeper roots." |
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