September 2026 Challenge Response – Manfred M

[Manfred M]

Hey my AM friends,

It would have been a close call for me this month, since I was traveling in Italy and Corsica until two days ago. But luckily, we had our AM Jam meetup with Juxi, Werner, and Tremelow back in September. And right off the bat, we recorded a track that I think is a perfect fit for this challenge.

Expressing emotion through music definitely fits the song “Knocking on Heaven’s Door” very well. And when it’s presented instrumentally, as it is here, it’s up to the melody instrument alone to convey this feeling.

Many thanks to my AM Jam friends for their great support here, and especially to Juxi, who also did a fantastic job editing the video ( (Note the inclusion of the reflection in the window)

Oh, and the feeling I wanted to convey appears at the end of the video (another great idea of Juxi). I hope we managed to capture it reasonably well.

I’m looking forward to your comments and, above all, to all your submissions, and I’m curious to see what you’ve come up with for this Challenge.

Best wishes to you all!
Manfred

Take the chance to meet your AM friends on Zoom.
The next Meetup will take place on October 31

For more information click here

I look forward to meet you.
Manfred

[charjo]

Very well done guys. Manfred I loved the way you weaved in the melody. Does that mean you didn’t have to take singing duties (I see what you did!).

John

[Manfred M]

Thanks, John. As for the singing duties: nobody asked me, and I didn’t volunteer. But who knows—maybe next time.

Take the chance to meet your AM friends on Zoom.
The next Meetup will take place on October 31

For more information click here

I look forward to meet you.
Manfred

[MrO]

Beautifully done Gentlemen 🙂

[JoeD1]

You guys were awesome. Peaceful and melancholy just about sums it up!

Joe

The sight of a touch, or the scent of a sound,
Or the strength of an Oak with roots deep in the ground.
--Graeme Edge

[Werner]

I think that dude—second from the right—played really great. But he’s no match for your take on this “classic.” Your guitar playing blends perfectly with the others. Great job.

Mensch, was war das für ein prima Wochenende.

Thank you,

Werner

[Manfred M]

When I listened to it again, I realized: that guy you mentioned, Werner, had a really big impact, that this one sounds pretty good.
Ja, war ein tolles Wochenende und ich freu mich schon aufs nächste Mal.

Take the chance to meet your AM friends on Zoom.
The next Meetup will take place on October 31

For more information click here

I look forward to meet you.
Manfred

[AndréM]

Very nice guys, this song can bring different emotions for different reasons.
Well done.

AndréM

AndréM

[James B]

Sounding great, Manfred. Loved the way you altered the melody and your backing band is tight. The recording is really good too. Cool camera work.

James

[Alan L]

Stunning! I love genre bending covers, and this one is fab. You boys knocked it out of the park.

[Richard G]

Loved it all Manfred, you’re so lucky to have a great backing band, and so well behaved too. A great take on this iconic number.

Richard

[Mike W]

Lovely choice Manfred, it’s a very emotive piece, and you and your ensemble made a great job of it.

[Laurel C]

So good to see you guys play together. That song does set the mood. The JMTW’s have done it again. Great work guys and for the inspiration of showing us how its done being part of a band.

[Martin W]

Great stuff Manfred and the band ,you all brought out the best of this classic tune
Love the way you played that melody it really did sound like you intended.

Martin

[wannaplayblues]

That was fantastic! You were all playing great! What a fantastic video and collaboration!

"I hear you talkin' son, but you 'aint sayin' nothin'" - Will McFarlane quoting Muddy Waters hearing a really fast guitar player

[Denise]

That sounded great! I liked all the guitar parts and of course the bass was the cream on top!
Manfred I liked your acoustic melody playing and the arpeggios.
Great collaboration of the German AM band.

More Blues!

[Don Patton jr]

Hi Manfred,
Great selection for the assembled band ! You did a great job of playing the ongoing melody…very cool video of this jam 🎶🎵🙂

Don P

[Michael Krailo]

All of the video’s you guys did together were great. Especially trading off on the singing parts. I guess I failed the emotion reveal at the end. I get a distinct sad feeling out of this song. But great idea, Juxi.

Root note patterns >>> CAGED shapes >>> TRIAD'S. Just put in the work and watch your guitar skills soar.

[Dieter]

Excellent performance and sound.

By the way, I didn’t feel all that relaxed after my trip to Corsica. Given the wild bus rides on super-narrow roads over deep rocky gorges, “Sympathy for the Devil” would have been a more fitting song for me.

Dieter

[Juxi]

You played that very, very well, Manfred. Thanks for the shout out, but my part was only little: you carried the song and Aurelia the camera 😎 And of course … next time you have to sing 😊👋🏽

Bluesige Grüße
Juxi

[JoLa]

Yes, this was a great example of playing a feeling, loved it! One of your best numbers despite of no vocals, everyone did their part evenly well with steady confidence. Loved the way you played the melody in lieu of vocals, Manfred. All in all, a great video, extra credits to videographer and the editor! 🙂

🎸JoLa

[Mark T]

Another Gem from your Jam sessions, Manfred 👏👏. Are you going to publish the equivalent of Dylan’s “The Basement Tapes” ? 😂😂

You kept that slow, end-of-the-road feeling that Bob portrayed in the film he wrote this for, “Pat Garrett…” – just love these lines from the film, that are SO like Dylan:
“What do we call you?”
“Just call him Alias!”
“That’s what I’d do.”
– Mark 👍🎶😎

[Bill]

Lovely to see and hear you all playing together. And especially Juxi on the double bass! What an awesome time you must have had. Nice job holding down the Melody Manfred.

[John H]

Manfred
That was fire! Really enjoyable. Your melodic lead cut through the mix nicely. The band laid down a nice groove for you to perform the solo. Well done, love seeing you all together. Thanks for sharing.

John

[Wayne Nunez]

Awesome job guys one of my all time favorites!

[sunjamr]

Well played, team! I reckon Juxi will need to install some acoustic tiles all over the walls of the room if this is to become a regular event.

Sunjamr Steve

[Manfred M]

Thanks, Steve. This time, our jam session was at Tremelow’s house. We always take turns hosting. That way, it doesn’t happen too often, and the “noise” is kept to a minimum.

Take the chance to meet your AM friends on Zoom.
The next Meetup will take place on October 31

For more information click here

I look forward to meet you.
Manfred

[Andy N]

Superb cover of a classic. Liked how you moved between the finger style rhythm and outlining the melody Manfred and the rest of the band served the song with a rock steady groove.
If this wasn’t Juxi’s house, then what kind of van/small truck does Juxi drive 🤨😅?? Worth it though as the double bass sounded just right for this.

[sciencefiction]

Great playing, guys! The sadness really came through.
Larry

[Michael L]

Hi Manfred, it’s always so much fun to see you guys getting together and making music! You’ve been so busy and on the road recently I’m glad you had this to post for the challenge. Soulful and enjoyable!

[Author]

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