APRIL 4 • 2024 | 53
J
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nger over Brexit 
— the United 
Kingdom’s decision 
to pull out of the European 
Union in 2020 — led 
one of rock ’n’ roll’s most 
accomplished guitarists to 
discover his Jewish ancestry.

And that includes a 
genuine pirate of the 
Caribbean, no less.
The musician in question 
is Phil Manzanera, best 
known as guitarist in Roxy 
Music from 1972 until its 
recent farewell tour in 2022, 

and still 
working 
on archival 
projects for 
the band. 
The Rock 
and Roll Hall 
of Famer’s 
resume also 
boasts solo 
albums and a 
collection of his own bands 
as well as collaborations with 
Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour 
and producing artists such 
as John Cale, Split Enz, Nina 
Hagen, Robi Draco Rosa 
and others. He and Roxy 
saxophonist Andy Mackay 
continue to work on musical 
projects together. 
It’s all chronicled in his 
new memoir Revolucion To 
Roxy (Expression Books) — 
including an entire chapter 
about his lineage back to a 
historic Sephardic pirate.
“When the U.K. left the 
E.U., Brexit, everybody was 
so cheesed off and trying 
to think of ways to get a 
European, E.U. passport,” 
Manzanera, 73, explains via 
Zoom from his home studio 
in England. He came across 
a newspaper story saying 
that anyone who could prove 
Sephardic Jewish ancestry 
could apply for a passport 
in Spain or Portugal, “so 
everybody started scrolling 
through their Ancestry.com 
to see what they can find.”
Manzanera, for his part, 
“recalled hearing a rumor 
that my mother’s long-
since buried family might 
have some Jewish heritage,” 
which led him to examine 
his own family tree. That 
genealogical spelunking led 
him to the Cohen Henriquez 
line from Curacao, part of 

ARTS&LIFE
BOOKS

Phil Manzanera can trace his lineage 
to a genuine Jewish pirate.

continued on page 54

GARY GRAFF CONTRIBUTING WRITER

and still 
working 
on archival 
projects for 
the band. 
The Rock 
and Roll Hall 
of Famer’s 
resume also 
boasts solo 
albums and a 

Roxy Music Guitarist 
Discovers His 
Jewish Heritage
Jewish Heritage

Phil Manzanera 
is best known as 
the guitarist of 
Roxy Music.

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