Harry Manx

Harry Manx plays The Carleton on Thursday, November 19, 2026, at 7:30 PM. He's a Canadian blues artist born on the Isle of Man, and the whole point of his work is the meeting of two very different traditions: the blues and classical Indian ragas. He describes himself as an 'essential link' between the music of East and West, and that's a fair summary of what he does on stage.

He built his style from the ground up. He spent time working as a sound man in Toronto's blues clubs, and he studied under Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, the inventor of the 20-stringed Mohan Veena. That instrument has become his signature, and it's what allows him to bridge the gap between the two worlds. He's released 12 albums and picked up seven Maple Blues Awards along the way, as well as the Canadian Folk Music Award in 2005 and CBC Radio's Great Canadian Blues Award in 2007. Even with the Indian influence, he keeps the slide guitar at the centre of everything, and he's open about the blues legends whose groove he still holds onto.

He's also clear about where he gets his ideas. He points to the Indo-Jazz fusions of Joe Harriott and John Mayer in the 60s, John McLaughlin's Shakti in the 70s, and Ashwan Batish's 1987 Sitar Power. It's a lineage of musicians who were doing exactly what he does: taking the structures of Indian classical music and letting them run alongside jazz and blues. Hearing that in a live setting is a good way to get a sense of how it actually works.

Tickets are C$57.00, and the show starts at 7:30 PM at The Carleton.