Maneli Jamal

When played well, guitar sometimes doesn't even sound like the guitar. There’s a collision of sounds, the characteristics of various instruments dissolving together with a punch, creating a different, bigger feel. Don’t think about a sizzling lick running up and down the fretboard of a Stratocaster. Think of the fullness of a drum kit, the presence of a piano, and the texture of a chorus all in one, all played with one instrument. Even that’s just skimming the surface.

To be fair, this author is writing with the preference for the acoustic sound in mind. No disrespect to the six-string, amped-up gunslingers of the world, but there’s something so human, so organic about the acoustic when it's played well. It’s rhythm and the articulation of individual notes at once, and it’s impossible to resist.

Into that description steps the music of Maneli Jamal.

According to his bio on the Harbourfront Centre website, Jamal has lived in five different countries during his lifetime. Along with Canada, Iran, Belarus, Germany and the United States have all been home to this insanely talented guitarist, a personal history that's strikingly evident from his textured style. It’s not that there’s a world music element to it, but a fine-tuned discipline that only those with a near-monastic commitment to their craft can boast. There are also the experiences that result from a lifetime spent around the world, translated into music. Listening to Jamal talk about his own work is like listening to the work itself: there’s a story going on, intimately shaping the sound of every individual note. There’s real substance.

“The way I like to describe my sound,” he says in a video (see below), “is it's very visual. What I mean by that is I like to use the acoustic guitar to its fullest potential. Basically using all kinds of percussive elements, tapping elements. When you’re seeing it live, it often sounds like there are multiple instruments.”

Jamal was one of several shortlisted performers in this year’s SoundClash, Harbourfront Centre’s annual live music competition for independent artists from across the Greater Toronto Area. The competition focuses on those with a diverse, contemporary, cutting-edge dynamic, something that Jamal’s story-telling approach to six strings definitely involves. “This becomes evident with wins at countless music competitions around the world,” reads his bio on the Harbourfront site, “including placing in the top three at Guitar Idol, a worldwide guitar competition held in London, UK.”

By winning the 2014 SoundClash Music Award, he can definitely add another feather to his cap. Or his fretboard.

Fresh from today’s win, Jamal takes the stage this Friday at Harbourfront’s WestJet stage, 235 Queen’s Quay West. It’s a free show, running from 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Do yourself a favour and check out this musical wunderkind in his own back yard—one of several back yards he’s called home, it seems.

Maneli Jamal plays the WestJet Stage at Harbourfront Centre on Friday, August 15, from 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm. - Post City

Five unsigned Greater Toronto Area artists have been battling it out to claim the top prize in this year's SoundClash Music Award. Now, the Harbourfront Centre has named its 2014 winner: acoustic guitar composer Maneli Jamal.

As first prize, the solo axe-slinger takes home $5,000. He will also perform at the Harbourfront Centre's Hot & Spicy Food Festival on August 15, with other goodies including artist development, vocal coaching and round-trip airfare from WestJet.

Jamal beat out runner-up Keita Juma (who takes home $3,000) and third place finishers DATU (who win $2,000). CANVAS and Pale Eyes were also nominated.

The winners were chosen by a fan vote. All of the artists performed at the Harbourfront Centre's Canada Day Extravaganza in order to earn support.

So how will Jamal spend his winnings?

"I'm planning to put it all toward the recording of my new album, which should be out next year," he said in a statement. "It means a lot to be given this opportunity by Toronto music fans. This city has always embraced me and my music, and by extension, my experiences."

He is the fourth winner of the SoundClash Music Award. Past victors are Brendan Philip (2013), Chloe Charles (2012) and Saidah Baba Talibah (2011).

By Alex Hudson - Exclaim

Having released his first albums on CandyRat Records, Jamal struck out on his own in 2012 with The Lamaj Movement, a collection that showcases his Iranian heritage as well as the astonishing tone and dexterity that sets him apart from other fingerstylists. - See more at: http://www.acousticguitar.com/News-Features/30-Great-Guitarists-Under-30/30-Under-30-Part-4-Trevor-Gordon-Hall-Courtney-Hartman-Maneli-Jamal-and-Sarah-Jarosz#sthash.7gKrOl3G.dpuf - Acoustic Guitar

The show, put together by guitarist and master performer Brian Gore, was delightful and surprising and fun.

The performance is built around four acoustic guitarists — Gore, classical innovator Andrew York, Brazilian jazz icon Diego Figuierido, and contemporary Iranian-Canadian steel string wizard Maneli Jamal. It was love at first note.

Gore opened the show with selections from his album, Wine Country Tales. Each song has its own backstory and is translated with passionate taps, rhythmic slaps and some really gorgeous fingerstyle playing. From lovely, melodic subtleties to boomy body slaps, Gore grabbed the audience’s attention from the first note to the last.

Next up was the comical and incredibly talented Maneli Jamal. Wow. With stories from his upbringing translated to innovative guitar delivery, Jamal stunned with his intense frenetic ethnic flare, and even his artfully placed pauses. His story delivery was also spot on and so fun to hear.

Following Jamal was a true virtuoso, jazz guitarist Diego Figuierido. Yes, we were all mesmerized by his amazing head of hair. But it was his incredibly fluid and natural performance style, his sense of true enjoyment as he dazzled us and his good-natured entertaining approach that truly grabbed us. Wow. I don’t even know what else to say. Seemingly effortless and thoroughly fabulous.

Rounding out the lineup was Grammy Award-winning classical guitarist Andrew York. While a more traditional player than some of the others that evening, York’s tone, subtle emotion and nuanced expression ranged from mellow to spritely. Simply gorgeous.

After a short break the real fun began as the performers played together in a variety of configurations. My favorite came as the quartet of performers all played together on the innovative train ride of a song “On The Run,” by Manelia Jamal. Each performer contributed to the sonic story, with his own piece of the puzzle summing to a roller coaster ride of a song. I think I fell in love.

Another super fun moment came as Jamal and Figuierido paired up for the latter’s original composition, “Bee.” Some super speedy fingerwork ensued, with both players diving in for a flighty rush.

Overall the evening was exhilarating, with each player’s unique performance style contributing to a whole that was refreshing and well rounded.

The quartet has lots more dates coming up in the U.S. Don’t hesitate to check them out if they’re in your neck of the woods. - Guitar World

I had the opportunity to listen to Maneli Jamal’s incredible music at a friend’s house party. He played for such a small group of people and weaved intricate story after stories with his tunes. Everyone in the room admired him; we could see it in their eyes. After the concert, I had a chance to meet him and learn about his interesting life story…

Maneli Jamal is a Toronto based, Canadian acoustic guitarist but before he moved to Canada, he pretty much travelled the whole world. You will find his interesting stories between the lines of his songs.

We were really excited to watch his show on August 15th 2014 at the Harbourfront Center, but unfortunately we were a little bit late for the show. Mustafa always bikes so it was not a problem for him, but I had to take TTC, so it was a big challenge during rush hour.

We arrived at the venue before he started playing a piece called “Most Glorious Day” which has a quite interesting story. During the show, Maneli told us little anecdotes about his songs. He said, Canada was the first country where he became a citizen and after the court day, he decided to make a song about his experience. “Most Glorious Day” has a beautiful and deep story but we don’t want to mention what it’s about because we’d definitely recommend you to see his live performance.

Then he played Zim Blues, Us Against Them, Ziur, On the Run and Awakening -we are not very sure about the exact order- Us Against Them is one of his greatest songs which carries an interesting story. Maneli and his family used to live in Unites States for about 9 years, and then one day they received a letter from US immigration that asked his family to leave the country in a month. The song definitely makes you feel his sadness and fragility and maybe a little bit anger. Basically, every song has its own story, which makes Maneli is a unique musician because the audience can listen to his beautiful tunes with interesting stories. Maneli was in full storyteller mode, which we saw at the Harbourfront Center once again.

