by gffWillie
3. March 2011 23:48
Revered as “One of the most influential musicians of all time” (The Guardian) Bert Jansch has been recognised as a legendary innovator in guitar music. This quote from Johnny Marr elaborates on this more eloquently than anything I can say.
He completely re-invented guitar playing and set a standard that is still unequalled today...without Bert Jansch, rock music as it developed in the ‘60s and ‘70s would have been very different. You hear him in Nick Drake, Pete Townshend, Donovan, The Beatles, Jimmy Page and Neil Young. There are people playing guitar who don’t even realise they’ve been influenced by him one step removed.
Jansch has received numerous awards in recognition of his standing in the British music scene, as well as acknowledgement as a major influence from the likes of Dick Gaughan, Neil Young and Jimmy Page.
His playing style is strongly influenced by blues and British folk music, including Davey Graham , whose Anji he famously covers on his first and iconic album, Bert Jansch, released in 1965, which also includes the tracks Strolling Down the Highway and Needle of Death.
Bert Jansch’s career spans more than four decades and the past few years have seen him touring extensively both as a soloist and with Pentangle. His discography contains a lot of interesting material for the acoustic guitarist. Although much of his style is clawhammer based, the chordal embellishments and unconventional time signatures he uses add a unique character to his songs and interpretations. However on the more conventional side, his blues rendition of Come Back Baby is a masterpiece.
In upcoming posts I will be covering Anji and Come Back Baby, both of which I learned some decades ago, and hope to learn Blackwaterside. Any other suggestions or contributions are welcome.
Willie