Bert Jansch Dies At 67


Posted on Wednesday October 5, 2011 at 08:31 AM 3|

He was quiet, modest, uncomfortable in the spotlight – not looking for No. 1 hits or commercial ditties.

But when Bert Jansch picked up an acoustic guitar, people listened, often spellbound by his subtle innovation and mastery.

Jansch, who died of lung cancer Wednesday at the age of 67, was a virtuoso, hailed by the likes of Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, Canadian rocker Neil Young and Johnny Marr of the Smiths as a force to be reckoned with, and learned from.



He was at the center of the British folk revival of the late 1960s and early 1970s at a time when British music – led by the Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Who – dominated much of the pop world.

In an era of earsplitting supergroups like Cream, known for their volume and pounding drums, he was a founder of Pentangle, a nuanced, visionary mix of folk and jazz music that found a huge audience for its complex arrangements and stunning musicianship.

His solo career was bookended by the outstanding “Bert Jansch” album in 1965 – recorded on borrowed guitars – and the critically acclaimed “Black Swan” CD released in 2006.

Young, who earlier this year invited Jansch to open for him on an extended concert tour, said that Jansch created a new approach to the acoustic guitar much as Jimi Hendrix changed the sound of the electric guitar.

John Barrow, Jansch’s U.K. concert booking agent, said Jansch remained an influential figure even when his music was out of fashion.

“I’ve been his agent for just over 10 years and when I met him he was at a low ebb and not really getting the recognition he deserved,” Barrow said. “But it is a measure of the man that he had at that point continued playing in a pub in Carnaby Street in London. Even at that time Liam and Noel Gallagher from Oasis were turning up at that pub to listen to him.”

R.I.P. Bert.