Pentangle is one of my favorite bands. They mix traditional
northern folk songs with jazz and blues, and it sounds just right and perfect. Jacqui
McShee is my favorite woman singer, only compared with Joan Baez and Annie Haslan, but she
owns the sweetest voice, truly a gift from the heavens. And all that lucky guys around her
are all virtuosi and imaginative musicians, who do not shame their fabulous singer.
Pentangle's old albuns are one of my highest recommendations. Listening to then is like to
listen to a celtic bard playing a jazz tune in a guitar in King Arthur's court...
ACS.
|
 ere Pentangle a
folk group, a folk-rock group, or something that resists classification? They could hardly
be called a rock & roll act; they didn't use electric instruments often, and were
built around two virtuoso guitarists, Bert Jansch and John Renbourn, who were already
well-established on the folk circuit before the group formed. Yet their hunger for
eclectic experimentation fit into the milieu of late-'60s progressive rock and psychedelia
well, and much of their audience came from the rock and pop worlds, rather than the folk
crowd. With Jacqui McShee on vocals and a rhythm section of Danny Thompson (bass) and
Terry Cox (drums), the group mastered a breathtaking repertoire that encompassed
traditional ballads, blues, jazz, pop, and reworkings of rock oldies, often blending
different genres in the same piece. Their prodigious individual talents perhaps ensured a
brief lifespan, but at their peak they melded their distinct and immense skills to egg
each other on to heights they couldn't have achieved on their own, in the manner of great
rock combos like the Beatles and Buffalo Springfield.
When Pentangle formed around late 1966 or early 1967 (accounts vary), Jansch and
Renbourn had already recorded one album together (Bert and John), and done some solo
recordings as well. Jansch was more inclined toward blues and contemporary songwriting
than Renbourn, who was stronger in traditional British folk music. Jacqui McShee, whose
bell-clear, high singing set the standard (along with Sandy Denny) for female British
folk-rock vocals, began rehearsing with the pair. After a false start with a forgotten
rhythm section, Thompson and Cox -- who had been working with Alexis Korner -- were
brought in to complete the quintet.
Pentangle's first three albums -- The Pentangle (1968), the double LP Sweet Child
(1968), and Basket of Light (1969) -- are not only their best efforts, but arguably their
only truly essential ones. With Shel Talmy acting as producer, the band rarely took a
misstep in its mastery of diverse styles and material. Thompson and Cox gave even the
traditional folk ballads a jazz swing and verve; the guitar interplay of Jansch (who was
also a capable singer) and Renbourn was downright thrilling, each complementing and
enhancing the other without showing off or getting in each other's way. McShee's beautiful
vocals, though not as emotionally resonant as her close counterpart Sandy Denny, were an
underappreciated component to the band's success with the pop audience.
And Pentangle were very popular for a time, at least in England, where Basket of Light
made number five, and "Light Flight" was a small hit single. They introduced
some electric guitars on their early-'70s albums, which generally suffered from weaker
material and a less unified group effort. The original lineup broke up in 1973; Jansch and
Renbourn (who had never really abandoned their solo careers) continued to record often as
soloists, and remained top attractions on the folk circuit. Thompson joined John Martyn
for a while, and has remained active as a session musician, in addition to recording some
work of his own for the Hannibal label. The original group reunited for the reasonably
accomplished Open the Door album in the early '80s, and other versions of the group
recorded and toured throughout the '80s and '90s, usually featuring McShee and Jansch as
the sole remaining original members.
-- Richie Unterberger |
 This site is best viewed in 1024x768 pixels, but I think that
it will run fine in 800x600. High Color recomendable.
Please, send me you comments,
critics and sugestions.
thantalas@geocities.com
|
Pentangle 