When Ragas Get the Blues

Exploring and discovering new music is more than a pastime for me. It’s a burning desire, a mission, a spiritual path. And along the path there are droughts and periods where most of what I hear leaves me feeling flat and empty. I was in the middle of one of those dry periods, when I heard a song by Harry Manx. It had a very different sound and feel than the rest of the music playing through my friend’s iPod, almost like it didn’t quite belong with the rest of the mix. It cut through the busy, social environment with a clarity that demanded my attention. His raspy voice and thoughtful lyrics caused a temporary disconnect from my immediate environment. Like a decadent dessert, one taste left me craving more. The drought was over.

Although “mysticssippi” blues man Harry Manx is not the first to mix the diverse styles of the Blues and classical Indian ragas, he has created one of the most potent and desirable hybrids yet.

Influenced by the Blues at a young age, much of his music creates a very physical response, an urge to move due to its infectious groove. In later years, he studied the 20-stringed Mohan Veena slide guitar in India under its inventor Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. He also spent a lot of time in meditation, which eventually influenced his writing. His lyrics are fresh, intelligent, contemplative and aimed at the heart; a stark contrast to the outward moving nature of the Blues.

He can very effectively merge the two styles into one song as he did on the Bread and Buddha song, “True to Yourself.” Here, Hindustani-style singer, Samidha Joglekar starts the song off with some beautiful Indian-style vocalizations, followed by Manx’s bluesy, non-rhyming lyrics, later joined by Ravi Naimpally singing more Indian vocalizations, all over the top of an infectious contemporary hip groove. At other times, he just allows gentle meditative Indian compositions to stand on their own as he did on “The Unspoken Quest” featuring Samidha Joglekar again.

Manx has successfully created his own tantalizing and identifiable Hindustani Blues style. The mostly acoustic instrumentation is understated but helps to maintain a drum and bass groove and maintains a continuity between the two styles. The music of Harry Manx is at the heart of Americana with its combination of blues, roots and folk, but takes it one step further with its world influences.

For more about Harry Manx, go to: http://harrymanx.com/