How Many Clouds Can You See? a strange mixture of everything from free improvisation to calypso, his second date, 1970's "How Many Clouds Can You See?", is a much more focused affair. Surman clearly references one of his roots, John Coltrane, albeit on an instrument that the legendary saxophonist never played. All compositions by John Surman except where noted. How Many Clouds Can You See? How Many Clouds Can You See? is the second album by English saxophonist John Surman featuring Harry Beckett, Alan Skidmore, Barre Phillips and Tony Oxley recorded in 1970 and released on the Deram label. Allmusic awards the album 4 and a
Irish bouzouki was introduced into Irish traditional music in the mid-1960s by Johnny Moynihan of the popular folk group Sweeney's Men. During the recording of their 1968 eponymous album, "Sweeney's Men", Andy Irvine also played Moynihan's bouzouki on the track "Johnston". Shortly after he returned from Eastern Europe in late 1969, Irvine met Dónal Lunny – who had been playing guitar up to that point – and gave him a Greek bouzouki he had brought back from his travels. Being left-handed, Lunny reversed the strings and critically, replaced the octave strings with unison strings, thus fundamentally changing the character of the instrument.