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Finest Working Musician In The World

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In this year of peak activity by the grim reaper, while we can, let’s celebrate the finest musicians of the world who are still breathing and still performing.

My top five:

5. Catlin Finch a Welsh wizardess on harp
4. Cory Henry on Hammond Organ
3. Jim Eno on drums ( I love his lack of fuss. He gives himself entirely to the song, much like Ringo did)
2. Toumani Diabaté who is magic on kora

And finest musician alive, in my view, is

1. Danny Thompson on upright bass. How he makes four simple strings and a piece sing so beautifully, I will never know. I could listen to him for ever.

Yes. I know this is another list thread but, what the hell. Over to you Afterworders.

While you ponder, here’s Danny with Jon Thorne

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Comments

  2. Bearing in mind he was capable of drinking John Martyn under the table, it’s remarkable he’s still as upright as his bass.
    I’d like to nominate David Crosby. Here is a man that consumed more chemicals than ICI could produce yet still works away as if it was a mere blip in his career

    • Hmm. He’s only just breathing, isn’t he? Mind you, that liver transplant was twenty years now (paid for by Phil Collins – I have a list of good things Phil Collins has done to counter the haterz) but his diabetes requires insulin treatment and he abandoned his last tour because he needed an angiogram.

      Oddly, I don’t think of Crosby as a musician. I think of him as a singer and a songwriter, overlooking his guitar playing. Frankly, I’ll have to go back and listen to get an idea if he’s any good or not.

      • ANY GOOD OR NOT FFS ! HAVE YOU HEARD HIS SUBLIME RHYTHMIC CHOPS ON EIGHT MILES HIGH, FOR ONE OF MANY MANY INSTANCES ???!!!!! THAT VOICE ??? !!!!! ( deep breath… ok… calm…calm.. ooooooOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM)

        As a songwriter he is excellent and is very prolific now. Two new albums on the way after the magnificent ‘Croz’ and he’s a prolific solo performer too. Nash was/is the lightweight talent in CSN/Y. Croz was diminished by his own addiction issues productivity wise, but in my mind he is the most genuinely soulful songwriter out of all four of them, and these days he knocks Neil Young into a cocked hat.

          • Not my cup of tea. Great musicians though. Horrible version of Got To Get You Into My Life.

            Speaking as a rhythm guitarist myslef, Croz’s chops are excellent. Totally different to Funk/Soul music though, but The Byrds are just as good in there own field.

  3. Mr James Gadson – still going strong and playing on new Jake Bugg and Corinne Bailey Rae albums apparently – not bad for someone in his 70s after a lifetime of playing with just about everybody.

    This video’s great- flicking through the bins in a record shop – played on this…great fun doing that…and a little bit of “Use Me” to finish off?

      • I’ve heard a couple of decent tracks – one very Jam/Lewis throwback 80s thing – which I thought was really good but saw her on Jools Holland and she was really dull…heard the Gregory Porter yet? It seems he’s moved a fair way from his jazz roots and again struggling to justify buying it.

        • I’m nervous of the Greg Porter, too. I’m told it starts and ends brilliantly. It took me quite a while to warm to the first one when it was a mixture of jazz and soul that accidentally hit a certain spot in the market. This time, he’s actively trying to hit that spot and that kind of strain can lead to a bad fail.

  4. That’s a fabulous fivesome you’ve put together there, Tigger. Glad to see Toumani getting a mention.

    I feel very enthusiastic about this thread. This could end in tears!

    Kimmo Pohjonen – Virtuoso Finnish accordionist with a punk attitude who takes the squeezebox to places it’s never been before.

    Bassekou Kouyate – One could never imagine that such a simple instrument as the ngoni could be so eloquent.

    Three for the price of one as they sometimes play together as the Mare Nostrum trio. Three musicians with a wonderful delicacy of touch and a great spirit of adventure.

    Swedish pianist Jan Lundgren, French accordionist Richard Galliano and on flugelhorn and trumpet Paolo Fresu from Italy. They have a new album out.

    You like to live dangerously, Tigger. Have an Up!

  5. More & more convinced I’m a Civilian.
    Never heard of Catlin or her harp
    Never heard of Cory and his organ (oo er)
    Is Jim Eno better than Jim Keltner? Answers on a postcard to the “Jim Keltner is the best damn drummer in the world” competition.

    Toumani is indeed a magical kora player: problem is I always fall asleep whenever the kora starts up

    Agree Danny’s work is magisterial: a friend of mine recorded his second album about five years ago. A long admirer of Danny he managed to get in contact with him and book him for a recording session: flat rate for the day, no negotiation allowed (memory says £2000 but I may well be wrong). Danny turned up, bashed out his three backing-tracks in under an hour then left with nary a word except “Don’t suppose you could do it in cash?”

  7. Mind you, the world of folk is chokka with artists clocking up ridiculous home/life imbalances, multi-tasking acrosss myriad bands and shows. I’m thinking John McCusker, Andy Cutting, Phil Cunningham, Mike McGoldrick, Ewen Vernal, Nick Cooke to name but 6. (Who are they? Look ’em up. I’m at work.)

