The Tumbler was John Martyn's second album, released on Island Records in 1968. The album shows a progression from his previous solo folk offering to a more expansive sound, including significant contributions from jazz flautist Harold McNair.

Review by Brett Hartenbach

...John Martyn's unique brand of acoustic music began to take some sort of shape with the Al Stewart-produced The Tumbler. Martyn, whose debut was a solo acoustic offering, here employs a second guitar, bass and, most notably, jazz flautist Harold McNair to create his blend of folk, blues and jazz. While his songs show only marginal development from London Conversation, it's his arrangements and, especially, vocals which are the real differences, each becoming increasingly more idiosyncratic. Although nowhere near the caliber of his later recordings, The Tumbler is an important step in Martyn's varied career.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvmGG0Rl_W4&list=PLO3ZGUvDW0_VxqgUU1ZggsEz3j4rEg2-C&index=1

#JohnMartyn #IslandRecords #Folk #Flute #HaroldMcNair #Music

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on #KEXP's #VarietyMix

John Martyn:
🎵 Dancing

#JohnMartyn

https://open.spotify.com/track/54v6prmNNU6M6tXJpPiCyn

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on #BBC6Music's #Afrodeutsche

John Martyn:
🎵 Solid Air

#JohnMartyn

https://mojofilter.bandcamp.com/track/john-martyn-solid-air-mojo-filter-fluid-earth-reprise

https://open.spotify.com/track/7EDrSW40rkvj1O1l2pAcbJ

London Conversation is the first album by John Martyn, released on Island Records in 1967. Largely self-penned, the album is much more folk oriented than his blues/jazz tinged later releases.

London Conversation Review by Brett Hartenbach

...The album is a basic, no-frills, guitar and voice effort, although one track, the droning dulcimer and flute-driven "Rolling Home," shows Martyn's urge to stretch, which would become much more evident in the coming years. His vocal delivery is traditionally British, while his playing is steeped in the eclectic folk of British artists such as Davey Graham and Bert Jansch, as well as American blues and folk. London Conversation, whose material (written primarily by Martyn) reflects the era and his age (18 years old), comes across as a young, although soon to be important artist looking for a voice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV3s6_tDTWE&list=OLAK5uy_lOAVjBZHdinLVH-73I_xFr9E_HhV1tDhM

#JohnMartyn #IslandRecords #Music #FolkRock #Folk

#MorningCoffeeAlbum

Solid Air by John Martyn

Martyn had an unmistakable voice: mellow but challenging. His modern folk, heavily infused with jazz is timeless, and this, his 4th album from 1973 has him at his very best.
This is a 2013 repress from BackToBlack and is an excellent pressing.

#nowPlaying #JohnMartyn #music #vinyl

John Martyn & Danny Thompson – Couldn’t Love You More

https://wgom.org/2025/11/30/john-martyn-danny-thompson-couldnt-love-you-more/

Bumpers is a double sampler album from Island Records, released in Europe and Australasia in 1970;.. The title refers to the basketball-style shoes on the front of the album cover and to the meaning... - Wikipedia

Loved these sampler LPs when I discovered them going cheap in charity shops in the 80s! Discovered lots of life long musical loves such as Nick Drake through them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7nOgMyxELo&list=RDs7nOgMyxELo&start_radio=1

#IslandRecords #SamplerLP #NickDrake #Music #Traffic #SpookyTooth #JohnMartyn #BlodwynPig #Fotheringay #FairportConvention #MottTheHoople #KingCrimson

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on #BBC6Music's #GuyGarveysFinestHour

John Martyn:
🎵 Go Down Easy

#JohnMartyn

https://jamesmeder.bandcamp.com/track/go-down-easy-john-martyn

https://open.spotify.com/track/17g3bROn8V2eKfPpSYbSOQ