Most of the songs he performed were from his previous albums or his latest album called Lamaj Movement, but there was also a brand new one called Zim Blues. He said he was really inspired during his Zimbabwe tour. This piece particularly sounds pretty different than his other pieces. It is a heavily blues-influenced tune with some percussive use of the guitar. If you would like to hear this song, you can find it on his Youtube channel. It is difficult to write about a talented musician and we have to say Maneli’s live performance is amazing. The way he played and communicated with the audience was fabulous. We did not hear any mistake during the show which is not quite possible during live performances. If you are curious about his music you can check our video out. We highly recommend you to see his show, because he is a great talent! - Deary Music

Maneli Jamal is more amazing live than he is in his videos.

As a guitar instrumentalist of the finger style, his songs are technical wonders. If you've seen others like Don Ross or Andy McKee, you know what a finger-style guitarist does is a demanding discipline. It’s the kind of stuff other musicians dig because it’s hard to do.

But not many soloists can do so and make memorable music like Jamal. Each song is a story, the technical wizardry kept to what’s necessary for that tune. He chooses to unfold his mastery of the instrument over the course of a set rather than pack a thousand notes into one or two tunes and reuse tricks all night.

For that reason, he appeals to the regular music lovers who don’t care about the ins and outs of the technical demands and the heights playing an instrument can get to. Many people I spoke to after the show aren't musicians. They just really liked the music Jamal played, and many of those people hadn't heard him before.

For me, watching him work revealed an additional side to his music you just can’t get in a video.

There were only about 60 people on hand at Georgian College Saturday night for the show. Most were there to support Christopher Thompson, who put the show together and opened it. It’s too bad more people didn't go, but I’m betting a repeat gig by Jamal will have a lot more people wanting tickets after word gets out about how great he is. - Orillia Packet - John Swartz

Maneli Jamal -The Lamaj Movement

During the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, Maneli Jamal’s father was imprisoned and tortured. Maneli was only a year old when his family eventually escaped Iran. That journey began to shape who he is, as it took the family to five countries before they eventually became citizens of Canada.

Coming from an artistic family, the one constant was the love of art and music. Maneli eventually found his voice through the acoustic guitar. The many cultures, friends, and experiences of this journey are now expressed through Maneli’s music in The Lamaj Movement. This is the story of a family’s search for a homeland, a longing to belong and to be.

Today Maneli is one of the fine young guitarists making their mark in what one would classify as World music. In Maneli’s case this may be more accurate than with many others considering he has lived in Iran, Belarus, Germany, USA, and Canada. His music is truly beyond description, however, each track has accompanying text profiling the inspiration behind each song.

We highly recommend The Lamaj Movement for a passionate and unique listening experience. - Fingerstyle 360 Magazine

Maneli Jamal calls himself a nomad; a title many Iranians throughout the world can identify with.

Jamal is one of twelve finalists that will be competing for first place at Guitar Idol III in London, England. He hangs his first guitar on his wall in his room and considers it a highly sentimental instrument. Both of Jamal’s parents are artists and of his three brothers, two are also artists.

If it weren’t for Canada accepting his claim for refuge in 2002, Jamal said he wouldn’t be where he is today, on the cusp of stardom.

“It was because of Canada that I started playing the acoustic guitar in the first place,” Jamal told Salam Toronto. “I was very sad and depressed and had to express myself somehow. So if I stayed in the States, I would probably be playing electric guitar.”

Born in Belarus, Jamal and his family trekked through Germany and bounced from one U.S. state to another before finding peace in Canada.

The Jamal family moved to the United States on a visitor’s visa in 1994, when Maneli was nine years old. Their status as U.S. citizens was pending for nine and a half years. They had appealed to become citizens twice. Both were denied before they were forced to leave the country in 2002.

“It was happening to a lot of families,” said Jamal. “Especially the countries regarded as the ‘axis of evil’.”

The family then looked into moving to Canada and received assistance from a non-profit organization in Buffalo to help them gain permanent resident status in Canada. But the move to Canada was bittersweet for Jamal. He had left his friends, whom he considered family at the time, and said he became depressed as a result.

“The acoustic guitar, something about the way it rings, it’s just an organic sound that you can relate to when you’re feeling sad,” he said.

After turning to the acoustic guitar, Jamal began “concentrating on the progressive finger style, adding percussive elements; slapping elements, (and) tapping elements.”

And by “trying to use every inch of the guitar” and incorporating traces from both east and west into his music, he has created his own sound.

The progressive finger-style, along with his natural talent, of course, earned Jamal a spot as a finalist in Guitar Idol; an international competition based out of London, England. Jamal says it’s “like American Idol, but for guitar” and hopes the exposure will help him land a record deal with a music label and subsequently launches his career further.

“This next year is going to be big,” he said.

Maneli has produced a solo-acoustic demo album as well as a full length album. His music can be found on YouTube, on his personal website and on iTunes.

Guitar Idol III will be streamed live online on December 4 where Jamal has one performance, one song, to woo the judges and win first place. He will be playing Movement III – Ziur from his 2009 album The Ziur Movement. - Salam Toronto Newspaper

Cole Clark Guitars North America is very happy to announce that the talented and world class solo fingerstyle guitarist Maneli Jamal is now a member of the Cole Clark family. Maneli plays a Cole Clark Fat Lady 2 Acoustic Cutaway (FL2AC), with a spruce top, Queensland maple sides and a Queensland maple/Tasmanian blackwood back.

Currently residing in Toronto, Ontario, Maneli is a young guitar virtuoso. At only 25 years old, he commands a high following of guitar enthusiasts from around the world. He is best known for his YouTube videos which have over 280,000 plays and he has over 6000 YouTube subscribers. Maneli recently placed 1st in the 2009 online Faith Guitar competition, he was a top 10 finalist in the 2009 Guitar Idol competition and placed 2nd in the Wide Open singer/songwriter competition 2007. He recently travelled to London, England to perform on a BBC Iranian broadcast.

His background and experience is unique and is summarized by Shehzaad Jiwani who writes for SignalMag.com as follows:

"Coming from a Persian heritage, born in Belarus and raised in Germany, Jamal moved to the States in his adolescence, immigrating to Minnesota before relocating to Austin, Texas until his late teens. At this time, his family was issued a deportation letter by the immigration office, and they were forced to claim refuge in Canada within thirty days of receiving the notice.
Taking literally only what they could fit in their hands, Jamal and his family arrived in Toronto after establishing their lives in Austin. It was at this time that Maneli got an acoustic guitar from his father, which has scarcely left his hands since."

Maneli is promoting his first release, The Zuir Movement, which has 14 original solo percussive style tracks. Maneli blends a variety of styles and genres into his music including classical, percussive, two tap, traditional Persian and flamenco. The track ‘Behazin Memorial’ was recorded with a Persian setar (sitar) in memory of his late Grandfather, Behazin.

Maneli will be playing at the Illuminaqua Festival, in Welland, Ontario on May 21st, 2010. The stage is floating on the Welland Canal, and the audience is situated in a Romanesque style stadium seating, right on the shore. Make sure you check it out if you live near the area.

Maneli’s story is tragic, poetic and inspiring. He transposes his emotions into his music and it comes across with texture and taste. This young man is full of promise and potential.

As the famous Persian poet Jala ad-Din Rumi once wrote: “Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.” Maneli does just this. - Cole Clark Guitars

Maneli Jamal is a young fingerstylist following in the musical footsteps of the likes of Preston Reed, Kaki King, Don Ross and Andy McKee. Like these players, Jamal's forté is a percussive style utilizing two-handed tapping and harmonics. Jamal does not fall into the usual trap of rhythmic pyrotechnics for the sake of elegance -- he nurtures the fretboard rather than attacking it. The title of Jamal's CD "The Ziur Movement" refers to a four-movement devotional dedicated to his fiancée, Ziur being an anagram of her name. The first movement, "Norym," begins as an urgent drone which morphs into quiet, and then back. "Vasat," the second movement, means "in between" in Persian, and does provide an intentionally hesitating but beautiful interlude into the third and fourth movements, named "Ziur" and "Finale" respectively. On these closing movements, Jamal tells a musical story by deftly interweaving rhythm, melody and harmonics, but also through a nuanced feel for mood and dynamics belying his young age. Like many slapstyle artists, Jamal's art can be very visual -- listening to the track "Cold Arrival" is a treat on this CD, but the aural-visual circuitry of a listener's brain positively glows when this tune is experienced on YouTube (click here for that video). Born in Iran, raised in Germany, spurned politically from the U.S. into Canada and, while fleeing, clutching only what could be carried (including his cheap but cherished guitar without a case), Maneli Jamal is a human symbol. He embodies a tide of musical multiculturalism which, when embraced, will enrich the collective art of the planet.

