Vancouver based musician Harry Manx has been blending the blues with the exotic sounds of the Far East for many years.
He will be bringing his music and new CD Ohm Suite Ohm to the Geomatic Attic, March 24 where he will be playing a solo show featuring his prowess on several different instruments including the Mohan Veena, a 20 string blend of sitar and guitar. The new CD further explores East Indian music, focusing on Electric Bollywood slide guitar.
“It’s a pretty distinctive sound. They’ve ha
d that sound since the 1920s, said Manx, taking a quick breath from touring to catch a plane from Toronto to Edmonton, where he will begin his latest western Canadian tour.
He said electric Bollywood slide is when the musician tries to replicate the human voice as closely as possible by playing slide guitar.
“‘Reuben’s Train’ is very typical of Bollywood slide,” he said.
He also pushes the envelope by recording a version of John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme.”
“A lot of people a are thankful I did that because Coltrane is perfect.
But he was heavily influenced by East Indian music when he wrote it. So I wanted to go back there,” he continued adding Coltrane borrowed the melody from an East Indian folk song.
It took about a year to record the CD n Victoria, B.C , in Wisconsin and Melbourne Australia. He said “Carry My Tears,” is one of his favourite songs from the Cd, which he said is also becoming a crowd favourite as are ‘Saya” and the opening track “Further Shore.”
“On the tour I’m playing a few new songs and also a few from each of the albums, because people don’t want to hear all new material, he said adding he will be playing guitar, six string banjo and the 20 string Mohan Veena.
He has another busy year ahead of him, which includes another Australian tour in the summer.
Tickets for his show at the Geomatic Attic cost $45. The show begins at 8 p.m. sharp.
— By Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor
