Clive Carroll describes John Renbourn as a true pioneer, an ever-questing spirit who continues to inspire – on his well-filled double album, ‘The Abbot’, he’s an ideal conduit for John’s spirit.
Watch the mighty Pentangle performing ‘Blues In Time’, recorded in January 1971 by the BBC. Jacqui McShee sits out this one, leaving Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, Danny Thompson and Terry Cox to work their instrumental magic.
Jacqui McShee has shared an exclusive recording made on 23rd January 1974 at Grenoble University in France of her performance with the late John Renbourn. Listen in full here.
Recorded on St Valentine’s day 1978, there is much to love here – John Renbourn’s earthy charm, Jacqui McShee’s cut-glass clear and peerless vocals and Keshav Sathe’s superb tabla – a band at the peak of their powers.
Watch Pentangle in their original lineup performing ‘People on the Highway’ live on Belgian TV from 1972. The track featured on their final release ‘Solomon’s Seal’.
Throughout “An Evening With…” I’m struck over and again by the sheer wow factor, the spine-tingling effectiveness of this particular extraordinary musical partnership of John Renbourn & Jacqui McShee. However many albums you own by these two musicians, you’ll still need this one!
Listen to the late John Renbourn performing The Cuckoo and Banks of the Sweet Primroses on a hot night in a Kyoto coffee house from 1978. From Live in Kyoto 1978, out on June 22 via Drag City.
Earth Recordings have shared an unreleased Bert Jansch track with John Renbourn. The untitled instrumental (also our Tune of the Day) features on the forthcoming release Living In the Shadows, a release which covers one of the most prolific periods of Jansch’s life.
Recorded during Pentangle’s twelve-date 2008 reunion tour, Finale is a magnificent record in all respects. Treasure this set, for we’ll not see the like of Pentangle again. Out this week on Topic Records.
This month at Cecil Sharp House there is a very special Tribute Concert to John Renbourn that will include Ben Watt and Bernard Butler, Clive Carroll, Dariush Kanani, Graham Coxon, Jacqui McShee, Josienne Clark and Ben Walker, Ralph McTell, Rob Armstrong, Wizz Jones and more.
FINALE was recorded live during the 2008 Pentangle tour and sees the original line-up revisit their classic repertoire. The beautifully recorded and packaged 2CD set captures the band in a series of scintillating performances.
For anyone with even a passing interest in the music of John Renbourn, The Attic Tapes is an essential and absorbing collection which offers a remarkable insight into the roots of one of Britain’s greatest guitarists and songwriters.
