john martyn
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Bye Bye Bassman Danny Thompson
Bass player Danny Thompson passed away on September 23rd 2025. He leaves behind a legacy of amazing diversity, having worked with Nick Drake, Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, Pentangle, John Martyn and many, many more. I saw him play live and will never forget it. Here's a short tribute to a big, big bassman.
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The John Martyn & Danny Thompson Moment
At Reading Festival in 1973, I saw John Martyn play live with Danny Thompson. The music came from a place I didn't know existed. I was seeing Martyn play his acoustic guitar but I was hearing sounds that didn't match. The music from the guitar came in waves, an alien language with more than one voice speaking at once. Only two musicians on stage but they sounded like more. And John's voice was anything but ordinary, like someone emerging from deep sleep, a prolonged period in zero gravity or a night on the razzle. Let me try and tell you the story.
