A Truly Wonderful Musical Connection
Danny Thompson talks to Lisa-marie Ferla about his legendary friendship with folk hero John Martyn ahead of a special night at Celtic Connections
WHEN people write about the musical and personal relationship between John Martyn and Danny Thompson, there are typical anecdotes you can expect to appear. Like the time Thompson trapped a passed-out Martyn under a carpet then ate his breakfast on top. Or the fights the pair used to pick with entire rugby teams.
But for Danny, now 79, the stories – which are, after all, only stories – miss the point. Do you really need them to know what John Martyn was like?
“Just listen to those fantastic songs that are part of his heart and soul, and that will tell you everything you want to know about John,” he says.
Double-bassist Danny was a founding member of the folk-jazz group Pentangle alongside Bert Jansch, and has performed with artists as diverse as Kate Bush and Cliff Richard. But it is his work with his “curly-haired boy” Martyn, which began on 1970’s The Road To Ruin and continued until Martyn’s death 10 years ago this month, for which he is arguably best known.
To mark the anniversary, Danny is turning musical director for a celebratory evening at Celtic Connections. The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall show, named for Martyn’s 1980 album Grace And Danger, will feature vocals from the likes of Paul Weller, Lucy Rose and Eddi Reader; a string section arranged by Greg Lawson; and a house band made up of longtime Martyn collaborators Alan Thomson, Foster Paterson and Arran Ahmun.
“Of course, I remember John every day,” he says. “But I’ve been wanting to do a real celebration like this for a long time, something really special.”
“Everybody I called said yes immediately – didn’t even hesitate. Eddi Reader said that if I didn’t want her to perform, she’d just stand in the wings, because she loved John for centuries – as we all have. But I also wanted to feature a lot of people that are not as well known, like Rory Butler and Katie Spencer, who are also long-time fans of John.”
Danny discovered both Rory and Katie through The John Martyn Group, an active community of Martyn fans on Facebook who share pictures and stories, and organise an annual John Martyn Gathering of live music and reminiscing in Yorkshire every summer. For Danny, this type of fan-powered celebration is exactly what he envisages for the Celtic Connections night.
“When the idea of this concert came up, I said it’s got to be the gubbins,” he said. “It wasn’t ‘let’s do the gig, goodnight, move on’. This has got to be something cherished. And everyone that’s coming is not coming for a gig, or to sell their new album, or to promote their life or their career. They’re coming for the same reason that I want to do it: they’re lovers of a curly-haired boy.”
“I don’t want everybody to get maudlin, which is why this is more of a celebration than a tribute. Because, yeah, I miss John every day – I didn’t know what grief was until I lost him – but I’m very, very happy that he was here. And I
“When I met John, it was a love affair – it just can’t ever repeated” be