New Zealand’s Brendan Power has developed a considerable reputation for his concert and recording work featuring the harmonica. Equally at ease on both the earthy Blues Harp as well as the sophisticated Chromatic Harmonica, he employs custom tunings to reinvent what is often a typecast instrument.
These often genre-specific harmonica tunings give him an instantly recognizable personal sound in a wide range of styles, ranging from down-home Blues to traditional Japanese, Chinese, and Irish music to Ragtime, Rock, and Jazz. His original compositions mash up this extensive musical eclecticism in striking new ways.
Since arriving in London in 1992, Brendan's stylistic flexibility and sympathetic ear have earned him some high-profile session work in a variety of musical fields. He has recorded with international pop artists such as Kate Bush, Sting, Van Morrison, Paul Young, and Shirley Bassey, as well as classical guitarist John Williams and flautist James Galway.
His current solo show uses live-looping and beatboxing along with innovative harmonica and vocal sounds to create infectious grooves and dramatic soundscapes. Brendan is also well-known as a harmonica inventor/customiser, creating entirely new forms of the instrument with tools such as CAD and 3D printing.
