Rock | Priče | John Martyn

Slobodan Cicmil
Rock 82
Rock
Priče
John
Martyn
Ljupkost i opasnost koje sa sobom nosi i dobro čuva muzika Džona Martina (John Martyn) ove su godine našle potvrdu na albumu 'Well Kept Secret'. Ali, da ne bi bilo nesporazuma: ogromna popularnost nikada nije pratila Martinovo ime. Slušali su ga oni koji su znali o čemu je reč i koji su želeli da se ozbiljnije posvete muzici, a to će reći, oni koji su joj pristupili na način koji nije preterano moderan.
Slobodan Cicmil
"Oduvek sam bio loš dečak folka, nestašno dete. Bio sam sve vreme pomalo otpadnik. Nikada nisam bio tesno povezan sa folkom. Više su mi se svidali prljavi mali rock klubovi."
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ada neko oseća za potrebno da se odriče svoje prošlosti, onoga što mu se kao prošlost pripisuje, najčešće posla nisu sasvim čista. A obzirom da se dim i vatra uvek javljaju zajedno, u slučaju Džona Martina ne bi bilo dobro prihvatiti suviše krutu i možda još više usku predstavu o 'folk pevaču'. Naravno, da bi se izbegla svaka dogma ne bi je trebalo ni potpuno odbaciti. Ko god je imao prilike da čuje njegov ovogodišnji diskografski poduhvat, ploču 'Well Kept Secret', biće više sklon da prihvati-mišljenje kako o nekom folku nema ni govora. To je naravno tačno isto koliko i tvrdnja da Pikaso nije vičan realizmu figurativnog slikarstva. Usputno pominjanje slavnog Španca cilja na činjenicu da dugogodišnje ozbiljno bavljenje jednim sredstvom izražavanja (u našem slučaju radi se o pesmama i muzici) mora da dovede do značajnih promena i odabranoj formi. Sa Džonom Martinom reč je upravo o tome.

Izuzetno uspela i kvalitetna ploča, kakva je 'Well Kept Secret', snimljena 1982. godine, ne može da izbegne mogućnosti koje nudi tehnologija proizvodnje zvuka. Oni koje ova strana muzika više interesuje imaju šta da čuju. S druge strane, Martinova karakteristična žica koja se još od 1967. godine (kada je izdao prvu ploču 'London Conversation') vuče za njim je jaka emotivnost koja se u muzici javlja kao prostoran, rasplinut žvuk gitare i vrlo osobeno repetitivno pevanje. Deset pesama koje su stavljene na ploču veoma jako ističu njegovu vezanost za pesmu, i to je mesto na kojem je najlakše uspostaviti odnos sa folk autorom koji u Džonu Martinu uvek negde čuči, bez obzira na promene koje je donelo ovo vreme.

"Pesme koje sada pišem su radikalno nove. Očekujem jedan fer komadić naklonosti od ljudi koji su voleli stare stvari. Ovo sada je glasnije i više direktno. Jeste drukčije, ali sigurno nije manje složeno."
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adikalnost promene o kojoj Martin govori može da se odnosi na materijale snimljene do 1973., a njih nije malo. I što je još važnije za pevača koji nikada nije postigao popularnost posebno velikih razmera (što ga nije uzbudilo više od 'lanjskog snega'), za period do 73. vezan je veći deo njegove publike.

Džon Martin je Škot, roden u Glazgovu 1948. godine, a sa 19. godina dolazi u London gde na živahnoj folk-sceni tog vremena za samo tri meseca uspeva da se izbori za prvu ploču. Taj period je najnedvosmislenije obeležen folk-'kant-autorskim' delom njegove ličnosti, ali nije nikada ostao u tome. Već na sledećoj ploči 'The Tumbler' (1969.) želja za instrumentalističkim osveženjima dovela ga je do saradnje sa priznatim flautistom/ saksofonistom Heroldom Makneirom (Harold McNair). Do 73. Martin je izdao još tri ploče u kojima su značajnu ulogu odigrali njegova žena Beverli i basista Deni Tompson (Danny Thompson). 'Stormbringer' (1969) je praktično zajedničko delo Džona i Beverli i što je interesantno, već tada su krenuli da dosta rade u Americi jer se pokazalo da u toj zemlji više ljudi pokazuje interesovanje za njihov rad. Ploča je snimljena u Njujorku i na njoj se pojavljuju ugledni sešn muzičari veoma bliski džezu.

