Into the Distance Music 49

John Martyn - Look At That Girl

Remember when I held her in the palm of just one hand
And felt that tiny heart against my skin
Now she’s all grown up, stepping out and looking grand
I just don’t believe the shape she’s in.
Won’t you look at that girl
So fine
Won’t you look at that girl
She’s mine.
I taught her what I knew about that wicked world outside
Tried to keep her out of dangers way
Now she tells me things I can barely understand
Feeds me not a single word to say.
Won’t you look at that girl
So fine
Won’t you look at that girl
She’s mine.
Here she comes again, quite as usual
Looking fine as wine
Looking cool as rain, twice as beautiful
Oh she turned out fine.
Won’t you look at that girl
She’s so fine
Won’t you look at that girl
She once was mine.
Here she comes again, cool as usual
Looking fine as wine
Just as cool as rain, but twice as beautiful
Hasn’t she turned out fine.
Won’t you look at my girl
So fine
I know she’s so fine
So fine
She’s so fine, my baby girl.

John Martyn - The Apprentice Tour

Always Hired

Anything and everything John Martyn did as a musician was wonderful. The Apprentice is a fine album, coming after his 80s' ones [excuse the mathematical platitude] that were so much a part of that distinctive decade, and this live recording from 1990 is excellent, combining as it does earlier songs - like The Easy Blues, May You Never, Dealer and Outside In - with a most beautiful performance of Never Let Me Go from the 80s album Well Kept Secret, and a rousing performance of this album's John Wayne. There is also the gorgeous Look At That Girl written for his daughter Mhairi who is in the audience. David Gilmore guests on this performance and the JW. This recording ends on the sublime One World. The concert is on YouTube so very easy to access for a listen.

Yesterday was the 8th anniversary of John's sad passing, aged 60, so I am still listening today, but then I always am.

John Martyn - Head and Heart

Hands Music 17

Patty Reese - Let In The Sun, album review

 Blues Lineage and Line

There are many and most are damn good, these blues chanteuses, journeying through their respective vocal and physical geographies – lineage of time and place; lines of traversed clubs and stages – and Patty Reese occupies securely a circle of obvious female vocal touchstones as well as her ‘mid-Atlantic’ region with solid successes, noted here from her website:

AWARDS

• Washington Area Music Association (WAMMIES):
• Album of the Year
• Artist of the Year
• Songwriter of the Year
• Best Roots Rock Album
• Roots Rock Vocalist
• Artist Website
• Northern California Songwriters Association honors
• Mid Atlantic Song Contest honors
• TrueValue Hardware National Songwriting Top 10 Contest winner

The band includes guitarist Jonathan Sloane; bassist Sonny Petrosky; drummer Andy Hamburger, and a song like Soul Satisfier on this latest releases reflects well the seasoned excellence of the music.

Chevy Music 4

Reflections in Cosmo - Reflections in Cosmo, album review

Released on that Same Day

Here is some trumping Nordic noise to outtrump the Trump, familiar Scandinavian blasts of jazz sax and other accumulations of raucous energy, musically speaking, to expel the mud in the head since the 20^th January, 2017 and all subsequent declarations of inanity. What we want is Kjetil Moster to place his baritone right up to the TrumpEar, beneath the weavewave of blondienuttiness and blast blast blast away.

That not being remotely possible – My Way plugged into the TrumpEar on an eternal loop to drown out all other sounds/all other advice and ideas and knowingness – you’ll have to listen and enjoy the ragings on your tod, expelling the echoing thoughts, if only for a while, and what has been happening.

It isn’t original but it is wonderfully chaotic and loud. Also with Hans Magnus Ryan on guitar, Stale Storlokken on keyboards and Thomas Stronen on drums.

As a final observation, cosmo as a prefix is a combining form of world and universe so as a title it acts as the ultimate antithesis to the Trumpview. Trump up its volume!

Into the Distance Music 48

Soon to be a half century...