Martin Simpson

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="043fd5a3.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#CC0066" FACE="Arial" ><B>Alan Bearman Music</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |  </B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>   </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Alan Bearman Music"><U><B>home</B></U></A></FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="id44.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Eliza Carthy"><U><B>Eliza Carthy</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><B>Martin Simpson</B><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Waterson:Carthy"><U><B>Waterson:Carthy</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Altan"><U><B>Altan</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id43.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lau"><U><B>Lau</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id50.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Kris Drever"><U><B>Kris Drever</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id47.htm" TARGET="_top" 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downloads</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Festival Programming and Consultancy"><U><B>Festival  Programming and Consultancy</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id25.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Alan Bearman"><U><B>About Alan Bearman</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact"><U><B>Contact</B></U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="044d2b03.jpg"> <div> <B><IMG SRC="06843340.gif" border=0 width="67" height="52" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><IMG SRC="06992a30.gif" border=0 width="146" height="163" ALT="Alan Bearman Music logo" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><IMG SRC="3a69ca00.jpg" border=0 width="156" height="160" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B> </B></div> <div> <B>To book the artists</B></div> <div> <B>please telephone or </B></div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:bearman@btinternet.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:bearman@btinternet.com"><U><B>email here</B></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B><A HREF="javascript:newWin=window.open('http://www.patronmailuk.com/bnmailweb/P atronSetup?oid=106','patron_signup','height=500,width=640,scrollBars=1,resiz able=0');newWin.focus();">Join Our Venue/Promoters' Mailing List!</A></B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="073a0a03.gif"> <div> <I><B> <a href="HTMLobj-1010/Little_Musgrave_mp3_edit.mp3"><u>Listen to Little Musgrave</u> </a>  </B></I></div> <div> <I><B> <a href="HTMLobj-1011/louisiana1927_mp3_edit.mp3"><u>Listen to Louisiana 1927</u> </a>  </B></I></div> <div> <I><B> <a href="HTMLobj-1012/Never_Any_Good_mp3_edit.mp3"><u>Listen to Never Any Good</u> </a>  </B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Martin Simpson</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <B>New Martin Simpson Album and Tour!</B></div> <div> <B>Martin is touring his new album 'Prodigal Son' </B></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="3c1fbb40.jpg" border=0 width="251" height="180" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <B>Current availability</B></div> <bR> <div> 'Prodigal Son Tours' September – October 2008 and March- April 2009<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="verdana" > </FONT></div> <div> Scotland gig needed on 15th October 2008.</div> <div> Touring as Martin Simpson Trio with Andy Cutting and Andy Seward May 11th- June 11th 2009</div> <bR> <div> <B>News Flash!</B></div> <div> At the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2008</div> <div> Martin won <B>Best Album</B> for <I>Prodigal Son</I> and <B>Best Original Song</B> for <I>Never Any Good</I></div> <div> Andy Cutting, who tours with Martin, won <B>Best Musician</B></div> <bR> <div>  <div><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" width="430" height="243" id="player" align="middle"><param name="movie" value="http://www.bbc.co.uk/later/player-e.swf?series=30&episode=7&clip=2" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="false" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#000000" /><embed src="http://www.bbc.co.uk/later/player-e.swf?series=30&episode=7&clip=2" quality="high" bgcolor="#000000" width="430" height="243" name="player" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer">  </div> <bR> <bR> <div> There is no doubt that after 35 years as a professional musician Martin is, right now, better than ever. </div> <div> Widely acknowledged as one of the finest acoustic and slide guitar players in the world, </div> <div> his interpretations of traditional songs are masterpieces of storytelling. </div> <div> His solo shows are intense, eclectic, spellbinding and deeply moving</div> <bR> <div> <B> </B></div> <div> <B>Twice-winner </B><I><B>Musician  Of The Year </B></I><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#BF0000" FACE="Arial" ><B>BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards</B></FONT><B> & </B><I><B>Album of the Year</B></I><B> in 2002</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Martin's current tour dates </B></I><A HREF="id21_martin_simpson_dates.