© Alan Fark - Minor 7th

Maneli Jamal had lived in four countries and moved 20 times by the time he reached the tender age of 18. What was learned along the way shows in the way he mixes musical styles—folk, flamenco, classical, Persian, minimal serial, etc.—in complicated percussive Kottkean / CandyRat-ian work, extremely refreshing for its brightness, wide open spaces, and dizzying patterns. At the moment, the fusion spotlight is once again on exotic guitar play, and Jamal is among its high-water technicians.

All the cuts on this CD are just him, instrumentals, but you'll swear he has accompaniment. T'ain't so, and that's just one part of The Zuir Movement's appeal. Playing an acoustic 6-string, the guy wrings more out of that axe than a honey-hive has bees, and the imagery isn't inapt. Often, notes swirl and swarm, flying like freed spirits caught by a sheer lust for life and the sun, dancing through zephyrs and eddies of balmy summer days. However, don't expect only density and interlocking tapestries, as Jamal counterpoints beautifully, not just in ballads materials like Mov.3 - Vasat, flanking itself against whirlwinds before and after, but also within the tsunamis themselves, interjecting oases of relative calm and varied flora.

As if that weren't sufficient, the guy produced, recorded, and mixed the music…then did the liner layouts and artwork! The boardwork is superb, resulting in a sonically perfect atmosphere, but Zuir is visually an understatedly elegant piece of art. The sole cartooned (actually a French clear-line or Japanese ukiyo-e informed style) self-figure is an excellent piece of work, washed by muted background colors. Jamal's a quadruple threat: technician, composer, player, and graphic artist, and I hope he never gives up the graphic side. That one drawing speaks volumes about his command.

Listen to this release when you're poring over Kottke, Georgiou, CandyRat, or Shimabukoro discs because it's of an ilk with those nonpareils. Maneli obviously disciplined himself over thousands of hours to arrive at a sound that would provoke admiration even from Carnatic musicians. Persian music is actually quite similar to it and sadly neglected in this country (um, maybe because the Bush family and the fellow conservative bastards who coup d'etated their way into the White House are still busy demonizing and plundering the very cultures in the mid-East that birthed us) and Maneli Jamal is a modern ambassador of the mode, globalized and refurbished. - FAME Review

I initially ran into Maneli Jamal's music in early 2006, at which point he had no formal albums out, only a handful of scattered songs, featuring acoustic and electric guitar and a bit of violin. His guitar playing was impressive, but there were stutters and imperfections, the tapping wasn't always confident, and sometimes the song writing and structure were less than incredible. It's evident within a minute of listening to his brand new release and first full length album, The Ziur Movement, that he has been practicing a whole lot recently. The tapping is crisp and confident, and perhaps more importantly, difficult to distinguish as even being tapping. The songs are tighter and stronger, varied and complex without wandering aimlessly. The recordings are pristine, both in terms of recording and playing quality. All told, I think he's finally found his style.

The world of solo acoustic guitar badasses is a curious one. There's an alarming number of people out there who are shockingly adept at making the steel string guitar a viable solo instrument in a rather rock-based, folk-inflected fashion. Michael Hedges, Don Ross, Andy McKee, Kaki King - there's enough instrumental music slapped and tapped and finger-picked and strummed on a single guitar to fill up days worth of listening. What there are less of, however, are such guitarists that write music both technically impressive and worth listening to. That's true of most any genre with a technical bent, prog rock being a fine example. What I find somewhat unique to the solo acoustic guitar instrumental corner of the musical world, however, is that even among artists whose music I enjoy, there are relatively few that can remain interesting for a CD's length or more. Don Ross is fantastic, and writes good music, but I'm usually done with the album before it's done playing. Maneli Jamal won't have a true test of this until he has a second album out, but as far as Ziur is concerned, it easily manages to hold my attention for its forty-seven minute length.

The centerpiece of the album is rather obviously the suite for which it's named, The Ziur Movement. There are four movements within it, the first of which, Norym, is also the highlight of the album. Norym is rooted in a rapidly picked single note, around which the initial part of the song forms. The piece moves to a killer riff that is repeated seldom enough that it's all the more excellent when it returns near the end. Unfortunately, it's not available for listening at his music page, but a few other movements in the suite are - of which number three, Ziur, is my favorite. There are a number of older songs available on the album as well, ones that I still have recordings of from my first encounter with his music back in '06 - Southern Magnolia, Morning in Adanac, and Lucid Drawl. This is where it's most obvious that Maneli has improved his chops - the hearts of the songs remain intact, but there are lots of additional technical flourishes, more confidence in the playing, and some slight structural reworks that really help the songs. There are a few videos of these older songs up on his site, which will help to give you a feel for this style of playing if you're not familiar with the Kaki King / Andy McKee / Maneli Jamal / slap-tap-thump / etc. thing.

It's taken Maneli a number of years to get to this point. He's been playing the guitar for quite some time, certainly, but some of the songs present on The Ziur Movement, songs that delineate the formation of his style, have been around since 2006 and likely before. There's a solid three and a half years, at least, between then and now, years that haven't gone to waste as far as the acoustic guitar is concerned. The Ziur Movement is the product of time and effort and practice, all of which are evident in the listening. It's a great album, and I look forward to hearing Maneli's future work. - Why So Hostile?

I initially ran into Maneli Jamal's music in early 2006, at which point he had no formal albums out, only a handful of scattered songs, featuring acoustic and electric guitar and a bit of violin. His guitar playing was impressive, but there were stutters and imperfections, the tapping wasn't always confident, and sometimes the song writing and structure were less than incredible. It's evident within a minute of listening to his brand new release and first full length album, The Ziur Movement, that he has been practicing a whole lot recently. The tapping is crisp and confident, and perhaps more importantly, difficult to distinguish as even being tapping. The songs are tighter and stronger, varied and complex without wandering aimlessly. The recordings are pristine, both in terms of recording and playing quality. All told, I think he's finally found his style.

The world of solo acoustic guitar badasses is a curious one. There's an alarming number of people out there who are shockingly adept at making the steel string guitar a viable solo instrument in a rather rock-based, folk-inflected fashion. Michael Hedges, Don Ross, Andy McKee, Kaki King - there's enough instrumental music slapped and tapped and finger-picked and strummed on a single guitar to fill up days worth of listening. What there are less of, however, are such guitarists that write music both technically impressive and worth listening to. That's true of most any genre with a technical bent, prog rock being a fine example. What I find somewhat unique to the solo acoustic guitar instrumental corner of the musical world, however, is that even among artists whose music I enjoy, there are relatively few that can remain interesting for a CD's length or more. Don Ross is fantastic, and writes good music, but I'm usually done with the album before it's done playing. Maneli Jamal won't have a true test of this until he has a second album out, but as far as Ziur is concerned, it easily manages to hold my attention for its forty-seven minute length.

The centerpiece of the album is rather obviously the suite for which it's named, The Ziur Movement. There are four movements within it, the first of which, Norym, is also the highlight of the album. Norym is rooted in a rapidly picked single note, around which the initial part of the song forms. The piece moves to a killer riff that is repeated seldom enough that it's all the more excellent when it returns near the end. Unfortunately, it's not available for listening at his music page, but a few other movements in the suite are - of which number three, Ziur, is my favorite. There are a number of older songs available on the album as well, ones that I still have recordings of from my first encounter with his music back in '06 - Southern Magnolia, Morning in Adanac, and Lucid Drawl. This is where it's most obvious that Maneli has improved his chops - the hearts of the songs remain intact, but there are lots of additional technical flourishes, more confidence in the playing, and some slight structural reworks that really help the songs. There are a few videos of these older songs up on his site, which will help to give you a feel for this style of playing if you're not familiar with the Kaki King / Andy McKee / Maneli Jamal / slap-tap-thump / etc. thing.

