Isle of Manx – the Desert Island Collection

”Mystic-ssippi” blues man Harry Manx has been called an ”essential link” between the music of East and West, creating musical short stories that wed the emotionally rich tradition of the Blues with the spiritual depth of classical Indian ragas. Manx 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. Manx’s blending of blues, roots, Indian and folk sounds follows in the footsteps of such pioneering work as that of Joe Harriott and John Mayer and their Indo-Jazz Fusions in the 60s, John McLaughlin’s work with Shakti in the 70s, and Ashwan Batish’s innovative Sitar Power debut in 1987. Isle of Manx, a mid-priced ”best-of” compilation taken from his first nine albums, is a good starting point for new listeners who will soon discover that Manx’s unique sound is hard to forget and deliciously addictive to listen to.