Radove pre 73. godine bilo bi nepravedno vezati za džez jer će on osetno kasnije uticati na Martina. Čini mi se da ploča 'Solid Air' (1973) i u tom pogledu predstavlja trenutak (fazu) značajne promene. Deni Tompson (bivši basista grupe Pentangle) bio je tokom tih 5-6 godina jedina stabilna tačka u Martinovom radu u pogledu saradnje sa muzičarima. S obzirom da nikada nije imao svoj stalni sastav bio je primoran da od ploče do ploče menja muzičare. Alternativa je bila ostati 'one-man-band' celog života, a priznaćete da i najistrajnijim taj pristup mora kad-tad da presedne.

Uz takav rad Martin je uspeo da do polovine 70-ih godina izda dosta ploča i izgradi o sebi jasnu sliku. Publiku je prilično birao, što znači da je uporno odbijao da se prikloni bilo kom sadržaju iz komercijalnih razloga, pa su ga slušali samo oni koji su baš to, a ne 'bilo šta', želeli. Broj poklonika (prigodan izraz) je do 75/76 ubedljivo prevazilazio crtu ispod koje se prostire ambis anonimnosti, ali nikako nije prelazio u sfere koje kriju u sebi sedmoglave aždaje 'zvezdane prašine' medijske popularnosti. Kad je reč o publici, interesantna je činjenica da je znatno više odziva Martinova muzika nalazila u Americi nego kod kuće, na Ostrvu. Razlog za ovo jednim delom verovatno leži u već pomenutom gostovanju po američkim studijima uz saradnju proverenih muzičara, ali ne bi bilo neuputno ovom razlogu pridodati činjenicu da se od 'Solid Air' muzika sve više približavala 'kombinaciji' u kojoj pažljivije uho može lako da pronade tragove džeza, bluza, folka i rocka.

pictureOvakav žanrovski koktel, pored toga što je veoma pitak, nije ostavio nijedan od sastavnih elemenata u lako prepoznatljivom obliku već je opšti utisak ploča 'Inside Out', 'Sunday's Child' ili 'One World' osobena Martinova emocionalnost, napeto-polu-šapat pevanje i izuzetno korištenje akustične gitare kroz ehopleks i brojne druge transformatore zvuka. Posledica martinovske upotrebe svih tih elemenata je izraženo prostoran zvuk, razvučenost pesama ali izbegavanje monotonije time što se razvučenost ispunjava prijatnim melodijama i stalnim istraživanjem zvuka gitare. Ove osobine će se nalaziti u njegovoj muzici sve do danas, a složlli se vi ili ne, ustvrdio bih da su na poslednjim pločama izvedene na majstorski način, odnosno ubedljivije no ranije.

Rastuća popularnost u Americi svakako da ima veze i sa bumim dešavanjima na ostrvskoj sceni tokom 1976/78 godine. Starog, prevejanog, iskusnog Martina, sa bradicom od pet dana i stomačićem koji je jasno počeo da se nazire radije su prihvatali njemu po godinama i muzičkom zaledu bliski Amerikanci, nego uskomešana ostrvska mladarija koja je bez rezerve u to vreme raščišćavala sa svakom prošlošću.

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a ne bi bilo nesporazuma, o ogromnoj popularnosti u vezi sa Džon Martinom nikad nije bilo reči. Slušali su ga oni koji su znali o čemu se radi i koji su želeli da se ozbiljnije posvete muzici -a to će reći- oni koji su joj pristupali na način koji više nije preterano moderan.

Njegovu nezainteresovanost za zakone rock businessa vrlo dobro ilustruje sledeći primer: 1976. godine Martin je odlučio da izda album snimaka na živo koji se mogao nabaviti isključivo poštom i to preko njegovog doma u Saseksu. Izrazito, ako ne anti, onda sigurno nekomercijalan potez usmeren na ezoteriju.

Posledica je medutim bila: svih 10 000 štampanih primeraka prodato je u veoma kratkom roku. Ova nezainteresovanost (preterana) za komercijalnu stranu stvari nije mnogo pogadala izdavače, ni Island (u Engleskoj) a ni Warner Bros. (u Americi), tako da je Martin zadržao slobodu da ostane dosledan svom shvatanju muzike s obzirom da je bilo dovoljno onih koji su komunicirali sa takvim pesmama.

