"Marwa Blues" is an

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instru ...

by English rock musician

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...

. It was released on his final studio album, '' Brainwashed'', in November 2002, a year after his death, and subsequently on a single as the B-side of "

Any Road "Any Road" is the final single by George Harrison and is the opening track to his posthumous album '' Brainwashed''. Harrison began writing the song in 1988, during the making of a video for his 1987 album '' Cloud Nine''. It is the last released ...

". The song is a

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos tha ...

instrumental and named after Raga Marwa, an Indian classical

raga A ''raga'' or ''raag'' (; also ''raaga'' or ''ragam''; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a musical mode, melodic mode. The ''rāga'' is a unique and central feature of the classical Indian music tradit ...

traditionally played at sunset. "Marwa Blues" won the 2004 Grammy Award for

Best Pop Instrumental Performance The Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance was awarded between 1969 and 2011. *In 1969 it was awarded as Best Contemporary-Pop Performance, Instrumental *From 1970 to 1971 it was awarded as Best Contemporary Instrumental Performance ...

. Along with "Any Road" and the ''Brainwashed'' track "Rising Sun", it was also included on the 2009 compilation album '' Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison''. Raga Marwa was one of Harrison's favourite ragas, having become familiar to him through interpretations by

Ravi Shankar Ravi Shankar (; born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, sometimes spelled as Rabindra Shankar Chowdhury; 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known export of North Ind ...

and

Ali Akbar Khan Ali Akbar Khan (14 April 192218 June 2009) was a Indian Hindustani classical musician of the Maihar gharana, known for his virtuosity in playing the sarod. Trained as a classical musician and instrumentalist by his father, Allauddin Khan, he ...

. In the Indian tradition, the piece is renowned for its ability to invoke a melancholic mood at sunset.Lavezzoli, p. 198. Harrison recorded "Marwa Blues" as a tribute to the raga and in acknowledgement of the importance of Indian music in his life. The track includes Harrison's slide guitar parts and keyboard accompaniment. As described by Peter Lavezzoli in his book ''The Dawn of Indian Music in the West'': "Along with its Hawaiian flavor, the melody sounds as if it could have been played by a

sarod The sarod is a stringed instrument, used in Hindustani music on the Indian subcontinent. Along with the sitar, it is among the most popular and prominent instruments. It is known for a deep, weighty, introspective sound, in contrast with the sweet ...

or vina, and is yet another demonstration of Harrison's unique slide approach ..." Author Simon Leng calls it "the most personal and emotionally resonant guitar performance of his career" and identifies the track as the culmination of the musical and spiritual journey Harrison had begun in 1966 as a

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in ...

student under Shankar. Leng also writes: "His playing is at once almost unbearably touching and spiritually enraptured, offering a multidimensional emotional experience." As with most of ''Brainwashed'', "Marwa Blues" was completed in early 2002 by Harrison's son Dhani and

Jeff Lynne Jeffrey Lynne (born 30 December 1947) is an English musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder of the rock music, rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), which was formed in 1970. As a songwriter, h ...

. The released recording includes a musical quotation from "

Within You Without You "Within You Without You" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1967 album ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. Written by lead guitarist George Harrison, it was his second composition in the Indian classical style, aft ...

", Harrison's Indian-style composition from

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

' 1967 album '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''.

Personnel

According to author

Bill Harry William Harry (born 17 September 1938) is the creator of '' Mersey Beat'', a newspaper of the early 1960s which focused on the Liverpool music scene. Harry had previously started various magazines and newspapers, such as ''Biped'' and ''Premier ...

:Harry, p. 264. *

–

s, keyboards, finger cymbals *

– keyboards, acoustic guitar *

Dhani Harrison Dhani Harrison (; born 1 August 1978) is an English musician, composer and singer-songwriter. He is the only child of George and Olivia Harrison. Dhani debuted as a professional musician assisting in recording his father's final album, '' Brainw ...

– acoustic guitar *

Ray Cooper Raymond Cooper (born 19 September 1947) is an English musician who has worked as a session and road-tour percussionist. During his career, Cooper has worked and toured with numerous musically diverse bands and artists including Elton John (as ...

– percussion *

Marc Mann Marc Mann is an American keyboardist, guitarist, programmer, arranger and conductor. He has a Master's Degree in Music from UCLA. Mann is known for his work with Oingo Boingo, Jeff Lynne and the Electric Light Orchestra. Mann is credited as perf ...

– string arrangement and direction

References

Sources

* Bill Harry, ''The George Harrison Encyclopedia'', Virgin Books (London, 2003; ). * Elliot J. Huntley, ''Mystical One: George Harrison – After the Break-up of the Beatles'', Guernica Editions (Toronto, ON, 2006; ). * Ian Inglis, ''The Words and Music of George Harrison'', Praeger (Santa Barbara, CA, 2010; ). * Peter Lavezzoli, ''The Dawn of Indian Music in the West'', Continuum (New York, NY, 2006; ). * Simon Leng, ''While My Guitar Gently Weeps: The Music of George Harrison'', Hal Leonard (Milwaukee, WI, 2006; ). {{authority control 2002 songs George Harrison songs Instrumentals Songs released posthumously Songs written by George Harrison Song recordings produced by George Harrison Song recordings produced by Jeff Lynne