Nick Drake at Age 75

 

 

"I’m especially intrigued by a friend’s recollection that he listened to bossa nova, and was especially fond of Stan Getz’s “Desafinado”—because even before I learned this fact, Drake always reminded me of João Gilberto, the great Brazilian singer who introduced that song back in 1959.

Like Gilberto, Drake had a paradoxical power to touch the emotions of the audience even when it sounded as if he were singing just for himself. Both had soft, almost whispery voices, and every syllable seems infused with private meaning. I’m told that Nick Drake rarely spoke between songs and looked down at the ground when he played in public—which is exactly what Gilberto did when I saw him in concert. The audience almost feels like it is intruding on a private moment, although it’s taking place on a stage under bright lights and surrounded by rapt listeners."

READ ARTICLE BY TED GIOIA