It's taken Maneli a number of years to get to this point. He's been playing the guitar for quite some time, certainly, but some of the songs present on The Ziur Movement, songs that delineate the formation of his style, have been around since 2006 and likely before. There's a solid three and a half years, at least, between then and now, years that haven't gone to waste as far as the acoustic guitar is concerned. The Ziur Movement is the product of time and effort and practice, all of which are evident in the listening. It's a great album, and I look forward to hearing Maneli's future work. - Why So Hostile?

Maneli Jamal is one of the newer guitarists to the Candyrat Records label. He released his debut album through CRR on May 22, 2012 but Maneli Jamal had released two other albums prior to signing with Candy Rat. Maneli Jamal was born in Iran but was raised in Germany. He moved to the United States with his family in his late teens but was forced to move to Canada. It was around that time Maneli Jamal had received an acoustic guitar from his dad as a gift. The guitar continued to stay in his hands since and he never stopped playing. Maneli Jamal had been exposed to many different genres of music including punk, metal, classical, and flamenco to name a few. They all help to inspire Maneli Jamal’s original musical sound.

The Lamaj Movement has a total of twelve tracks. Here’s the track listing:
1. Movement I – Awakening
2. Movement II – Lamaj
3. Movement III – On The Run
4. Movement IV – Alleviation
5. Adapt & Accept pt.1
6. Six In Harmony
7. Nine Year Residence
8. Homespun
9. Klingerstrasse
10. Adapt & Accept pt.2
11. Us Against Them
12. We Made It

Maneli Jamal: The Lamaj Movement is one incredible album; it caught my attention immediately with the first track entitled “Movement 1 – Awakening”. The fast tempo and intricate melody was easy to have a strong interest in.

Movement II: Lamaj slows things down and takes the listener on a musical journey. To me this piece feels like you’re watching a painter create an incredible and beautiful picture of scenery but instead, Maneli Jamal is using music to bring this image to life. I hope it makes other listeners feel the same way.

The Lamaj Movement continues to be full of inspiring material. Some of the other pieces that stood out to me were: “Mov. IV – Alleviation”, “Six In Harmony”, “Nine Year Residence”, and “Us Against Them”.

Despite my personal favorites, every track off of “The Lamaj Movement” does not disappoint, is worth listening to, and displays the many musical talents of Maneli Jamal. With that said, my rating for Maneli Jamal: The Lamaj Movement is a definate WORTH OWNING. If you want a great solo acoustic guitar album, this is one to add to your collection. - Nerds Speak Media

It’s not often that international musicians take time out from a tour of NZ to play at a local college, but last week acoustic guitarists Maneli Jamal and Owen Van Larkins did just that.

The pair, who are among the new generation of progressive finger style exponents, played a lunchtime concert at Whangaparaoa College on March 5, then ran a workshop for 10 students.

The opportunity came about when Jamal, of Canada, made contact with English teacher and guitarist Marius Nel, who reviewed one of his albums online.

This lead to the two musicians accepting an invitation to perform at the college and work with students. Students are pictured at the workshop with Maneli Jamal (left) and Owen van Larkins. - Hibiscus Matters - New Zealand

Sima Sahar Zerehi – What do rock legends Led Zeppelin, metal icons Iron Maiden, flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucia, German classical music composer Johann Sebastian Bach, and Canadian fingerstyle guitarist Don Ross have in common?

Well, they have all influenced the work of Maneli Jamal, an up-and-coming self-taught acoustic guitarist who has been making a name for himself in Toronto’s music scene. Maneli is one of many young talents performing at a free show at Harbourfront’s bi-annual Tirgan Festival.

Maneli describes himself as “a solo acoustic guitarist who plays in a progressive way – that means taking some of the techniques that you wouldn’t normally use on a guitar and applying them to the acoustic guitar – such as percussive styles like slapping and tapping – putting it all in a blender and seeing what you get.”

As his divergent influences suggest, the key to Maneli’s style is experimentation. However, despite his young age of 26, Maneli is not just an irreverent kid mindlessly toying with clashing sounds in order to produce gradations of anarchistic noise. In fact, he’s a cerebral musician producing thoughtful, complex compositions that seamlessly weave together unexpected rhythms and harmonies.

Maneli’s deeply analytical approach to the acoustic guitar is evident in the considerate way he speaks about his influences, “classical music is the roots of most music that I listen to today – because of that it’s natural for me to go back, back, back, and see what my current influences were influenced by. Bach set new standards for classical music at the time, even today we’re listening to Bach, and his very complex composition, intertwining rhythms with other rhythms in one piece. This inspired me to go in the direction of having two or three things going on at once.”

Maneli effortlessly draws the line from Bach to Iron Maiden, “if you look at the musical quality of their songs not their high screeching vocals or their amazing solos, a lot of it is based on the classical scale revolutionized by Bach – they are metal and I started playing metal and punk when I first started to play the guitar, that was the roots of my influence for playing. Even now when you listen to my music you can pick up some of the harmonies from Iron Maiden, they had three different guitars, so it got me thinking how can I do three different things with one guitar as opposed to three guitars.”

In speaking about Led Zeppelin, Maneli emphasizes the rock band’s ability to draw from various musical sources, he states “they weaved a lot of difference genres into their playing, they didn’t just play hard rock, they played some acoustic stuff, they even brought in some eastern flavours to their tuning as well –Jimmy Page the guitarist – used alternate tunings quite a bit – that’s something that I use frequently, for every one of my pieces I change the tuning of the guitar to accommodate the message.”

From the Canadian music scene, Maneli points to guitarist Don Ross as one of his main influences. He explains, “he’s a monster on the guitar, he plays a similar style as me. I picked up a few of his tricks, his percussive stuff, his slapping on the guitar, he is a solo acoustic guitar player too, so when I was starting out he was a big role model because he made it seems like it is actually possible to play one guitar and make different sounds.”

Not all Maneli’s influences are based on Western music, he also draws from other musical traditions; “From Flamenco I’m pulling out the rhythm and modes used in their scales,” he explains and adds, “a lot of it is similar to Persian music and Arabic music because gypsies were travelling in all those areas and were picking up different things and eventually got their own sound – in a way I consider myself a nomad as well, picking up different influences during my travels.”

While Maneli’s roots are Iranian, he considers himself a citizen of the world. His history is similar to the story of many refugee families forced into exile. Since he was a young child he has had to migrate from one country to the next in search of refuge. For the first seventeen years of his life, Maneli and his family were constantly on the move, migrating from Iran, Russia, Germany, and the United States until they finally arrived in Toronto, Canada in 2003.

Maneli started teaching himself how to play the guitar ten years ago, a few years before a deportation order from the American government forced him and his family to seek refuge in Toronto.

“I didn’t play too much for the first few moves, but I did play music for the hardest move of my life from the States to Canada. This connection to my acoustic guitar that I had was so deep and so personal; if I didn’t have the guitar I would have gone to a mental institution. I needed the creative outlet. The guitar has really helped me develop my voice.”

Maneli explains that his last move from Austin to Toronto was the hardest because of his age. - Shahrvand

Aside from making wonderful music on his guitar, one of the reasons many are attracted to Maneli Jamal’s music is the story of his family’s journey. For his second album The Lamaj Movement, Maneli decided to tell that story through music.

One of the things that makes this work is that by default Maneli’s compositions tend to be more like tone poems than regular songs . So even if you’re not aware of the concept behind the album,you still get the feeling that there’s a story being told.

Album-opener “Awakening” is the perfect example of this, serving as an overture for both the four-movement suite it’s a part of and the album as a whole. A percussive intro with harmonics leads to melodious passages, peaceful moments, and a chordal climax with some surprising dissonances.

These dissonances are explored further on the second movement “Lamaj”, which starts off with a floating melody full of middle-eastern colors. Then the rhythm kicks in and things build to a powerful crescendo. I have to commend Maneli for his use of different sounds and attacks which add some real vitality to his music.

Things get really interesting with “On the Run,” which starts off with some pitchless tapping before the ominous music comes in. This one really made me feel like I was listening to a movie soundtrack. Stylistically, it also felt like a nod towards Maneli’s Italian label-mates, Stefano Barone and Sergio Altamura.

