The Mont-Tremblant Village Church playhouse welcomed an illustrious visitor on Saturday, February 9, when Harry Manx treated his audience to the sound of his slide guitar, his banjo and his famous Mohan Veena sitar/guitar.

His unique blues, coloured by the sounds of Indian music, charmed those listening at Première Scène Mont-Tremblant, from the first notes to the very last. Tremblant Expressmet the artist backstage.

Currently on tour with The Faith Lift Tour,Harry Manx is accompanied onstage by the excellent harmonica player, guitarist and singer Steve Marriner. Together, they interpreted pieces from Manx’s most recent album, in which you’ll find, notably, such familiar works as Baby Please Don’t Goand Summertime.

With the exception of a half-dozen visits to Montreal’s International Jazz Festival, Harry Manx is best known for giving concerts in Québec in wintertime. His rare visits to Mont-Tremblant have made a very positive impression on the artist.

“I love this area; it’s magnificent. Mont-Tremblant is a kind of success story. The way you manage to attract so many people every year is remarkable,” he exclaims. “A little while ago, I saw people skating on the lake, and it was very cold out. Everywhere else in Canada, people tend to hide from the cold whereas here, you appear to celebrate it,” he says with a chuckle.

Described as “an essential link” between the musical genres of East and West, Harry Manx creates a music that combines the blues tradition and the depth of classical Indian raga. He was born and spent the early part of his childhood on the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea. Later a Canadian citizen, he now lives on Saltspring Island in British Columbia.

“I absolutely love Indian music,” says Harry Manx, unsurprisingly. “I lived in India for several years. When I play, the blues and the Indian music mix, allowing me to offer music that is quite different. It’s important for me to provide music which comes from the heart and has not already been heard,” he concludes.