colins
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Posts: 2,317
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Post by colins on Apr 7, 2020 9:07:06 GMT
Interesting short piece on Radio 4 this morning included in the programme about Black Music in Europe: a Hidden History. There was a short piece about Davy Graham, who had a Guyanese mother and Scottish father, and his travels in north Africa and it's influence on him and the guitar scene in London. It talked about the genesis of DADGad from the sounds of north Africa and demonstated the difference to it and standard tuning, with its impact on the folk scene and players like Bert and Martin (didn't mention me!)
Colin
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Post by andy3sheds on Apr 7, 2020 21:56:56 GMT
I caught that too I thought the radio had changed channels on its own!
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Post by NikGnashers on Apr 8, 2020 5:43:17 GMT
I wonder if I can listen to this on some sort of radio catchup service ?
Massive Davey fan.
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Post by Onechordtrick on Apr 8, 2020 7:25:03 GMT
I wonder if I can listen to this on some sort of radio catchup service ? Massive Davey fan. I think it's here: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000h0f2 but I haven't had time to check. But you should be able to find the other episodes from there
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Post by andyhowell on Apr 8, 2020 8:02:49 GMT
Arguably. he was the most influencial of the modern 'fingerstyle' guitarists. There was a lot of nonsesne talked about hism which I suspect was due to the prevalance of certain drugs in the 60's. For example, I think DADGAD was around before Graham thoguh I don't doubt it fitted North African music.
I only got the chance to see him live once which was towards the end of his life. He was playing an alternative venue in Spitalfields. I thought I have to see this. It was a very sad and embarassing evening! I guess he needed the cash at the time but it was truly dreadful :-(
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Post by geddarby on Apr 8, 2020 8:14:18 GMT
In my youth I saw Davy Graham at the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool. He was very late in coming to the stage just staggering on. Despite the alcohol and or dope he gave what I thought was a superb set. I missed my last last bus and had to walk home hoping that I wouldn’t be late for school the next morning.
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Post by andyhowell on Apr 8, 2020 8:17:29 GMT
In my youth I saw Davy Graham at the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool. He was very late in coming to the stage just staggering on. Despite the alcohol and or dope he gave what I thought was a superb set. I missed my last last bus and had to walk home hoping that I wouldn’t be late for school the next morning. Sadly my experience was exactly the same as yours but without the music!
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colins
Luthier / Guitar Maker
Posts: 2,317
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Post by colins on Apr 8, 2020 8:49:21 GMT
I was lucky in that in the mid and late sixties I got to see him many times at Les Cousins, the after hours lock in sessions were a revelation for any keen player that was invited. They were bit like the HB circle of death, but with Davy, Martin, Bert, Wiz and a few others swapping ideas and techniques, best apprenticeship you could get. It's where I first learned DADGad.
I don't think Davy ever claimed to have invented DADGad, but he was certainly responsible for making it a mainstream tuning.
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Post by martinrowe on Apr 8, 2020 9:20:20 GMT
I saw a gig of his advertised in Hastings at a small pub about 25 years ago. I was working in the South East at the time and knew someone in Hastings who told me where it was. It was a simple, regular Folk club upstairs in a pub. I didn't expect it to be the same Davy Graham but took a chance. He borrowed a guitar from one of the people who ran the club (which means he turned up for the pre advertised gig without a guitar I suppose) and played that all night. The owner of the guitar was amazed that he could pick up a guitar that he'd never played before and play a gig with it. He did say though that it was the same guitar that he had. I passed him on the stairs afterwards and he was pretty open and happy - nothing like the person that I expected from the media image - it is often the case isn't it. The cynic in me suspects that a happy drug addict can only mean one thing. He was amazingly good. If I remember he took some requests and played them off the top of his head - he was easily within his comfort zone. I'm glad I saw him.
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Phil Taylor
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Post by Phil Taylor on Apr 8, 2020 10:17:21 GMT
Arguably. he was the most influencial of the modern 'fingerstyle' guitarists. There was a lot of nonsesne talked about hism which I suspect was due to the prevalance of certain drugs in the 60's. For example, I think DADGAD was around before Graham thoguh I don't doubt it fitted North African music. I only got the chance to see him live once which was towards the end of his life. He was playing an alternative venue in Spitalfields. I thought I have to see this. It was a very sad and embarassing evening! I guess he needed the cash at the time but it was truly dreadful :-( That was my experience too. We were in London for a few days with my son who was a little boy so it must have been the early 90's. We walked past Andy's in Denmark Street and there was a sign in the window saying Davy Graham live here tonight. My wife kindly let me go and there was literally 2 or 3 of us there and he was as you say Andy, dreadful. Great shame....... Phil
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Post by andyhowell on Apr 8, 2020 10:21:23 GMT
I was lucky in that in the mid and late sixties I got to see him many times at Les Cousins, the after hours lock in sessions were a revelation for any keen player that was invited. They were bit like the HB circle of death, but with Davy, Martin, Bert, Wiz and a few others swapping ideas and techniques, best apprenticeship you could get. It's where I first learned DADGad. I don't think Davy ever claimed to have invented DADGad, but he was certainly responsible for making it a mainstream tuning. I never heard Davy make that claim about DADGAD — it seemed to become a musical journalist thing. Mind you, if Joni can tune to the ocean !!!!
Around the same time as I saw Davy I remember Bert playing at the 12 bar blues club as the host/resident. Some years earlier I'd often be found hanging around in Bert's shop in Parson's Green and I think Bert had real problems in those days. But he was a revalation at the 12 bar blues club. Despite his famed shyness he was really good and a really good host!
If you get a chance go and see AL Stewart today. He's started telling some lovely stories about those days!
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Post by Vinny on Apr 8, 2020 14:42:31 GMT
I missed my last last bus and had to walk home hoping that I wouldn’t be late for school the next morning. As andyhowell mentions Al Stewart, his song Love Chronicles has a line regarding the night he lost his virginity which goes, “ I missed the bus and walked twelve miles home, and it really didn’t seem far.”
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Post by earwighoney on Apr 8, 2020 17:14:20 GMT
Davy Graham is the guitarist who started my obsession with the acoustic guitar, purely down to seeing his obituary in the newspaper and googling him and the following track came up.
Within a few bars I was interested, within a few minutes I was intrigued and by the end my mind was completely exhilarated and blown away, and even if it's 12 years since I first 'discovered' the tune the piece still has exactly impact whenever I revisit the tune.
In addition to what has been said above I find DG's touch and syncopation to be quite unique and characteristic. As for his appreciation for North African/Arabic/Indian Raga music it was vital to my appreciation as a music fan.
I also came across this, the Ken Russell directed video for Cry me River which even though it came out in 1959 I still think it might be one of the most beautiful music videos ever recorded.
DG playing to a backdrop of a postwar London being the city I call home is something I continue to find incredibly inspirational; it makes me consider being a bystander in the transitional state of the city maybe I'm reading too much into or maybe it's the moving nature of DG music? I'm not sure but I'm thankful to have heard his music, like many others were/are/and will be.
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Post by Onechordtrick on Apr 8, 2020 18:24:46 GMT
Just went to Apple Music to download some of his stuff. They have him classified as “easy listeningl!
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Post by andyhowell on Apr 8, 2020 18:52:31 GMT
Just went to Apple Music to download some of his stuff. They have him classified as “easy listeningl! Aghhhh
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