This is my conversation with Phil Manzanera. It took place on 1/24/23 from his home in London.
Phil Manzanera is one of the UK’s best-known musicians and record producers, having shot to prominence in the early ‘70’s as the lead guitarist with the seminal band, Roxy Music. He is widely acknowledged as one of the world’s leading guitarists and is in much demand both as a performer and record producer. In March 2019 Roxy Music will be inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame playing live at the ceremony.
Manzanera, born to a British father and Colombian mother, has always taken a global approach to his music making, collaborating with musicians from South and Latin America, South Africa, Cuba and continental Europe. In 2018 he was part of South Africa’s The Liberation Project and will be touring with them in Italy in the Summer of 2019. UK audiences will be able to see Manzanera, this October, team up with Roxy bandmate, Andy Mackay in a series of Roxymphony concerts, orchestral arrangements of Roxy classic songs: the debut concert was last Autumn at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall.
His recent album releases are The Liberation Project: Songs That Made Us Free, Corroncho 2and Live in Japan. The Roxymphony CD and DVD will be available in September 2019.
Over the last four years he has co-produced Pink Floyd’s ‘The Endless River’, which was a global hit, achieving No 1 in over 20 countries, he released, ‘The Sound of Blue’, his own autobiographical album, co-produced David Gilmour’s new album, ‘Rattle That Lock’, which again topped the charts in 12 countries: he toured with Gilmour in the UK, Europe and South America. In 2015 he was Maestro Concertatore of La Notte della Taranta, Italy’s largest free festival. He also took part in ‘Sunshine of Your Love’ a tribute concert to his friend, Jack Bruce.
Phil’s musical influence stretches far and wide, but even he was taken by surprise when his guitar riff from 1978’s K-Scope was sampled by Jay Z and Kanye West and became the Grammy winning smash hit ‘No Church in the Wild’ the first track on their multi-million selling album, ‘Watch The Throne’.
Manzanera is now in his fourth decade as a professional musician. He joined Roxy Music in 1972, aged 21, as lead guitarist - the line-up at this time was Bryan Ferry, Brian Eno, Paul Thompson and Andy Mackay. Roxy’s rise was meteoric, with the band being hailed as the stylistic influence of the early 1970’s. During the next 12 years, until 1983 when the band members went on a ‘long break’, Roxy Music released a series of international bestselling albums, achieving ten UK top ten albums and touring extensively throughout the world. The 18-year hiatus ended in 2001 with a critically acclaimed, sellout 52-date world tour, featuring Bryan Ferry, Phil Manzanera, Andy MacKay and Paul Thompson. The world rediscovered Roxy Music and the band were shown to be as relevant and influential as ever. In the summer of 2003 Roxy played 10 dates in the US followed by 13 European gigs in 2004, including performing at Live 8 in Berlin. Summer 2010 saw Roxy Music thrilling fans at Festivals in the UK, Europe and Japan, which was followed by a Winter UK tour, and dates in Australia and New Zealand. The Roxy Music performance at the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will be the first time the band has played together in five years.
As a writer, producer and solo artist, Phil Manzanera has worked with many of the luminaries of modern music, such as Steve Winwood, David Gilmour, John Cale, Godley and Creme, Nico (Velvet Underground) and John Wetton (King Crimson, Asia). He has co-written material with many artists, including Brian Eno, Tim Finn, Robert Wyatt and David Gilmour. Manzanera co-wrote Pink Floyd’s single ‘One Slip’from their 1988 ‘Momentary Lapse of Reason’ album. In the world of Rock en Español Manzanera has also produced seminal albums for Draco Rosa, Enrique Bunbury, Héoes del Silencio Aterciopelados, Paralamas and Fito Paez.
Phil Manzanera has his state-of-the-art Gallery Studios, now also a post-production studio for films, in West London. Artists that have recorded there include Robert Wyatt, Roxy Music, Brian Eno, Hot Chip, David Gilmour, Annie Lennox, Paul Weller, Kevin Ayers, and Chrissie Hynde.
Manzanera said: “I once had a band with Andy Mackay called The Explorers, it was more wanderlust than wonderful, but I’m a musical explorer and the exploration never ends…. there’s a world of music out there to discover and new musicians to play with.