Martin Curtis

The Sound of the Warning, The Plight of the Kea, A Tale of Two Keas, Kakapo, Silent Forest, Takahe, Davy Lowston, Mollymawk, Hoiho, Turn the Toxic Tide, Yellow and Blue, Rainforest, Wilderness

A new compilation album released in 2018 that replaces “Save the Wilderness” which has sold out. It includes 9 of the original tracks from “Save the Wilderness” plus 4 more recent tracks from other albums which are also songs about New Zealand’s birds and wildlife, bringing all the conservation songs together on one album. It includes a 12 page booklet with notes and wildlife photographs taken by Martin or his son Ross.

The Way the World Should Be, The Demon’s Mask, A Street in Kathmandu, Farewell to Namche Bazaar, Sir Ed, Little Girl of Bilju, Into Thin Air, Phurba Sherpa, Smoke from the Juniper

This compilation was put together in 2018 for Martin to take to the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan, where he regularly organises and leads trekking tours. It brings together all the songs he has written about this unique part of the world, encompassing Bhutan, Nepal, India, Sikkim and Tibet, as well as his tribute to Sir Edmund Hillary. Included are two new songs which are not available on any other album.

The Plight of the Kea, The Way the World Should Be, The Whole of Cardrona was Mine, The Sound of the Warning, Freedom of the Hills, The Hills of New Zealand, The Close Shave / The Gin & Raspberry Jig, Birriliburu People, Coventry, Mollymawk, Valley of the Chess, Song for New Zealand

This new release in 2017 is another collaboration between Martin Curtis and Graham Wardrop and is an album of almost entirely new material of songs about New Zealand and beyond. It was begun as long ago as 2010, so has been 7 years in production – due to some extent by the Christchurch earthquake destroying Graham Wardrop’s recording studio. We think it has been worth waiting for. It features 8 more of Martin’s original songs, including serious warnings about the decline of the kea and kiwi populations, a song about his beloved Himalayan country of Bhutan and closing with his “Song for New Zealand” which has already drawn favourable comments from those who have heard it. In addition it also includes a beautiful unrecorded song from the late Marcus Turner, Bob Bickerton’s tongue in cheek “The Close Shave” (made famous throughout the folk music world by Irish legend Andy Irvine) and a haunting instrumental “The Hills of New Zealand” composed by Joanie Madden of the USA based Celtic supergroup Cherish the Ladies.

DISC ONE:

 Jack’s Song, One Up Two Down, The Tarras Funeral, Holy Smoke, The Old Hearth Wall, The Ghosts of the Gorge, The Plight of the Kea, A Tale of Two Keas, Sir Ed

DISC TWO:

 McDougal Topped the Score, The Cry of the Kaka, Yellow and Blue, Ouch, Burning Rain, As Long as we Beat Australia, The Daisy Patch, The Ghosts of Okarito, The Old Songwriting Blues, Gin & Raspberry

Released in 2013, this album was recorded at a live concert in Canterbury in August 2013 and features Martin Curtis at his best, live in front of an enthusiastic audience. The concert was so successful that it couldn’t be edited down to a single CD, so this is a double album! It features many original songs, several humorous poems, lots of the inter-song patter, and includes 6 tracks where Martin is joined by close friend and internationally renowned NZ guitarist Graham Wardrop.

Master of the Crew, The Stars of Cardrona, Sir Ed, Ghosts of Okarito, Just Another Summit, Into Thin Air, As Long As We Beat Australia, The Ballad of Lawrence Frayne, Let The Waitaki Run Free, Black Matai, Takahe, The Ashes of Time, Just One More Chorus

This album of almost entirely new material was released in June 2008, and was five years in production.  It features seven of Martin’s original songs, including his tribute to Sir Edmund Hillary (Sir Ed), a song about his ancestor John Fryer who was ship’s master of the ill-fated “Bounty” and compositions about Okarito on the West Coast, Norfolk Island, and the endangered Takahe. It also includes his protest at the destruction of our braided rivers for power generation. This time Martin has also drawn on excellent material from other songwriters, including Paul Bond’s anthem “As Long as we beat Australia” and Peter Cape’s classic “Black Matai.” The album has been superbly engineered on digital equipment by guitarist Graham Wardrop, who also plays on several tracks. A nominated finalist for a Tui award as “Folk Album of the year 2008”.