"Ranije sam iznajmljivao muzičare za svaki svoj album umesto da koristim sastav i ploče su imale tendenciju da zvuče kao iznajmljeni muzičari. Ovo sada ('Well Kept Secret' i 'Glorious Fool' - 1982. i 81.) je grupni napor, ima više medu-lica. Volim kada se stvari krecu napred. Ne vidim da ću koračati unazad."
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pravo citirana optimistička izjava data je povodom ploče izdate 1981. godine pod nazivom 'Glorious Fool'. Ako smo 'Solid Air' iz 1973. godine odredili kao prelomnu tačku u Martinovom radu u smislu približavanja džezu i eksperimentisanju zvukom gitare, onda bi i ploče 'Grace And Danger' (1980), 'Glorious Fool' (1981) i 'Well Kept Secret' (1982) takode mogle da se odrede kao sveža krv. Novina se ovoga puta nalazi na drugoj strani.

Za razumevanje ovoga potrebno je skrenuti pažnju na nekoliko činjenica. Na ploči iz 1980. godine bubnjeve svira Fil Kolins, a sledeće godine njegova uloga od instrumentalnog učesnika projekta prerasta u producenta. Bilo da stvar povežemo sa zvukom Genesis ili Kolinsa ostavimo da samostalno opstane jasno je da gradenje zvučnog zida i posvećivanje posebne pažnje produkcijskom delu posla ne bi trebalo da predstavljaju iznenadenja kad je reč o tri poslednje ploče Džona Martina. Ova saradnja usmerila je uvek znatiželjnu Martinovu maštu u pravcu koji on označava kao korak napred.

Kao da je najzad njegova stalna opsesija eksperimentisanjem i traženjem novog zvuka instrumenata (u prvom redu girare) i celokupne pesme došla u kontakt sa nečim što je popularno. Bez preterane bukvalnosti to bi značilo da se Martinovo interesovanje poklopilo sa sve većom ulogom studija za snimanje u diskografskoj produkciji. Ova uloga je veća s obzirom na mogućnosti koje nova tehnologija pruža, s obzirom na zasićenost svim mogućim formama i oblicima pesme što je kreaciju prebacilo na polje zvuka (dakle postaje bitno kako, a ne šta), i u neposrenoj vezi sa tim uloga studija znači izbacivanje u prvi plan onih muzičara koji svoju pesmu pokušavaju da obuhvate, prate i kontrolišu tokom celokupnog procesa: od prvih akorda i melodija do završne celine. S obzirom da producenti ne mogu da zauzmu mesto muzičara, iako je činjenica da su u poslednjih nekoliko godina i oni veoma često zvezde, Džon Martin je jedan od onih koji je dobio manevarski prostor. Sa ustaljenim sastavom: Maks Midlton (Max Middleton) klavijature, Alen Tompson (Alan Thomson) - bas, Deni Kuminga (Danny Cummings) udaraljke, Fil Kolins (Phil Collins) bubnjevi i glas i uz svoju gitaru i glas, Džon Mirtin je stigao do onoga što neki naši bosanski 'bosovi' zovu 'prva liga'. Saradnja sa Fil Kolinsom počela svirkom na 'Grace And Danger', nastavila se kroz zajedničke nastupe u manjim crkvenim dvoranama (opsednutost monumentalnošću!?) i dostigla zrelu fazu u producentskom radu. On sam uvek je isticao u prvi plan potrebu za promenom koju je najbolje posvedočio putem koji je od folk pevača prešao tokom ovih 15 godina i brojnih ploča.

Džez, bluz, rege (saradnja sa Li Perijem i Džek Riblijem na Jamajci), folk... sve to uz puno sentimenta, intimističke zaljubljene tekstove, i prostorno pevanje predstavljaju zaista materijal koji nudi brojne mogućnosti za kombinovanje i promene. Do sada je bitna Martinova karakteristika bila nepredvidivost. Nema potrebe da se sad i u to uplićemo.

"Sada sviram znatno jednostavnije. Sećam se da mi je kao malom akustična gitara bila velika stvar, posebno ljudi kao Bert Janš. Jedno kratko vreme bio sam usvojio taj stil ali sad sviram znatno manji broj nota."

Dodao bih: na prijatno znalački način. •


Rock

Stories

John Martyn

The loveliness and danger that John Martyn's music carries and is well guarded with this year has been confirmed on the album Well Kept Secret. But, lest there be any misunderstanding: immense popularity never followed Martyn's name. It was listened to by those who knew what it was about and who wanted to take music more seriously, and those who approached it in a way that was not overly modern to say so.