Other great tracks include the soulful ballad “Homespun” and the upbeat “Klingerstrasse.” My favorite is probably “Us Against Them” which begins with a slow, heartfelt intro, and then when you least expect it, settles on a wonderful groove. Maneli somehow manages to always keep the pulse going throughout, sometimes making me wonder how exactly he’s pulling it off.

Overall this is a great album, and the story and emotion behind it only make its impact stronger. It’s also a step up in every way from his debut album: not only is the recording quality noticeably improved, but Maneli is obviously evolving as a guitarist and composer. - New Wave of Acoustic Guitar

Though Maneli Jamal's Persian influences—not to mention flamenco, folk, roots, and other ingredients—enrich a good deal of his basic compositional technique, what really caught my ear was Six in Harmony, a multi-leveled affair of simulsynched solo parts coalescing for a beautiful set of melodics counterpointed by some very subtle colorations. The Lamaj Movement, though, is the sonorous translation of the guitarist's family's sojourns through the world ('Lamaj' is 'Jamal' spelled backwards and the semantics of the title nomenclature is a clever play on words), an enclave that has nomadically been here, there, and everywhere, even to the extent of 20 different translocations in five countries inside five years time!

I suspect the best phrase for this release is 'energetically contemplative'. Within a complex cycle of fingerpicking replete with endless variations and subordinated side "conversations", the atmosphere is yet one of bemused pastorality. More than a few times, one will catch quite impressive shades of the hallowed Leo Kottke as well as any number of similar string wizards, but Jamal's voicings are his own, and the constantly alive mellifuity in his work is infectious, an environment of various sublimations not often encountered.

Jamal has won awards around the world, and his YouTube hits have gone over the million mark—CandyRat artists have a way of doing that—so the nature of his work obviously has wide appeal beyond nimble fingers and catchy opuses. Like so many of CR's artists, The Lamaj Movement is a combination of Takoma, ECM, Flying Fish, Windham Hill, and several other top shelf exemplars returning the sturm und drang of the mainstream music world back to a more classical and vastly literate turn. You could sit for hours and parse all the imagery on any of these cuts…and I suggest you do.

And Maneli is quite the artist too, as his way cool pencil, pen and ink, and watercolor illustrations throughout the liner amply demonstrate. - FAME Review

It's no wonder fingerstyle virtuoso Maneli Jamal has over one million YouTube views: Hearing his music, listeners are driven to see how he manages to play such intricate compositions on just one instrument. Jamal's music reflects a range of influences and styles, with strains of jazz, roots, flamenco, Mid-eastern, from all over the map -- literally. "The Lamaj Movement" is a "concept album" telling the story of his family's personal diaspora. Driven from Iran during the revolution, Jamal and his parents moved more than twenty times in five different countries before settling permanently in Canada. Each piece reflects the theme of its title. One of the most powerful is "Lamaj," an homage to his father's fight for freedom. It begins with a striking Persian-influenced motif punctuated by two ragged chords and then moves to a lush brooding melody. "On the Run"'s percussive tapping and ominous insistent rhythm convey the terror of being afraid and fleeing, while "Alleviation," "Adapt & Accept," and "Nine Year Residence" are gentle pieces celebrating the respite of finding safe haven and adapting to new circumstances. The compositions are varied and intricate, spooling through endless variations and studded with stunning effects, like high-octane arpeggios, chiming harmonics, and rapid pulloffs. One of the most intimidating selections is "Klingerstrasse," a playful romp with lightning fast scales and right hand wizardry, such as arpeggios into which Jamal tosses an extra pattern and harmonics. But he's not just about the wow factor. As on the final piece, the meltingly beautiful "We Made It," Jamal shows his mastery of phrasing, a sumptuous tone, and an ability to wrest emotion from every note, even from the pauses between the notes. The Lamaj Movement is an astounding accomplishment.

© Céline Keating - Minor 7th

Solo Acoustic Guitarist Maneli Jamal is making magic with his beautiful skillful mastery of the guitar. The artist's music comes out sounding crisp and sharp and full of color tunes that music fans can really dig. Another aspect about this artist's music is that it feels like he is making love through his guitar that truly the sensual side of Maneli Jamal's music. If you are looking for an incredible musical experience, then make sure to pick up Maneli Jamal's music and you will surely not be disappointed.

Isaac: We'd love to know about your inspirations growing up. I hear so many influences in your music. How old were you when you first discovered music? Is there any kind of musical history in your family?

Maneli: I'm 24 now and I've been playing guitar since I was 16 years old so 8 years now. I actually played violin in the school orchestra for a few years before I picked up the guitar. My dad was a master violinist specializing in Persian modes and playing which he was kind enough to teach me a little bit of. That really helped me shape some of my newer work today. But I grew tired of the Violin as I saw my passion for it dwindle down and soon discovered the Guitar discussed in the next question.

Isaac: What drew you to pick up an instrument in the first place?

Maneli: I saw an acoustic guitar on a couch at a party one day in Texas. I picked it up and instantly asked my friend to show me a couple chords. I found myself sitting on that couch for hours trying to get those chords down. I knew from then on that the guitar was my new weapon of choice. My dad saved up some money to buy me a black Ibanez guitar for my 16th birthday which I still have but rarely play nowadays. It's been replaced with a few acoustic guitars but my main axe is now a Taylor 814ce Limited Edition 2006 which the new album and all YouTube videos are recorded with.

Isaac: As you hit your teenage years, did you know that this was what you would be doing for the rest of your life?

Maneli: I knew I would do whatever I had to do to make music my life. The moment I got the first guitar at age 16 I was determined to be a musician. Before that, I was really into visual arts so it was going to be one or the other.

Isaac: Is there a performer in any genre of pop culture that you would like to work with?

Maneli: Well, I am always up for collaborations of any sort as long it sounds good. I would love to work with some of my guitar heroes like David Gilmour, Don Ross and Pat Metheny. That'd be unreal; could you hook that up for me? :)

Isaac: Who are some musicians that you really like, present or past?

Maneli: Pat Metheny is currently on my "Most Listened to" playlist. I really am in awe at some of the compositions that guy comes up with. Don Ross is a fingerstyle beast and he is the reason I started using a thumbpick in a progressive way. I can't forget about Iron Maiden though, those guys were a huge influence when I was playing electric guitar!

Isaac: What is your ultimate goal with your music career?

Maneli: To take over the world. But after that I just want to make music for myself and others. I am currently teaching guitar and gigging so life is good! I would like to tour the world and see all the places; make more CD's and maybe some movie scores. I don't need much materialistically to feel good about myself and my music. Just my guitar is fine.

Isaac: What has been some of the obstacles it has taken to get this far in your career?

Maneli: The most important factor was getting kicked out of the US in 2003. We had received a deportation letter from the US government stating we had to leave the country voluntarily within 30 days or be deported back to Iran. This was a dangerous time for us to be back in Iran so we claimed refuge in Canada. Now, we are Canadian citizens and damn proud of it too! My acoustic guitar exploration didn't really start until we moved to Canada as this was a very difficult time for me to adjust and adapt to a new country again. I was 18 when this happen and I was determined to play the acoustic guitar for hours to let the daily sorrows pass. 7 years later I am still in Toronto, Canada playing my heart out every day and have made a lot of connections with musicians. As hard as it was to move to Canada at first, in retrospect it was a blessing in disguise.

Isaac: Would you recommend this "field" to others who are aspiring to be musicians like you?

Maneli: If you've got the patience and drive, of course! You won't ever find out how far you go until you try it. I was pessimistic about getting into music full time but it has slowly paid off. With the hard work and long hours you put into the instrument and network, you will get results!

Isaac: Describe one piece of advice you've have been given to by others in the music industry.

Maneli: Don't take the first offer s - Junior's Cave

Over the last few years, Maneli Jamal has been making quite a name for himself, mostly thanks to his powerfully evocative music which is a reflection of his life. For his upcoming album The Lamaj Movement, he’s focusing on the story of his family and all the struggles and experiences they've lived through.

Tell us about your new album, what can we look forward to?

Well, this new album, The Lamaj Movement, is a concept album. Something that hasn’t been explored too much in the fingerstyle world. It’s dedicated to my family’s nomadic journey all around the world before ending up at our final destination, Canada. We’ve lived in Iran, Belarus, Germany, USA and Canada, moved 20 times all by the time I was 18 years old, so every song reflects on a part of those memories.

