Brendan Power Harmonica

UK-based New Zealander Brendan Power is acknowledged by many as one of the most creative, skilled & versatile harmonica players around today. Equally at ease on both the earthy Blues Harp as well as the sophisticated Chromatic Harmonica, he tunes them to his own scales to create a highly original style. He has recorded over twenty solo CDs to date, in a wide variety of musical genres.

Since he moved to Britain in 1992, Brendan's eclectic skills and sympathetic ear have made him an in-demand session player, leading to live and recording work with artists such as Kate Bush (her latest album 'Director's Cut'), Sting, Van Morrison, James Galway, Paul Young, Shirley Bassey, John Williams, Mike Batt and many more. Brendan Power

His playing is also heard on many Hollywood movie soundtracks (eg. the 2008 Oscar winning soundtrack for 'Atonement', Jackie Chan's 'Shanghai Noon'), and internationally syndicated BBC TV series (eg. 'Billy Connelly in Canada', 'Auf Wiedersehen Pet', and Bruce Parry's 'Arctic' Series). He has featured on the world-renowned 'Jools Holland Show' and regularly toured worldwide, performing in venues such as China's Great Hall of the People, the Royal Albert Hall and The Kremlin. Brendan was voted "International Harmonica Player of the Year 2011/12" by the respected SPAH organisation of America.

In addition to his Pop, Jazz & Blues skills, Brendan is an expert player of Irish traditional music (winning the 1993 All Ireland Title), and performed for three years as soloist in the Riverdance Show. He has recorded with many well-known Irish artists including Donal Lunny, Altan, Paul Brady, Arcady, Artie McGlynn, Mary Black and others. In February 2012 Brendan and Tim Edey won the "Best Duo" title at the 2012 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

A respected harmonica technician & customiser, Brendan was employed for 5 years by Suzuki Musical Instruments Co. of Japan as their International Harmonica Specialist, during which time he helped Suzuki develop and promote most of their current range of diatonic and chromatic models. He left in April 2013 to pursue freelance projects. One is devoted to making high-performance extra-reed harmonicas for increased note-bending ability: X-Reed.com. In the course of this project Brendan taught himself CAD design and mastered the new generation of maker-machines such as 3d printers, laser cutters and CNC millers. Constantly inventing, he designs and creates a wide range of cutting-edge custom harmonicas in his home workshop, selling them all over the world to players seeking fresh sounds and better performance.

Brendan was recently added to a site honouring notable New Zealand musicians. Click the link below for a fascinating interview on his career plus early photos and videos:

Read Brendan's Profile at AudioCulture

"In Power are combined all the elements which make for a master player: remarkable technical skill, deep knowledge of the instrument, and a truly creative approach to the music." - THE IRISH TIMES, Dublin.

"...Power plays both diatonic and chromatic single-reed harmonicas with extraordinary dexterity, at times enough to make you shake your head in wonder. He will harp blow your socks off." - THE IRISH ECHO, New York.

"...dynamite Kiwi harp player...magic harmonica..." - TIME OUT, London.

"Power's dexterity is breathtaking...he takes the harmonica along paths you never suspected it could go. World class and wide ranging music." - NEW ZEALAND HERALD, Auckland.

"Brendan Power reaches astonishing heights of technical brilliance..." - THE GUARDIAN, London.

Brendan wins the prestigious Bernie Bray award "Harmonica Player of the Year" at Spah 2011 (photo)

REMOTE SESSIONS

Brendan is an experienced session harmonica player who has recorded with big-name artists like Sting and Kate Bush, as well as famous Hollywood movies and TV soundtracks (see Session Credits). He has a home studio for recording his own music, and has done many remote sessions for outside clients. These involve playing harmonica overdubs to pre-recorded tracks sent online. If you are interested in hiring Brendan, please get in touch with a link to your track and a description of what you want. The more detail you can provide, the closer you will get the harmonica to what you want. Or you can just trust to Brendan's taste and many years' experience, playing in a wide range of genres. He will try various approaches and only send back something he thinks works well with the track.

TERMS

Brendan will provide two takes per track, Mono 24bit 48k wav files, no effects or EQ, with a snatch of the master track at the front to act as a cue. Price for one track is GBP £125, for two or more £100 per track.

Brendan playing on Sting's Grammy Award-winning Ten Summoner's Tales