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Manx, Harry & Breit, Kevin - Jubilee - 2002 - NorthernBlues Music - NBM0014 |
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Written by John Taylor
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 There's a huge gap between artistically challenging and
commercially successful. And musicians (we're talking here of artists, not
entertainers, mind) have to tread that line very carefully.
They can't
"dumb down" their music for mass appeal without sacrificing artistic integrity.
On the other hand, what good is integrity if their music is so far "out there"
that no one cares to hear it?
Jubilee, the latest offering from
NorthernBlues, pairs modern-day troubadour Harry Manx, who spices his blues
with eastern influences that include the use of the Mohan Veena (a hybrid
instrument somewhere between guitar and sitar) with guitarist extraordinaire
Kevin Breit, whose angular and invariably unpredictable playing is adventurous
enough to approach the avant-garde.
Given the sheer musical genius of
those involved, this project could easily have gone in directions more pleasing
to the participants than the general listening public. Yet Jubilee is a
delightful listen on every level. Yes, it's challenging enough to remain
interesting through countless listens. But it's also, quite simply, a work of
exceptional and thoroughly approachable beauty.
Harry and Kevin first
met when paired by programmers for a Sunday morning workshop at the 2001
Summerfolk festival. A tape of that encounter, championed by Michael Wrycraft
(who's responsible for the exemplary design - this is possibly the loveliest
package we'll see this year!) led to the sessions that resulted in
Jubilee.
The overall sound here is acoustic; although Kevin's
often plugged in, he's largely content to weave in and out, with Harry
providing the rhythmic underpinning. Mr. Manx (he was born, by the way, on the
Isle of Man, making him a true Manxman!) contributes guitar, banjo, harmonica,
and the aforementioned Mohan Veena. Kevin provides guitars along with a
bewildering array of stringed instruments that sound like a science experiment
gone horribly wrong (mandocello, banjolin, guitorgan).
Yet despite the
presence of electronics, there's a thoroughly organic feel throughout. Credit
producer David Travers-Smith with the pristine clarity of the recording, and
Harry's vocals - warm, inviting, and seeming to possess something approaching
the wisdom of the ages.
Covers include Sleepy John Estes' Diving
Duck Blues, an instrumental Taking It To The Streets, a radically
re-interpreted Voodoo Chile, the traditional Take This Hammer,
and the disc's highlight, an utterly gorgeous rendition of the Danny O'Keefe
chestnut, Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues. Most of the originals are
instrumental offerings courtesy of Kevin, though Harry wrote two and sings the
collaborative Unmoved By Love.
Jubilee is yet another
example of the surprising elasticity of what's often thought of as the most
tradition-bound of musical forms, as envisioned by NorthernBlues' President
Fred Litwin. Sure, some would argue there are moments here that aren't really
blues at all. But the feel is there - which, surely, is what really matters -
and it would be churlish indeed to resist Jubilee's myriad merits based
on dictionary definition alone.
A fascinating disc and a warm and
wonderful listen - what more could anyone want?
Copyright 2003. Review by
John Taylor.
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