As with life, my music has matured since my last album, The Ziur Movement, which was another concept album dedicated to my ex-fiance; long story there which I won’t get into. I think for one, my music has slowed down more to reflect my experiences in a more introspective way. What I mean is, I am the kind of person who absorbs everything slowly and needs time to reflect before writing a piece of music, especially when it comes to such a sentimental topic like my family’s past. There are still going to be a few upbeat tracks that visualize hopeful and uplifting parts of our journey. Overall I think I am focusing less on flashy guitar playing and more on melodic content.

So you’d say your playing has evolved since your first album?

Thankfully, yes! It’s always a fear for some of us musicians to stay stagnant or in a plateau and not evolve musically. I’ve always had no problem writing, as life has more than enough inspirations to keep me busy for many lives. To me, this album is all about melody and capturing the moment of what the individual song is about.

It’s all about what the composer uses from his technique bucket in his compositions that will make it stick. Most of the techniques have been invented on raw solo acoustic guitar, but now I am showing how I would have done it based on my life’s experiences with this album. I really look forward to hearing the good and the bad from my current fans.

What’s the meaning behind the title, “The Lamaj Movement”?

This is again a spin on words as my previous album. During the revolution in Iran, my politically active dad had different aliases to protect himself from the radical Islamic regime that eventually tortured him and thousands of others. Lamaj is Jamal backwards, an homage to his fight. It’s almost like a story for a movie or something. But the overall meaning of this album is a dedication to my family’s struggle in all the country’s we’ve lived.

What is your songwriting process generally like? Do you have an experience or event in mind from the beginning, or does the musical idea come first?

I’m a very visual person and it always helps when I’m writing to visualize a scene from a movie and put music to it. I always ask myself what I can do to make that visual scene sound like music. The hard part is that I’m doing it on the acoustic guitar by myself so it can be more difficult to capture that accurately since art is so subjective to begin with.

The overall meaning of this album is a dedication to my family’s struggle in all the country’s we’ve lived.

When I pick up the guitar I usually don’t intend for it to be about a specific thing, but rather let my improvisation guide me into the visual scene which has worked for me. Then again I also tend to write without visuals in mind, so an abstract thought like emotions can speak for itself. Those are pretty profound and revealing moments of introspection as it happens.
On the songs where you do have a scene in mind, are you trying to tell the story with the music, like a tone poem or a soundtrack, or is it just a general impression?

I always try my best to tell the story with the music and timbre of the guitar. It’s such a dynamic instrument, especially when played solo, so it’s quite a fulfillment for me to only speak through that medium to convey this image I have. Hopefully the music will speak for itself to the listener; I am simply trying to guide them in the direction I had intended… not to force them. In a way, I have to try my best to get the listener to trust me in taking them on a musical journey.

What was the recording process like? I understand you had quite a multi-mic setup for this one?

It’s always a blast going into the studio and recording your work. In a way, it’s difficult to draw the line on a composition, as all of them are still growing every time I come back to visit them again. I will usually play them all differently over time and maturity in my playing.

We recorded all 12 songs in two weekends in January 2012 at McGill University Studio A. The equipment there is top-notch and my talented friend Pouya Hamidi produced and mixed the final product. I think we ended up only usin - New Wave of Acoustic Guitar

Maneli Jamal is a prodigious young fingerstylist, currently residing in Toronto, Canada. He works in the contemporary, highly physical two-hand style (lots of fretboard tapping with the picking hand) popular with a lot of young players these days, but there are several things that set Jamal apart from the multitudes of Andy McKee hopefuls who play the virtual YouTube circuit.

To say that Jamal’s technique is advanced would be a huge understatement. There aren’t many players in this style that have Jamal’s balance of power and sensitivity, nor his breadth of ideas. His rhythmic concepts can be alternately short and dense, or explored carefully through several movements, as in the four part suite from which The Ziur Movement album takes its name. Jamal has absorbed a number of musical styles, and he is able to seamlessly incorporate jazz, flamenco, classical and Persian ideas into his original compositions. The resulting pieces are very impressive, both technically and musically, and his CD is one of my favorites in the contemporary style.

I recently conducted this email interview with Jamal.

W&W : Let’s talk about the evolution of your fretting hand. You played in punk and metal bands when you were younger… would you say that that’s where you built up your strength and dexterity? Talk about your beginnings in guitar, and some of the early inroads you made toward your current (high) level of technique. Which players put you on the path to your current hybrid style?

When I started to play guitar I had already played violin for a few years learning from my father, a master Persian violinist. That definitely made learning the technical side of the guitar easier at first, especially the coordination between the hands. The great thing about punk and metal playing is that it’s fast and fun as hell to play for anyone starting the guitar.

Because I was self taught I used to be the kind of player that didn’t worry too much about accuracy but rather speed and what sounds cool, which was what punk music to me was all about. Unfortunately, I didn’t teach myself the discipline of accuracy and slow practice until years later. The guitarists of Thrice and Iron Maiden really influenced me in the punk / metal genre. I felt like I had reached a plateau after 3 years of playing that genre in my right hand picking. I thought the guitar pick was the best and most efficient way of playing the guitar… little did I know. I got into the likes of Al Dimeola and that opened up a whole new world for me.

It wasn’t until I was forced to move to Canada in 2003 that I experimented with using a fingerstyle / classical right hand approach that made things sounds different and unique. I always had the mentality of learning many styles and gathering all the techniques to create a technique bucket in which I could just grab any technique that would fit for the appropriate genre I was playing. After this I started getting really into classical and flamenco playing which made me see the potential of having all your right hand fingers free. Paco de Lucia was a huge influence in this stage of my life. It wasn’t until I saw some of Justin King’s videos that are filled with tapping on the acoustic which really made me feel differently than anything I had heard on the guitar before. Not only did it sound cool but it looked cool too! I knew that I had to relearn the guitar to get to his technical level, and that is what I did. Having YouTube under my fingertips I checked out Don Ross frequently who’s use of the thumbpick I have adopted in my own playing now. I was always open to trying out new things on the guitar and taking the time to explore the guitar’s potential in all technical aspects.

W&W : Please talk about the series of “Ziur Movements” from your debut album… how did you go about constructing these pieces? Were the four separate movements composed in the order that they appear on the CD? Did you have any specific inspirations for the rhythmic arc of the piece (the percussive effects are busier and more pronounced as the movement cycle develops)? Have you ever performed the entire cycle live, and if so, do you play the full versions or something edited down for time?

The Ziur Movement was inspired by my fiancé. It took a couple of years to write them as I play them today. They have gone through countless revisions to get them perfect to my feelings (the versions on the CD are even a bit different than the way I play them now). It was such a trip to write these, as they are all in a different guitar tuning that took me some exploring to find but I am very happy that I did. I never thought much of concept pieces until I wrote this movement series and tried to use different rhythmic motifs for each piece so it would all sound a bit different, but in the realm of the same guitar tuning. Whenever I play live I always play this series in order and don’t cut them down. But I do rest between the movements to give th - Work & Worry

Maneli Jamal is a prodigious young fingerstylist, currently residing in Toronto, Canada. He works in the contemporary, highly physical two-hand style (lots of fretboard tapping with the picking hand) popular with a lot of young players these days, but there are several things that set Jamal apart from the multitudes of Andy McKee hopefuls who play the virtual YouTube circuit.

To say that Jamal’s technique is advanced would be a huge understatement. There aren’t many players in this style that have Jamal’s balance of power and sensitivity, nor his breadth of ideas. His rhythmic concepts can be alternately short and dense, or explored carefully through several movements, as in the four part suite from which The Ziur Movement album takes its name. Jamal has absorbed a number of musical styles, and he is able to seamlessly incorporate jazz, flamenco, classical and Persian ideas into his original compositions. The resulting pieces are very impressive, both technically and musically, and his CD is one of my favorites in the contemporary style.

I recently conducted this email interview with Jamal.