Slobodan Cicmil

"I've always been a bad folk boy, a naughty kid. I've been a bit of a renegade all the time. I've never been closely associated with folk. I used to like dirty little rock clubs."

When people feel the need to give up their past, or what is attributed to them as the past, most of the time, matters are not quite clear. And since smoke and fire always come together, in the case of John Martyn, it would not be a good idea to accept a too rigid and perhaps even narrower idea of a 'folk singer'. Of course, to avoid any dogma, one should not completely reject it. Whoever had the opportunity to hear his record called Well Kept Secret this year, will be more inclined to accept the opinion that there is no talk of any folk. This is, of course, as true as the claim that Picasso is not adept at the realism of figurative painting. The incidental mention of the famous Spaniard aims at the fact that many years of serious pursuit of one medium of expression (in our case, it is about songs and music) must bring about significant changes and the chosen form. With John Martyn, that's the case.

An extremely successful and quality record such as Well Kept Secret, recorded in 1982, cannot escape the opportunities offered by sound production technology. Those who are more interested in this foreign music have something to hear. On the other hand, Martyn's characteristic string, which has been pulling since 1967 (when he released his debut London Conversation), is a strong emotion that occurs in music as a spacious, raspy guitar bit and very peculiar repetitive singing. The ten tracks put on the record very strongly emphasize his attachment to the song, and this is the place where it is easiest to establish a relationship with the folk writer who always crouches in John Martyn, regardless of the changes brought about by time.

"The songs I write now are radically new. I expect a fair bit of affection from people who loved old the stuff. This is louder and more straightforward now. It's different, but certainly not less complex."

The radicality of the change Martyn is talking about can be seen in his material recorded up to 1973, and there are quite a few. And more importantly for a singer who has never achieved popularity on a particularly large scale (which did not excite him more than 'last night's snow'), for the period up to 73, most of his audience is attached to that.

John Martyn is a Scotsman, born in Glasgow [sic] in 1948, and at the age of 19 [sic] arrived in London where he managed to gain a contract for his first record in a lively folk scene of that era in just three months. The period was most clearly marked by the folk 'singer-songwriter' part of his personality, but he never remained in it. Already in the next title of The Tumbler (1968), the desire for instrumentalist refreshments led him to collaborate with renowned flutist / saxophonist Harold McNair. By 1973, Martyn had released three more records in which his wife Beverley and bassist Danny Thompson played a significant role. Stormbringer (1969) is practically a joint work of John and Beverley, and interestingly enough, they started working in America by that time because more people appeared to be interested in their work in that country. The record was recorded in New York and featured prominent session musicians very close to jazz.

Works before the year of 73 would be unfairly tied to jazz because it would significantly influence Martyn later. It seems to me that Solid Air (1973) represents, in this respect, a moment (phase) of significant change. Danny Thompson (former Pentangle bassist) was the only stable point in Martyn's work with musicians during those 5-6 years. Since he never had a permanent band, he was forced to switch musicians from album to album. The alternative was to remain a one-man-band all his life, and one will admit that, even with the most persistent, this approach has to take precedence.

With such work, Martyn was able to put out a lot of records by the mid-1970s and build a clear image of himself. He was quite choosy with regard to the audience, which means he persistently refused to attach himself to any content for commercial reasons, so only those who wanted it, not just 'anything', listened to it. By 1975/ 1976, the number of worshipers (an apt phrase) far exceeded the line below which the abyss of anonymity begins, but by no means did it cross into the realms of the 'star dust' of media popularity. When it comes to the audience, it is interesting that Martyn's music got much more response in America than at home, on the British Isles. The reason for this is partly due to the aforementioned guest appearances in American studios with the cooperation of proven musicians, but it would not be out of the question to add to the fact that since Solid Air, the music was increasingly approaching a 'combination' in which a more attentive ear could easily find traces of jazz, blues, folk and rock.

Such a genre cocktail, in addition to being very drinkable, left none of the constituing elements in an easily recognizable form, but the general impression of the albums Inside Out, Sunday's Child or One World is a distinctive Martyn emotion; tense-half-whispered singing and the exceptional use of acoustic guitar through echoplex and numerous other sound transformers. The consequence of Martyn's use of all these elements is an expressive spatial sound, distortion of the singing, but the avoidance of monotony by filling the atmosphere with pleasant melodies and constant exploration of the sound of the guitar. These qualities will be found in his music to this day, whether you agree or not, I would argue that they were performed in a masterful manner on the last albums, that is, more convincing than before.

