On Demand
Spinning On Air
-
John Martyn
John Martyn, a Scottish songwriter, guitarist and singer, died a couple days ago, on Jan. 29th. His recordings range from acoustic folk guitar virtuosity, to gentle, insightful songs, and daring, jazzy improvisations. His singing evolved from a straightforward folk style to a slurred moan from deep in his soul. Host David Garland presents a range of songs from Martyn's albums, plus a solo John Martyn session recorded in 1977 by WNYC engineer Edward Haber.
David Garland on the Web
All About WNYC's Music Host
David Garland, host of WNYC's Evening Music and Spinning on Air, is also a composer and a performer. He has performed his music extensively in the U.S. and Europe and several of his recordings and downloads are available on his Web site, DavidGarland.com.
More
Comments
Refresh
Nice stuff, never heard of this guy before. Thanks for turning me on. I have to seek his music out. Cool, very cool.
Peace,
d.j.
I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how much recognition New York non-commercial radio has given the passing of Mr. Martyn. I, myself, had been made aware of his vast and varied work only in recent years.
It’s a shame that interview never happened – I imagine you would have been the one of the few people who would have asked the proper questions and illuminated the work rather than the personal.
Best,
Thomas
Thanks for that. I've been a John Martyn fan ever since I first heard "Solid Air" in '73. His passing has saddened me more than I would have expected. The in-studio sessions were quite special.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. Nick Drake died young and pretty, and John Martyn was left behind to never quite get away from Drake's shadow and gain the legend/celebrity in life that Nick had in death. No matter what John said to the contrary, it had to get to him from time to time (if not more often).
Don't get me wrong...I love Nick Drake but John had my heart. He stayed the course as long as he could. What a journey. And to think his next collaboration would have been with Pharoah Sanders. What a shame the world missed that one.
I had the privilege & pleasure of hanging with John, his wife Annie, & his band, in the early 1980s when they were touring the US. Every night the music was transplendant. I found this really (bitter)sweet & accurate portrait of this beautiful mess of a man....
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/john-martyn-pioneering-singersongwriter-who-blended-folk-with-jazz-and-played-with-eric-clapton-and-dave-gilmour-1520361.html
David Garland was the perfect person on WNYC to have done this tribute. Thanks again!
Leave a Comment
Please stay on topic, be civil, and be brief.
Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments. Names are displayed with all comments. WNYC reserves the right to edit any comments posted on this site. Please read the WNYC.org Comment Guidelines before posting.