W&W : Let’s talk about the evolution of your fretting hand. You played in punk and metal bands when you were younger… would you say that that’s where you built up your strength and dexterity? Talk about your beginnings in guitar, and some of the early inroads you made toward your current (high) level of technique. Which players put you on the path to your current hybrid style?

When I started to play guitar I had already played violin for a few years learning from my father, a master Persian violinist. That definitely made learning the technical side of the guitar easier at first, especially the coordination between the hands. The great thing about punk and metal playing is that it’s fast and fun as hell to play for anyone starting the guitar.

Because I was self taught I used to be the kind of player that didn’t worry too much about accuracy but rather speed and what sounds cool, which was what punk music to me was all about. Unfortunately, I didn’t teach myself the discipline of accuracy and slow practice until years later. The guitarists of Thrice and Iron Maiden really influenced me in the punk / metal genre. I felt like I had reached a plateau after 3 years of playing that genre in my right hand picking. I thought the guitar pick was the best and most efficient way of playing the guitar… little did I know. I got into the likes of Al Dimeola and that opened up a whole new world for me.

It wasn’t until I was forced to move to Canada in 2003 that I experimented with using a fingerstyle / classical right hand approach that made things sounds different and unique. I always had the mentality of learning many styles and gathering all the techniques to create a technique bucket in which I could just grab any technique that would fit for the appropriate genre I was playing. After this I started getting really into classical and flamenco playing which made me see the potential of having all your right hand fingers free. Paco de Lucia was a huge influence in this stage of my life. It wasn’t until I saw some of Justin King’s videos that are filled with tapping on the acoustic which really made me feel differently than anything I had heard on the guitar before. Not only did it sound cool but it looked cool too! I knew that I had to relearn the guitar to get to his technical level, and that is what I did. Having YouTube under my fingertips I checked out Don Ross frequently who’s use of the thumbpick I have adopted in my own playing now. I was always open to trying out new things on the guitar and taking the time to explore the guitar’s potential in all technical aspects.

W&W : Please talk about the series of “Ziur Movements” from your debut album… how did you go about constructing these pieces? Were the four separate movements composed in the order that they appear on the CD? Did you have any specific inspirations for the rhythmic arc of the piece (the percussive effects are busier and more pronounced as the movement cycle develops)? Have you ever performed the entire cycle live, and if so, do you play the full versions or something edited down for time?

The Ziur Movement was inspired by my fiancé. It took a couple of years to write them as I play them today. They have gone through countless revisions to get them perfect to my feelings (the versions on the CD are even a bit different than the way I play them now). It was such a trip to write these, as they are all in a different guitar tuning that took me some exploring to find but I am very happy that I did. I never thought much of concept pieces until I wrote this movement series and tried to use different rhythmic motifs for each piece so it would all sound a bit different, but in the realm of the same guitar tuning. Whenever I play live I always play this series in order and don’t cut them down. But I do rest between the movements to give th - Work & Worry

Guitar - Courier Mail

Raha, Battle Creek, Maneli Jamal and The Anti-Q's @ The Rivoli

Sunday, August 5, 2007

I finally had a free Saturday night so I thought I'd consult my personal showlist and see if there was any cool live music in town. Nothin'! Unbelievable! Still, I was hankerin' for a little live rock and/or roll so I surfed the net for anything that seemed remotely interesting (and preferably cheap.) What's this? The Rivoli! 4 bands! 5 bucks! Bingo!
...
Filed under "Holy Crap!" is Maneli Jamal. This is some of the best guitar work I've seen in years, and as far as originality goes, possibly ever! Maneli plays classically tinged instrumental guitar music which may not be your cup of meat if you like the music I regularly feature on this site. But for me, he was definitely the highlight of the evening. He's a gifted instrumentalist and probably an even more gifted composer, creating movements and soundscapes over the usual pop fare. He has a very unique and original "two-hand" tap techinique that may borrow from traditional Flamenco stylings, but is a little bit too different to be entirely lumped into that category. It takes a lot for a solo performer to command an audience's attention by playing instrumental music, but Maneli is no ordinary solo instrumentalist. I was beyond impressed, and I will definitely be seeing him perform again soon. - itsnotthebandihateitstheirfans.blogspot.com

Maneli Jamal's The Ziur Movement is a true testament of an artist overcoming adversity through their medium. Jamal's seamless production of TZM proves that good things come to those who wait. Although his fans have been anxiously anticipating the release of Jamal's first full length album for a little over a year it is clear that Jamal has been preparing for this much longer. His attention to detail and use of the entire instrument makes this album very interesting for the listener. Jamal creates his own unique interpretation of the acoustic guitar by channeling many musical influences including his Persian heritage, his classical training, his ability to play "outside the box", and his vast knowledge of composition. If Jamal's technique doesn't impress you his ability to speak through his music most definitely will. I've never come across another solo instrumentalist that can convey such detail without so much as a single lyric, and simultaneously hold the listener's attention throughout. Jamal pulls his audience in with Most Glorious Day. This inviting piece has the listener warmly evoking images of sunny afternoons and hope for the future; a brilliant way to start off the album and a definite high note to lead from. In a vast contrast, Javun slows down the pace of the album and invites the listener to sit and reflect with Jamal as he plays for his childhood memories of Germany. Cover to cover the album is flawless, and Jamal's dedication to his art is ever prevalent to the listener throughout. With so many gems The Ziur Movement is definitely not the last we'll hear from Maneli Jamal.

Link: http://www.amazon.com/The-Ziur-Movement/dp/B002M2X4HA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1252345978&sr=8-1 - Amazon.com - B. Ruiz

Hello and welcome to the second EP Edition of The Vinyl Experience featuring a single artist; this time, Maneli Jamal.

It’s not enough to tell people to listen to Maneli Jamal’s music, because I believe that before you can truly appreciate the complexity and sheer depth of his songs, you have to watch him.

You see, for the most part, Maneli uses a percussive style which involves a lot of deft hand work. There are harmonics, hammer-ons, tapping on the body and frets and then some.

What’s most impressive however is not the speed with which he plays, nor the fact that he is entirely self taught. It’s not that he is able to blend a variety of styles , whether classical, jazz or some alternative fusion. It’s not that you would swear you are listening to more than just one man playing whenever you hear him.

I think what is most impressive is the root cause of all of this. Because of the life that Maneli has lived thus far, he is more adept at expressing his emotions through music. This is why his songs aren’t standard pop tracks. They take you on journeys if you’ll allow them, much like strong classical music will. Sometimes there’s a sharp turn here or there, but if you trust in him, you will most certainly enjoy where he takes you.

Maneli’s CD, The Ziur Movement is absolutely incredible. Truly. Four of the songs form a movement, and if you listen to them intently, you will be able to feel the flow of the music through you. And if you’ve a strong imagination, you will be able to create a story to go along with it.

Maneli was also quite generous and sent over 5 CDs for me to giveaway. I would suggest acting fast on these. If you are interested, as with all other giveaways, simply send an email to thevinylexperience (at) gmail (dot) com and write Maneli Jamal in the subject line.

I’ll then contact the winners to ship the CDs out to you.

If you didn’t get a free copy from me, I would strongly urge you to buy one from Maneli. We have to support this kind of talent. It’s the kind of beauty which he creates which make all of our lives richer. We can’t afford not to have that in our lives. - The Vinyl Experience

Listen to the Interview on CBC Radio One "Big City, Small World" - CBC

Thank you for all the brilliant entries to Acoustic Glory.
It was a pleasure to see the huge wealth of talent on show.

The Winners are Maneli Jamal:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmAhtzRFFa0

The 1st prize winner has been an inspiration. His music is just beautiful and his technique refreshing, restrained and effortless.

Winners in the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM6oOtpNfro - Faith Guitars

Your votes have been tallied, and we’re pleased to crown the four winners of the
2010 Guitar Solo Showdown:
Best acoustic solo, original material: Maneli Jamal
Best electric solo, original material: Michael Linden
Best acoustic solo, cover material: Frank DeLorenzo
Best electric solo, cover material: Timothy Daigle - Taylor Guitars

Well us at Guitar Player Zen could describe this amazing young guitarist to you guys, but we decided to let Maneli describe Maneli for himself. Here is what he had to say:

I’ve been playing guitar for about 6 long years now. The reason I say long is because I play A LOT. I believe that the more hands on playing experience you have, the greater the comfort level will be for the individual with their instrument. I’ve only played for 6 years but I’ve been through a lot of musical routes.

