Bye Bye Bassman Danny Thompson

The first person I ever saw play a full-blown acoustic doublebass was one sleepy Sunday morning at the Reading Festival 1973 when Danny Thompson wandered on stage with British singer-songwriter, guitarist, singer and musical genius, John Martyn. Their music was totally original to my ears and sharing my memories of that day 50 years on was one of the first pieces published on this blog which you can read still read here.

Danny Thompson was a stunning performer. He wasn’t the quiet guy on bass. His was a massive presence whose contribution would always sneak through and claim your attention, whoever he was playing with. Here’s a sample of his work in five videos.

1. Haitian Fight Song – Danny Thompson, 1968

Let’s start with this solo version of Haitian Fight Song composed by another great bassman, Charles Mingus. Here Thompson is in his late twenties and this performance is his solo spot in a concert by the ground-breaking folk-rock group Pentangle of which he was a founding member. Filmed by Swedish TV in Oslo, just watch the elegance and energy which which Danny plays – and his moment of recovery at the end.

2. River Man Take 1 – Nick Drake & Danny Thompson, 1969

As an innovative musician, Danny Thompson was always drawn to the work of artists looking in new directions. Nick Drake was one such talent, and Thompson played bass on almost every track of Drake‘s debut album Five Leaves Left. The iconic River Man is certainly the most celebrated song from the album. But have you heard Take 1 of River Man from 4th January 1969? It was officially released this year for the first time and has Nick Drake on vocals and guitar accompanied masterfully by Danny Thompson on double bass.

3. Sally Go Round The Roses – Pentangle, 1970

As a member of the 1968-73 historic line-up of British folk-rock group Pentangle, Danny Thompson was in the excellent company of musicians who were constantly pushing the boundaries of how traditional folk music could be transformed into something new and contemporary. With Bert Jansch and John Renbourn on guitars, Terry Cox on drums, and the uncanny vocals by Jacqui McShee, Thompson was able to give full expression to his sense of rhythm and lyrical expression.

4. Big Muff – John Martyn & Danny Thompson 1996

It’s impossible to share Thompson‘s work without mentioning John Martyn. Their playing brought a completely new sound to music from the moment Thompson left Pentangle. Martyn was an incredible creative force, but he couldn’t have done it so successfully without a bass player like Danny Thompson to play off. When talking about their years as a duo in a recent interview, Thompson said that playing with Martyn was an experience of “total freedom”. By way of example, here’s Big Muff. Originally recorded in 1977 in Jamaica, the song was co-written by John Martyn and producer Lee Scratch Perry. If the aesthetic of the song now sounds familiar, in the late 1970s its looping rhythms and swirling lines contained the seeds of electronic dancefloor music yet to be written. Here is a performance from 1996 recorded for Irish television in the Transatlantic Sessions series for which Danny Thompson, who was a permanent guest on the series, invited John Martyn. It was a reunion of two old friends who’d lost touch and came together again musically. You can feel the musicians returning to a familiar piece in order to make something new.

5. Wotcher! – documentary about Danny Thompson in preparation

Bass players can sit in on all sorts of sessions. Although Danny Thompson will certainly be remembered for his work with Nick Drake, and admired for his playing with Pentangle and John Martyn, the range of his collaborations across folk, jazz and blues is phenomenal. He certainly thought hard about his legacy in later years, as the excellent Danny Thompson YouTube Channel confirms with its well-edited, high-quality videos from different moments in his career. Fortunately for us, to complete the picture, film-maker Lee Cogswell is also in the process of editing a documentary on Thompson‘s life and work. Let’s look forward to that.

Bye Bye Bassman. Thanks for leaving the world a better place.

Still want more?

Two suggestions. First, my review of John Martyn and Danny Thompson live on stage at the Reading Festival 1973 which shares first-hand impressions of their playing. Second, while there will be many tributes to Danny Thompson online, I have a particular preference for a portrait which appeared in 2015 on the Root Music website with this lovely picture which says it all.

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