Ello you,

How’s things? I am still chasing my dog’s tail while dealing with death admin and the grief of it all. Meanwhile, Winter is coming in fast and there I am being yanked around a soggy London park at 7.30am in shorts and sodden shoes. A man at odds with the world and out of season.

On Friday, I returned to Dad’s place to continue the clearout and was overwhelmed by an avalanche of food tubs, plastic bags, ancient tissues, compression stockings, mobility equipment… I can’t be the only one who stands there in such moments, paralysed by the enormity of the task ahead and wishing you could just f*ck it all off and run away.

It feels like a punishment, to be honest. Then you stumble on a handwritten card to your absent father from their neighbours’ kids, saying, “We made you a rainbow for your window. We hope it makes you smile.”

Or their YMCA card featuring that (rare) smile above the words “Positive Placements Mentor” (the first I’d heard of it). Or a note with the word “Antidisestablishmentarianism” scrawled on it because… Why?

I wonder what other curios I’ll find in all his clutter and what they will trigger?

In the midst of my ennui [the struggle feels more gallant en français], doing live radio might have felt like a chore. And in the early stages, it often is. Trying to reflect my world in sound over the past month, gathering unusual music that feels meaningful to me and presenting it in a personal way. On air and in words.

But into the second hour of this meandering and introspective show, I began to feel calmer and more present. Out to Alyssa for the encouragement in the studio. Perhaps these two hours will offer you a release of some kind. Come along.

I am hoping to have a few quests in the upcoming months, including artist feeo (see below) and a special on the club night I used to help run in Brighton. We must document these rights of passage. They are our culture.

In other news, I’m planning a hike around Snowdon with my best mate and the little monster, and a youth music project in Lewisham featuring a few local legends. More on all that soon.

👋🏾

RYUICHI SAKAMOTO/ALVA NOTO – The Sheltering Sky (Alva Noto Remodel) [Milan]

Let’s reset the room with a gently sweeping, chiming tribute to Ryuichi Sakamoto by collaborator Alva Noto (Carsten Nicolai). A cover of the great man’s theme to Bertolucci’s 1990 film of the same name. Sakamoto san is never far from my thoughts. A guiding spirit who was a humble and devoted artist that embraced change and evolved through time. To The Moon & Back, a compilation from a few years ago, also features interpretations by David Sylvian, Thundercat, Cinematic Orchestra, Fennesz…

JOHN MARTYN & DANNY THOMPSON – Solid Air (Transatlantic Sessions) [Iona] [4m 57s]

It was through John Martyn’s music that I first heard Danny Thompson – this track, in fact – and he almost stole the show. I was transfixed by his expressive bass playing. The virtuoso, who worked with Kate Bush, Richard Thompson, Nick Drake and Toumani Diabate among countless others, passed recently and I wanted to pay tribute with a few selections.

This rendition of a Martyn standard was captured as part of a BBC Scotland programme called the Transatlantic Sessions. There were two series but only the second resulted in music being released. ‘Solid Air’ isn’t on either of those CDs – but it’s out there on film. Watch the chemistry rekindled between two old friends who hadn’t seen each other in years after a fallout. A poignant reconciliation happening before our eyes at the Montgreenan Mansion House Hotel in Kilwinning, Ayrshire.

Thompson described this as the most satisfying musical moment of his career and John as his most important collaborator. “If John Martyn had been the only person that I worked with, it would have given me everything out of music that I could ever want.” 💜

Danny was also a geezer, who had stories for days.

PENTANGLE – Reflection (live) [11m 38s]

As insidious as Google can be with its all-seeing eye, the behemoth did give us YouTube and the platform continues to unearth gems that have me time-travelling wide-eyed in the middle of the night.

While searching for Danny Thompson, I came across this 1972 Belgian TV special with Pentangle, one of his first bands. What a mighty intro. No wonder several of his bandmates are grinning along. Pentangle’s fusion of folk, jazz, blues and rock remains unique and unmatched on these shores.

The five points of light were Thompson on bass, Terry Cox on drums, Bert Jansch and John Renbourn on guitars and Jacqui McShee on vocals. Her phrasing is so beguiling. Not too familiar with Pentangle? Then start with their 1969 album Basket of Light.

DANNY THOMPSON – Minor Escapade [Hannibal] [23m 45s]

Between 1987 and 2012, Thompson also recorded six solo albums. This is my pick from his 1987 release Whatever, featuring Tony Roberts on reeds and Bernie Holland on guitar.

BIZIMUNGU DIEUDONNE – Inyange Ibarusha Kwera [Mississippi] [29m 02s]

Vintage tape vibes out of 80’s Rwanda here. Bizimungu Dieudonne with wife Agnes Umbibizi plus family and friends. Praise songs and extended electric jams sit comfortably alongside one another on Inzovu Y’Imirindi.

The story behind this release is tinged with sadness as everyone on the record lost their lives during the genocide and because of the savagery of the Hutu militia. But Bizimungu and Agnes’ daughter Noella was left with one treasured artefact – the masters for this album.

Out to Mississippi Records for the cultural preservation and celebration.

TOM SKINNER – The Maxim (featuring Meshell Ndegeocello) [Brownswood] [36m 50s]

The Smile, Sons of Kemet, Wildflower, Hello Skinny, Owini Sigoma Band… How many projects and guises can you squeeze into one still fresh-faced career? Kaleidoscopic Visions, the second album under his own name, sees Tom Skinner reflecting on his journey thus far and finding interesting passages down the way. Coming along on this expedition are Tom Herbert on bass, Chelsea Carmichael on tenor sax and flute and Kareem Dayes on cello.

I share his adoration for Meshell Ndegeocello, a collaborator on this track who he first encountered at Glastonbury in 1994. Now his friend and the artist I have seen more than any other in my life. “The Maxim is a 10-minute meditation on time,” Skinner tells us. “An incantation and exploration of human existence ­– addressing birth, life and death in one breath.”

You can feel that depth of inquiry between the notes as they loop around us in a gentle spiral. I recommend watching the accompanying video by Sam Blair, which is constructed