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tour Dates and Concerts"><U><I><B>here</B></I></U></A></div> <bR> <div> Martin Simpson is one of the finest acoustic finger-style and slide guitar players in the world. Winner of 3 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, an Indie Award for his album Cool & Unusual, and the 2006 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Ards Guitar Festival, he is a superb interpreter of traditional music and song from Europe and from the American South. Growing up in Lincolnshire he was inspired by the likes of Martin Carthy, Davey Graham and Richard Thompson during the folk revival of the 60s. He was also hugely influenced by the recordings of Big Joe Williams, the Reverend Gary Davies, Blind Willie Johnson and Doc Watson, which has led to an eclectic style of playing and repertoire that is all his own. He has worked with the likes of Jackson Browne, David Lindley, June Tabor, Martin Carthy, Martin Taylor and Eric Bibb and is a popular and much loved solo performer. Both spell-binding, and highly entertaining, he is a master of his craft.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Martin Simpson & Martin Carthy</B></I></div> <div> Two of the most talented guitarists and folk singers that this country has ever produced, they really are masters of their craft and legends in their own lifetimes! Their highly different styles of guitar playing complement each other beautifully, whilst their choice of material ranges from the blues of the American Deep South to the traditional music of England, Ireland, Scotland and North America. Martin Carthy has always been a huge influence on Martin Simpson and since Simpson’s return to the UK they have performed together with increasing regularity, both as a duo and in other combinations with Martin Taylor and Juan Martin. An evening rich in talent and tradition that never fails to please.</div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Guitars 3: Martin Simpson, Martin Taylor & Neil Stacey</B></I></div> <div> A more spectacular combination of guitar players you would be hard-pressed to find. The two Martins, Simpson and Carthy, are joined by another master musician, Neil Stacey. Occasionally available for bigger festivals and venues these are two combinations are sure-fire hits with all lovers of good music and skill – as well as a guitar fan’s dream!</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B>What the Press says:</B></I></div> <bR> <div>  “Although it’s his guitar virtuosity that’s frequently lauded, it’s as an interpreter of song that Martin Simpson really scores. Simpson delivers narratives with colour and conviction. Fittingly be-gonged several times at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, Martin Simpson is taking his place, not just as a hero for guitar-besotted acolytes but as one of the national treasures of English traditional music." </div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#111111" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>BBC Radio 2 Folk & Acoustic Reviews</B></I></FONT> <I><B> </B></I></div> <bR> <bR> <div> "His performances elicit powerful emotions and subtle, understated beauty' <I><B>Guitar Player</B></I></div> <bR> <div>  "Distinctive coiled-spring beauty and power..A revelation...Exquisitely at one with the All-English repertoire..A master " <I><B>Mojo</B></I></div> <bR> <div> "Simpson is one of the UK’s finest folk musicians, and his unique gift is to bring to bear the kind of </div> <div> fluid forward motion usually associated with American acoustic music </div> <div> on the more strident shapes of British traditional song. </div> <div> <I>Kind Letters</I> is full of spectacular moments." </div> <div> <I><B>Sunday Times</B></I></div> <bR> <bR> <div>  “Martin has surely scarcely been in such a rich vein of form as he is now. The last couple of albums were both special…but with Danu – as well as Chris Parkinson, James Fagan and Nancy Kerr – co-opted as a backing band, this takes it somewhere else again. It’s a tender, emotional, profoundly moving album that portrays the immense reach of traditional balladry." <I><B>fROOTS</B></I></div> <bR> <div> “Martin Simpson’s playing is like a river: a brook of sparkling notes; careering rapids of riffs; eddies echoing harmonies; cascades that ring; slides slow and mighty as the Mississippi. ..with <I>Kind Letters</I> these are never merely dazzling effects. They are all aspects of the river’s current, the underlying melody and the drama of the songs. Simpson marvellously expresses the essence of these very different songs in his performance. Martin Simpson has long been an artist of phenomenal technique; </div> <div> <I>Kind Letters</I> reveals thoughtfulness, range and maturity to match"<I><B> Songlines</B></I></div> <bR> <div> All reviews courtesy of Topic Records.  To view Martin's Topic discography visit <A HREF="http://www.topicrecords.co.uk/acatalog/index2.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.topicrecords.co.uk/acatalog/i"><U><B>Topic Records</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.martinsimpson.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.martinsimpson.com"><U><I><B>Visit Martin's own website</B></I></U></A></div> </td> </tr></table></body>