The growing popularity in America certainly has to do with the boom of the Island scene during 1976/ 1978. An old, well-dressed, experienced Martyn, with a five-day beard and a tummy that was clearly beginning to be seen, was preferred by him with regard to his age and musical background, close to the Americans, rather than a mixed-up Island youngster who, without reservation, was cleansing himself with every turn.

Not to be misunderstood, there was never much talk of John Martyn's immense popularity. He was listened to by those who knew what it was about and who wanted to take music more seriously - that is to say, those who approached it in a way that was no longer overly modern.

His disinterest in the laws of rock business is well illustrated by the following example: In 1976 Martyn decided to release a live album that could only be obtained by mail, from his home in Sussex. A distinctive, if not anti- than certainly non-commercial, esoteric-driven move.

The consequence, however, was that all 10,000 printed copies were sold in a very short time. This lack of interest in the commercial side of things has not affected publishers much, neither Island (in England) nor Warner Bros (in America), so Martyn retained the freedom to remain loyal to his understanding of music given that there were enough of those who adhered to his songs.

"I used to rent musicians for each of my albums instead of using bands, and records tended to sound like rented musicians. Now (Well Kept Secret and Glorious Fool - 1982 and 1981) it is a group effort, there's more that I like when things are moving forward. I don't see myself stepping back."

The optimistic statement just quoted was made in reference to an album issued in 1981 called Glorious Fool. If we designated Solid Air from 1973 as a turning point in Martyn's work in terms of approaching jazz and experimenting with guitar sounds, then the records Grace And Danger (1980), Glorious Fool (1981) and Well Kept Secret (1982) could also be designated as fresh blood. The paper shows the other side this time.

To understand this, we need to draw attention to a few facts. On the 1980 record drums were played by Phil Collins, and the following year his role from instrumental participant grew into producer. Whether we associate the matter with Genesis or Collins' sound on his own, it's clear that building a sound wall and paying special attention to the production part of the work should come as no surprise when it comes to John Martyn's last three records. This collaboration has turned Martyn's ever-curious imagination in a direction he marks as a step forward.

It is as if, at last, his constant obsession with experimenting and searching for a new sound of instruments (in the first place of the guitar) and the whole song came into contact with something that is popular. Without being too literal, this would mean that Martyn's interest has coincided with the growing role of recording studios in record production. This role is greater with regard to the possibilities offered by the new technology, given the saturation of all possible shapes and forms of the song, which shifted the creation to the field of sound engineering (so it becomes important how, not what), and in this context the role of the studio means the ejection to the forefront of those musicians trying to capture, track and control their song throughout the whole process: from the first chords and melodies to the final piece. Considering that producers cannot take the place of musicians, even though in the last few years they too have often become stars, John Martyn is one of those who got the leeway. Featuring lineup: Max Middleton keyboards, Alan Thomson bass, Danny Cummings percussion, Phil Collins drums and voice and with his own guitar and voice, John Martyn arrived in what some of our Bosnian 'bosses' call the 'first league'. The collaboration with Phil Collins began with a role on Grace And Danger, continued through joint performances in smaller church halls (obsession with monumentality!?) and reached a mature stage in the production work. He himself always emphasized the need for change which explains the path he has taken from folk singer over these 15 years and on numerous records.

Jazz, blues, reggae (collaboration with Lee Perry and Jack Ruby in Jamaica), folk... all with lots of sentiment, intimate love lyrics, and spatial singing are truly material that offers many opportunities for combination and change. Until now, the essential characteristic of Martyn has been unpredictability. No need to change that now.

"Now I play significantly simpler. I remember when I was a kid, being an acoustic guitarist was a big deal, especially to people like Bert Jansch. For a short while, I adopted that style, but now I play a much smaller number of notes."

I would add: in a pleasantly knowledgeable way. •


sitenotes:
Rock 82 is a Yugoslavian magazine which started as a back cover of a comics magazine called Strip 82, originally called Strip 81 and founded in that same year. Strip 81 started out as an additional special to a popular weekly magazine Politikin Zabavnik (Serbian Cyrillic: Политикин Забавник) that goes back to 1939. Later on Rock 82 transformed into a full-fledged magazine called Rock.

Various spelling mistakes have been corrected. The magazine had David Bowie on the cover and originally cost 20 Dinar. The typography and print quality were as horrible as I tried to emulate here.

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