    • Yes, and following Bellowhead’s retirement. Sam Sweeney is wondering what to do with himself now that he is only a member of Eliza Carthy’s Wayward Band, Emily Portman’s Band, Hurricane Party, Leveret and is currently running events for the National Folk Youth Ensemble. Does sessions as well, so I believe,

  8. My favourite working muso has to be Georgie Fame. From playing piano on the Gene Vincent/Eddie Cochrane UK tour in 1960 to being on the road still with his current Blue Flames; the very definition of a working musician.

    • I can’t see it. He has indicated stopping for years but my feeling is that he will be a Willie Nelson and just keep going. (I have a little insider knowledge. I’ve fact checked the second edition of his biog – coming soon with a credit!)

  11. Bit nervous to join is as this is my first post after some long time lurking :). I certainly do not possess the in-depth musical knowledge of many august Afterworders. On the other hand, I do like Steely Dan who, although a bit Marmite, seem to be highly rated by many here.

    So, as a tentative first step, albeit relatively safe one, I would like to suggest Jon Herington who has toured with recent incarnations of the band. Here he is with his own band and the song starts at around 2 minutes into the video with a solo at around 3.30 into proceedings. A really good guitarist and a decent singer too.

    Jon Herington Band
    The Only Fool.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnusBs4d_Bk

  12. BJ Cole. Wizard of the pedal steel guitar.
    Saw him recently in a duo with cellist Emily Burridge playing this sort of material. Will be seeing him again in a couple of weeks doing it tears-in-yer-beer Country style with Hank Wangford & the Lost Cowboys.

    (Debussy: Claire de Lune)

  13. The skin thumpers are being slightly overlooked here so I’ll place Tony Allen into consideration. Fela Kuti was of the opinion that without Tony Allen Afrobeat would never have happened. Brian Eno considers him to be the greatest drummer of them all.
    Bri may well be right.

    • I feel I have to defend Jim Eno, even though there is no denying Steve Gadd’s superlativeness.

      Jim has tremendous precision. His drums often form the melody of the song, so every swish of a cymbal or snap of a hi-hat has to be perfectly placed.

      Spoon – Do You

  15. Instead of Danny thompson or Toumani Diabate why not have them both together. This is my favourite piece of music on the Kora and the Double Bass is not too shabby either:-

  21. Our first oud player!
    Not an instrument that is heard so often on the AW, but the subtle magic created by Anouar Brahem and his trio is irresistible. A musician who is constantly pushing the envelope and experimenting.

  25. It’s a tough call between Richie Flores and Giovanni Hidalgo for the best conga player title. I’m posting this film of Giovanni as it also features some amazing harp.

    • She was an influence on Viv Albertine becoming a musician according to her book. Being one of the very few female musicians who played at Dingwalls where Viv worked. Although blokes who expressed an opinion tended to say she can’t really play, they’ve only got her because she is a woman.

  27. OK. Drummers.
    Joey Baron. Mainstay of most of John Zorn’s ensembles over the years.
    He always looks like he’s having a really good time behind the kit.
    Come to think of it, Mr Zorn himself.
    Plus Marc Ribot, Jamie Saft, Cyro Baptista, Trevor Dunn and Kenny Wolleson. There’s no dead wood here at all.

    (John Zorn’s Dreamers (as Electric Masada) – Karaim)

    • Actually, don’t watch that clip, watch this instead. Here’s the tevised chunk of the whole concert.
      This gives a much better impression of the sheer gob-smacking wonder of this band when totally ON IT.

      (John Zorn -Jazz In Marciac – Live 2010)

      • Wow! If anyone is put off by the 53 minute length, don’t be. It feels far less.

        I’ve always loved Marc Ribot. I really enjoyed him doing a Robert Fripp, having the appearance of a staid bank manager but playing dirty, filthy guitar.

        • His albums are all on his own label, Tzadik. Exceptional artwork, always full price and hard to locate in record shops.
          They tend to be a bit patchy, to be honest. Mixtures of amazingly good stuff and noodly, skronky WTF? I’m way out of date with what he may currently be up to.

          Favourite albums I have (all pretty old) are “Electric Masada Live At The Mountains Of Madness” and “Electric Masada: 50th Birthday Celebration Vol.4”, which feature a similar line-up to that in the clip and “The Circle Maker” and “Bar Kokhba: 50th Birthday Celebration Vol.11”, which feature a predominantly acoustic sextet comprising electric guitar (Ribot), violin, cello, string bass, percussion (Baptista) and drumkit (Baron).

          All of the above are live recordings except “The Circle Maker”. John Zorn conducts but does not play on the Bar Kokhba recordings.

          The first composition they play in the clip, “Little Bittern” comes from an album “O’o” which I don’t have.

          Hope this is some help @Tiggerlion.

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