A Climber’s Moon, The Last Munro, Cardrona River, Land of Ice and Fire, The Band Played Waltzing Matilda, Squadron 104, The Demon’s Mask, A Street in Kathmandu, Farewell to Namche Bazar, Avon Farewell, The Motorway Swagman, This England, Home From Home

A collection of songs about Martin's love of mountaineering and travel, it covers places as diverse as New Zealand, Tibet, Iceland, Scotland, Wales, England and Nepal. An interesting and heartening feature is that everyone seems to have different favourites on the album, but the title track, "A Climber's Moon", written about Martin's passion for climbing in the Southern Alps is attracting particular interest from audiences at concerts, regardless of whether or not they are mountaineers themselves. All the material is original with the exception of Eric Bogle's classic song about the Anzacs at Gallipoli. Recorded by and with Christchurch guitar virtuoso Graham Wardrop, with guest appearances by Bob Fox (UK) and Brian Maguire (NZ).

Sing a Kiwi Song, First to this Land, Gin & Raspberry, Weta Song, Kakapo, Tale of Two Keas, Hoiho, Ping Pong Song, Yellow and Blue, Phurba Sherpa, New Zealand my Home (Otago my Home)

Although initially produced as a resource kit for teachers, this album has surprised us in that several record shops are now stocking it in their children's section, as Mums, Dads, Grannies and Grandads are buying it as gifts. It was recorded live with children from schools in Blenheim and Wanaka, and presents the "serious" songs in a way that makes them popular with younger children. It also includes a few fun songs with a kiwi flavour. A Kiwi album for Kiwi kids - of all ages! Available with or without an accompanying songbook.

Gin & Raspberry, The Old Hearth Wall, The Cry of the Kaka, Cardrona Spring, One Up Two Down / The Mouse in the Oven, Sarah McPhee, The Daisy Patch, Back from the Hills, Jack's Song, The Last of the Oldtimers, The Tarras Funeral, Stop the River, The End of the Rainbow, Farewell to the Gold, Otago My Home

This compilation album was produced to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Otago, and was the first time any of the popular material from Martin’s first three albums was available on CD. It includes Martin’s own “Gin & Raspberry” which has become a folk standard around the world, his tribute to the New Zealanders at Gallipoli (“The Daisy Patch”) and the song "Otago My Home" written especially for the celebrations in 1998. A tremendous collection of music about New Zealand, from the early days of the goldminers to the issues of today, it has proved extremely successful since its release. Digitally remastered by Geoff Cavender Studios in Christchurch.

By the Dry Cardrona, Gin & Raspberry, The Hills of Cardrona, Jacks Song, McDougall Topped the Score, Cardrona Spring, The Old Hearth Wall, Bill Charlie's Secret, Said Hanrahan, Farewell to the Gold, Sarah McPhee, One Up Two Down / The Mouse in the Oven, Ghosts of the Gorge

This compilation album was put together to commemorate the 1996 Otago Goldfields Heritage Cavalcade coming to the settlement of Cardrona as the host town, and is proving popular with tourists to the region. This collection brings together all of the songs and stories of the Cardrona and Upper Clutha areas, from the early days of the Goldrush right through to the flooding of the Cromwell Gorge - a unique musical souvenir of the magical dry heart of New Zealand’s South Island.

(CD's sold out, only Cassettes left)

Kakapo, Silent Forest, Tale of Two Keas, Shining River, Burning Rain, Flatulence Calypso, Ghosts of the Gorge, Davy Lowston, Song of the Whale, Hoiho, Turn the Toxic Tide, Yellow and Blue, Kaherehere / Rainforest, Wilderness

This theme album mirrors Martin's interest and concern for the unique wildlife, bush, mountains and shoreline of New Zealand, and has been welcomed by organisations such as Forest and Bird, WWF and the Department of Conservation, who are stocking it in some of their National Park Field Centres. Many of the songs were written by Martin whilst out in the bush, and the album also includes three great songs by long time friend Eric Bogle, one of the world’s most acclaimed contemporary songwriters. All the items are new recordings and feature some more contemporary arrangements, with superb guitar work from Graham Wardrop and a folk rock sound on several tracks. Of Martin's own material, the song "Yellow and Blue" about the saving of the Chatham Island Black Robin, has created particular interest among the listening public, whilst the humorous poem about two keas on a hut roof is a great favourite on National Radio.