The course that my life has taken me on has drastically changed my outlook on the instrument several times from changing a totally different right hand technique. I started out with Metal playing where most that counts is fast alternate picking techniques. After two years of focusing mainly on metal, I moved to Canada from Austin, Texas. I bought a acoustic because I was going for a more natural and organic sound that can be very well done through the acoustic. It was a steel string guitar I bought online for $75.00. I quickly dropped the electric guitar and began focusing on the acoustic and started listening to Paco de Lucia, John McLaughlin and Al DiMeola for the most part. This is where I brought what I had learned from my previous experiences to the acoustic. Long story short I then started to pick up the classical/flamenco guitar.

Now for anyone wanting to hit this instrument with an all flat picking background, its tough at first. I always challenged myself with the flamenco style because it uses such a pure right hand technique only using your fingers that are given to you naturally. I love that the most about the nylon guitar.

After a while I got really into the two hand tap technique after watching Justin King. This was in 2005 or so and I just wanted to learn as much as i could from watching other people play and pick up on it and combine everything I had learned into a mega technique. After this happened I played strictly without a pick and months later I heard a big guy play the acoustic like I have never heard before, not only melodically but technically stunning as well.

Don Ross has influenced so many fingerstyle guitarists its not even funny, and I was one of them last year. I had thought about using a thumbpick before but it felt really awkward. I thought about it for a sec and had remembered that all i had been doing in the past was push myself to learn as much as i can about the instrument. I then ultimately combined everything I had learned so far into one style. If you listen closely you’ll hear a little classical, flamenco, fingerstyle, metal, tapping and percussion in my work. - GuitarPlayerZen.com

Last night, I was at one of the greatest local music concerts I’ve ever been to at The Central. Maneli Jamal, Sean Pinchin and Robyn Dell’Unto each blew my mind in turn, in their own unique ways.
I’ve actually had the privilege of sharing the stage with both Maneli and Sean in the past on several occasions. When I heard they were playing a show together, I knew it would be good. I’d never heard of Robyn before, but I figured that if Maneli and Sean had decided to play a show with her, she must be good. What an understatement.
Maneli and Sean will change the way you think of the acoustic guitar. Maneli is a virtuoso and with his rare two-hand tapping technique he can make music on his own that four other competent guitarists couldn’t produce in a collaborative effort. When you first witness a live performance, you’ll find yourself staring at him trying to figure out if all that sound is really being produced by two hands. . . - Blaise Alleyne

I initially ran into Maneli Jamal's music in early 2006, at which point he had no formal albums out, only a handful of scattered songs, featuring acoustic and electric guitar and a bit of violin. His guitar playing was impressive, but there were stutters and imperfections, the tapping wasn't always confident, and sometimes the song writing and structure were less than incredible. It's evident within a minute of listening to his brand new release and first full length album, The Ziur Movement, that he has been practicing a whole lot recently. The tapping is crisp and confident, and perhaps more importantly, difficult to distinguish as even being tapping. The songs are tighter and stronger, varied and complex without wandering aimlessly. The recordings are pristine, both in terms of recording and playing quality. All told, I think he's finally found his style.

The world of solo acoustic guitar badasses is a curious one. There's an alarming number of people out there who are shockingly adept at making the steel string guitar a viable solo instrument in a rather rock-based, folk-inflected fashion. Michael Hedges, Don Ross, Andy McKee, Kaki King - there's enough instrumental music slapped and tapped and finger-picked and strummed on a single guitar to fill up days worth of listening. What there are less of, however, are such guitarists that write music both technically impressive and worth listening to. That's true of most any genre with a technical bent, prog rock being a fine example. What I find somewhat unique to the solo acoustic guitar instrumental corner of the musical world, however, is that even among artists whose music I enjoy, there are relatively few that can remain interesting for a CD's length or more. Don Ross is fantastic, and writes good music, but I'm usually done with the album before it's done playing. Maneli Jamal won't have a true test of this until he has a second album out, but as far as Ziur is concerned, it easily manages to hold my attention for its forty-seven minute length.

The centerpiece of the album is rather obviously the suite for which it's named, The Ziur Movement. There are four movements within it, the first of which, Norym, is also the highlight of the album. Norym is rooted in a rapidly picked single note, around which the initial part of the song forms. The piece moves to a killer riff that is repeated seldom enough that it's all the more excellent when it returns near the end. Unfortunately, it's not available for listening at his music page, but a few other movements in the suite are - of which number three, Ziur, is my favorite. There are a number of older songs available on the album as well, ones that I still have recordings of from my first encounter with his music back in '06 - Southern Magnolia, Morning in Adanac, and Lucid Drawl. This is where it's most obvious that Maneli has improved his chops - the hearts of the songs remain intact, but there are lots of additional technical flourishes, more confidence in the playing, and some slight structural reworks that really help the songs. There are a few videos of these older songs up on his site, which will help to give you a feel for this style of playing if you're not familiar with the Kaki King / Andy McKee / Maneli Jamal / slap-tap-thump / etc. thing.

It's taken Maneli a number of years to get to this point. He's been playing the guitar for quite some time, certainly, but some of the songs present on The Ziur Movement, songs that delineate the formation of his style, have been around since 2006 and likely before. There's a solid three and a half years, at least, between then and now, years that haven't gone to waste as far as the acoustic guitar is concerned. The Ziur Movement is the product of time and effort and practice, all of which are evident in the listening. It's a great album, and I look forward to hearing Maneli's future work. - Why So Hostile

Maneli Jamal had lived in four countries and moved 20 times by the time he reached the tender age of 18. What was learned along the way shows in the way he mixes musical styles—folk, flamenco, classical, Persian, minimal serial, etc.—in complicated percussive Kottkean / CandyRat-ian work, extremely refreshing for its brightness, wide open spaces, and dizzying patterns. At the moment, the fusion spotlight is once again on exotic guitar play, and Jamal is among its high-water technicians.

All the cuts on this CD are just him, instrumentals, but you'll swear he has accompaniment. T'ain't so, and that's just one part of The Zuir Movement's appeal. Playing an acoustic 6-string, the guy wrings more out of that axe than a honey-hive has bees, and the imagery isn't inapt. Often, notes swirl and swarm, flying like freed spirits caught by a sheer lust for life and the sun, dancing through zephyrs and eddies of balmy summer days. However, don't expect only density and interlocking tapestries, as Jamal counterpoints beautifully, not just in ballads materials like Mov.3 - Vasat, flanking itself against whirlwinds before and after, but also within the tsunamis themselves, interjecting oases of relative calm and varied flora.

As if that weren't sufficient, the guy produced, recorded, and mixed the music…then did the liner layouts and artwork! The boardwork is superb, resulting in a sonically perfect atmosphere, but Zuir is visually an understatedly elegant piece of art. The sole cartooned (actually a French clear-line or Japanese ukiyo-e informed style) self-figure is an excellent piece of work, washed by muted background colors. Jamal's a quadruple threat: technician, composer, player, and graphic artist, and I hope he never gives up the graphic side. That one drawing speaks volumes about his command.

Listen to this release when you're poring over Kottke, Georgiou, CandyRat, or Shimabukoro discs because it's of an ilk with those nonpareils. Maneli obviously disciplined himself over thousands of hours to arrive at a sound that would provoke admiration even from Carnatic musicians. Persian music is actually quite similar to it and sadly neglected in this country (um, maybe because the Bush family and the fellow conservative bastards who coup d'etated their way into the White House are still busy demonizing and plundering the very cultures in the mid-East that birthed us) and Maneli Jamal is a modern ambassador of the mode, globalized and refurbished. - Mark S. Tucker

Born in Iran and raised in Germany, Maneli Jamal started to explore the six-string in his teens. Now a master of his techniques, the man utilizes a mix of classical, flamenco and percussive style of playing to produce melodies which can't be ignored. His unique movements make his compositions far outside the realm of traditional songwriting.

Check out his music below:
https://youtu.be/yfN4wyGS0ck - Song Dew