TOM PORTMAN, the gifted guitarist whose dextrous, elegant style music draws on blues, folk, Indian, and Irish music, is about to launch his new album.
Float Your Blues Away will be launched with a show in the Townhouse Bar on Friday July 5 at 9.30pm.
The English born, Galway based, musician’s third album, it is a departure from his previous solo work which was largely instrumental. “It’s mainly songs although I’ve managed to fit some instrumental works on too,” he tells me. “As the title hints there is a good dose of blues on the recording.”
While Portman loves the blues and cites Hendrix, Robert Johnson, and Eric Bibb as influences, he is able to have some light hearted fun with the form as well.
“Inspiration comes at funny moments,” he says. “One of the blues tracks is a bit tongue in cheek. When flying back from Calcutta I had my electric guitar and was practising in the airport so I came up with the line ‘An electric guitar without an amplifier’, and the song just came from then on.”
On other tracks, the blues allows the artist the perfect vehicle to express more personal emotions.
“The title track was an idea that popped into my head as I was driving back home by Lough Corrib whilst in the middle of the recording process,” he says. “It’s a fishing blues song written with my dad in mind.”
The blues link to Portman’s music is reinforced by the fact he plays a Dobro guitar (think Dire Straits’ Brothers In Arms cover ), the steel guitar also favoured by Bukka White and Rory Gallagher.
However Portman is as at home in ‘world music’ as he is in the blues. He is an admirer of the African guitarists Ali Farke Toure and Pierre Bensusan. He also performs with the Galway based world music group The Bahh Band.
“On a number of tracks from Float Your Blues Away I’m joined by the wonderful singing of Gosia Kamieniecka who sings in The Bahh Band,” says Portman, “and Marcus Malloy on bass who joined The Bahh Band for the recent India tour and works with me on the Tom Portman Trio.”
Admission is €10. See www.tomportmanmusic.com