Note that CD’s of “Save the Wilderness” are sold out and only Cassettes remain. Nine of the tracks from this album have been re-released on a new compilation CD “The Sound of the Warning”.

The Cry of the Kaka, Land of Ice and Fire, One Up Two Down / The Mouse in the Oven, Avon Farewell, The Daisy Patch, Burning Rain, The Last of the Old Timers, The Tarras Funeral, The End of the Rainbow, Home From Home

This is the first time this 1990 album has been available on CD. All of the songs have since been included on other albums released by Martin, with some of them being re-mixed or re-recorded. However this album features the original recordings of these 10 songs, all of which were written by Martin, and which was a finalist in the “Folk Album of the Year” category of the New Zealand Music Awards.  This was the first time Martin had worked with New Zealand’s stella guitarist Graham Wardrop, a partnership which has now lasted 25 years and 5 further albums. The album also includes stunning accompaniment by multi-instrumentalist Davy Stuart and superb vocals by singer Denny Stanway. The song The Daisy Patch was inspired by the writings of author Maurice Shadbolt in his book “Voices of Gallipoli” and we thought it appropriate that it should be re-released in the year of the centenary of the landings on the Turkish peninsula in 1915.

Gin & Raspberry, Now I'm Easy, Said Hanrahan, The Old Hearth Wall, Song of the Whale, Stop the River, Farewell to the Gold, Talking Dog, Jack's Song, By the Dry Cardrona, The Swagman / Dennis Murphy's Polka / John Ryan's Polka

Martin’s first album, recorded with the help of musicians Paul Hutchins and Eric McEachen, has become a classic in New Zealand folk music, and is reputedly still the country's top selling folk album. It contains several songs about the Otago goldfields and life in Central Otago, and includes Martin's own "Gin & Raspberry", which has now been recorded by musicians in Australia, USA, Canada and Britain. Also includes material by James K. Baxter, Paul Metsers, and two Eric Bogle classics. Available on CD (digitally remastered in 2013), and Vinyl.

The Old Hearth Wall, Gin & Raspberry, Sarah McPhee, The Daisy Patch, The Cry of the Kaka, Cardrona River, One Up Two Down / The Mouse in the Oven, Squadron 104, Ghosts of the Gorge, A Climber's Moon, Otago My Home, Snowgrass

Many of Martin Curtis's songs paint a picture in words of life in the beautiful part of New Zealand in which he lives. His songs about the miners, the settlers and the history of Otago are influenced by the mountains, the forests and the wide open tussock country of the foothills of the Southern Alps. Because of the visual connection between his songs and the surroundings, Martin first thought of making a video over ten years ago, but it took a long while to find a filmmaker who shared his enthusiasm for the songs and the places that inspired them.

 After 4 years in production, his latest project "Otago My Home" has been released in conjunction with Mike Balk of the The Photographers studio in Wanaka. Mike spent many hundreds of hours filming and editing the video and searching out archive material to include with his own footage. The video is in full stereo sound and includes 11 of Martin's songs, all filmed on location in various parts of the scenic Upper Clutha area. Songs such as "Gin & Raspberry", "One Up Two Down" and "Cardrona River" were obviously filmed close to home, but the pair travelled much further afield to provide the correct backdrop for songs such as "The Cry of the Kaka" (the alpine Matukituki valley), "Ghosts of the Gorge" (The Cromwell gorge) and "The Old Hearth Wall" (the old gold mining town of Bendigo). To film "A Climber's Moon," Martin and Mike had to carry all the camera equipment up the Rob Roy stream in the Mount Aspiring National Park, in order to shoot the footage in the spectacular surroundings of the hanging Rob Roy Glacier.

 The live filming has also been supplemented with additional historical footage of the early days of New Zealand - not only of the gold miners and settlers, but also authentic war sequences and photographs in Martin's song about the Anzacs ("The Daisy Patch") and in his composition about his father in the Royal Air Force in war-torn Italy (“Squadron 104.”)

 Some of the visual sequences are quite stunning, filmed as they are in arguably the most beautiful part of New Zealand. Many purchasers of the video have telephoned and emailed us to say how much they have enjoyed it. For ex-pats overseas, it is a tremendous souvenir of home, and copies have already gone to the UK, Australia, USA, the Czech Republic, Bolivia, Austria and Finland to name but a few countries. It makes a real kiwi Christmas present for friends and family overseas, or even at home for that matter.