John Martyn - Excuse Me Mister

Bob-Dubery

JM isn't in spotlight hogging mode here, but this is a marvelous performance.

This is from series 2 of Transatlantic Sessions. The line-up here is

John Martyn - vocal & guitar
Jerry Douglas - weissenborn
Paul Brady - piano
John Leventhal - guitar
Tommy Hayes - percussion

Bob-Dubery

Another from the same series

Line-up is
- John Martyn - vocal & guitar
- Eddie Reader - vocals
- Danny Thompson - bass
- Russ Barenberg - mandolin
- [Jerry Douglas - weissenborn
- Tommy Hayes - percussion
By this time Martyn was no longer working regularly with Danny Thompson, but when the two of them get together the old spark is still there.

Check this one

Just the two of them from Transatlantic Sessions series 1.

Bob-Dubery

In case you're wondering who Eddie Reader is, she was the singer in Fairground Attraction. She's worked either solo or with singer/songwriter Boo Hewerdine for some years now. Mostly in the UK. Great singer.

Here's a clip of her at Transatlantic Sessions 2, singing Boo Hewerdine's song "Hummingbird".

Players:
Eddie Reader - vocals
Boo Hewerdine - guitar & vocals
Russ Barenberg - guitar
Jerry Douglas - dobro
Aly Bain - fiddle
Danny Thompson - bass
Tommy Hayes - spoons
And I think Radney Foster doing backing vocals from out of shot.

Dig that rhythm section. Dig that high part that Barenberg has going for the whole song.

Squonk

Good Stuff

Cream of the crop stuff. What the freak is that thing that Jerry Douglas is playing in the John Martyn videos?
Eddie Reader is brilliant on vocals.
Speaking of spoons, I have an instruction video on playing the spoons, it's not that easy ?

As I have mentioned in previous threads, I saw John Martyn in Basingstoke in 2007, he played a couple of songs on electric guitar as well.
Thanks Bob

Bob-Dubery

Squonk wrote What the freak is that thing that Jerry Douglas is playing in the John Martyn videos?

A weissenborn
Has a big hollow neck for extra resonance - no way you could lower the action and play it like a guitar.

Riaan-Combrink

Really good stuff! Thanks, Bob - enjoyed that. ?

Bob-Dubery

Squonk wrote As I have mentioned in previous threads, I saw John Martyn in Basingstoke in 2007, he played a couple of songs on electric guitar as well.

What was he playing on stage? Keyboards? And how was his electric playing? I've read people saying that he lost a lot of his chops towards the end and so needed a band around him. Apparently he'd been offered good money to tour solo or just with Danny Thompson as he used to and always found excuses for not doing so.

I have a DVD ("The Man Upstairs") of a solo show he did in the 70s and the playing is tremendous.

I also like his vocals a lot. Not necessarily the slur (though that doesn't bother me) but his timing & phrasing is so interesting.

FatBoy

Awesome stuff, thanks Bob!