Brendan Power
Brendan Power is a New Zealand harmonica player, composer and inventor, living in Britain.
Brendan Power | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mombasa, Kenya |
| Genres | Blues, folk, traditional Irish, traditional Chinese, Bulgarian, original and experimental |
| Instrument(s) | Chromatic harmonica, diatonic harmonica, custom harmonica, vocals |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Website | brendan-power |
Born in Mombasa, Kenya, Power's family moved to New Zealand in 1965 where he later attended Canterbury University at Christchurch, gaining a Bachelor of Arts in English & Religious Studies, and a Master of Arts in Religious Studies. Power wrote his thesis on the Taoist philosopher Chuang Tzu.
Power discovered the harmonica at university after hearing Sonny Terry play at a concert by the blues duo Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. Power subsequently taught himself to play harmonica by ear and music soon took over from academia as his main passion.
Power moved to London in 1992 where he worked for three years as a soloist in the Riverdance Show. He was later employed by Suzuki Musical Instrument Corporation of Japan as their International Harmonica Specialist in 2008, a position he held for five years.
In April 2013, along with his business partner Zombor Kovacs, Power started X-reed Harmonicas, a project devoted to making custom harmonicas. As of 2023, the products are no longer available and the website states it is for archival purposes only.