Pentangle.

[Affair on Touhy Ave.]

Anyone know of this folk group?

[Doug]

I remember the name but couldn't remember any of their songs.

There's a decent number of tracks of theirs at the iTunes store.

[New 12 String Mike]

Yes, I do. They were a very popular group from GB in the late 60's-70's. The mixed traditional folk, blues, jazz, etc. into a very eccletic sound.

Lead guitarist, John Renbourn is remarkable and the other guitarist, Bert Jansch is hardly a slouch. The music includes wonderful vocals by Jacqui McShee and many instrumentals.

Try them.

[Cathy]

I've heard of them, but have to admit, I have none of their music.

[Auburn Annie]

Golly, I'll have to thumb through my collection but I think I have their "Solomon's Seal" album.

[johnfowles]

Originally posted by Affair on Touhy Ave.:
Anyone know of this folk group?

Of course I heard Pentangle
in the UK. but my mind I particularly remembered their beautifully voiced lead singer Jacqui McShee
but the funny thing is I immediately said to myself Annie Haslam who turns out to be another lead singer again with a beautiful voice but she was with a somewhat similarly inspired and contemporary group called "Renaisance"
whose best known hit was probably the wonderful "Northern Lights"
from
Jacqui McShee's Pentangle
"The Pentangle was one of the three principal groups that established the English folk-rock sound that still attracts fans to this day. Probably best-known of the three was Fairport Convention, which was founded by Richard Thompson, and featured as their lead vocalist the late Sandy Denny. The other was Steeleye Span, whose singer was Maddy Prior, and was perhaps the most electric of the three."
and
"The Pentangle was perhaps the least-known in this country, though the most eclectic of the three"
notice the clever juxtaposition there of "electric" and "eclectic"

and I am not alone in comparing Jacqui and Annie as on
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Cafe/1...r/pentangl.htm
I read
"Jacqui McShee is my favorite woman singer, only compared with Joan Baez and Annie Haslan (sic)"

[Janice]

Oh how ironic to read this yesterday afternoon and conclude that I had not heard of Pentangle before - only to find several hours later, that we've booked John Renbourn to play a solo show for our concert series (July 15). It's like cue the Twilight Zone music.

I find it so bizarre that my Corfid pals often mention performers who have played for us or who end up playing for us.

BTW, John, the current configuration of Fairport Convention will also be here in July - they are touring the US as an acoustic trio, with original member Simon Nicol. I don't know if you're familiar with the group The Syn - whose founder, Chris Squire went on to form the classic rock band, Yes - but they (The Syn) played for us last month.

Another British group who apparently set the stage for others to follow has played for us twice in the last 18 months in their acoustic configuration - The Strawbs, including founder Dave Cousins and long-time band members Dave Lambert and Chas Cronk. They are joined by a few others for an electric configuration that also tours regularly.

There have also been American performers mentioned at Corfid who have played for us, as well as one Canadian of note (and no, unfortunately I don't mean Lightfoot )but I won't go into those since the discussion is British groups.

As I said, I just find it all very ironic.

[johnfowles]

Originally posted by Janice:

Another British group who apparently set the stage for others to follow has played for us twice in the last 18 months in their acoustic configuration - The Strawbs, including founder Dave Cousins and long-time band members Dave Lambert and Chas Cronk. They are joined by a few others for an electric configuration that also tours regularly.

Yes I seem vaguely to recall attending a Strawbs concert in the UK in the early 80's and somewhere I still have a cassette of their greatest hits

And another funny thing Janice
I am fairly sure that you once mentioned Al Stewart here possibly in connection with him being one of your guests at your emporium
I searched the forums here but all I found by you was a reference to his kinsman (badrat) John. I mention Al because on the way back from a routine hospital visit on Monday to New Brunswick (NJ-not Jessi-Joe country) we were passing through the town of Metuchen not 6 miles south of our home and out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of a poster for Al Stewart (who was once a resident of Bournemouth England 7 miles south of my parents home from 1949 to 1976). I quickly looked him up on the internet and found that he is appearing om Tuesday 2 May at the Metuchen Forum Theater
http://www.alstewart.com/news/concerts.htm
tix are on sale (at only $18.00 each)
from ticketmania at:-
http://www.theatermania.com/content/...fm/show/120239
I tried to see what tix were left but that selling organisation stupidly fails to tell you the actual ticket numbers (if you try to order on line)
I phoned and they could not tell me so I had to phone the theatre box office
OK current best seats are in row Q in the centre or row P on one side. Now when I mentioned this concert to Susan, although she remembered "Year of the Cat" she did not seem very enthusiastic.
But I still love "Time Passages" and find that I have the vinyl here albeit unplayed for many a year

I have looked at the glowing reports on Al at:-
http://www.corfid.com/ubb/ultimatebb...=000633#000000
especially by David in Sweden so I must try to get Susan to read them.
but Janice did you ever have Al to your place ?

and
Sheryl did you get to see Al at McC-G-abes or not last July and if so how was it?
that Al Stewart topic got hijacked by Tyson fans (no Ian not Mike!)
John Fowles
And Janice I keep meaning to ask you this.
In the video that you were making of last May's Delta Chelsea jam session did you by chance capture anything of Ron Jones' remarkable "Face of a Thousand People" rendition, even if only audio?

[Cathy]

I have an Al Stewart folder on my computer and play his music quite often. I think he's pretty close to being a musical genius.

[DJ in MJ]

Sir John - Anytime Susan wants to pm me on the high praises of Al, she is more than welcome! For a good thirty years, Al and Gord have been an alternating one-two on my Top Two list. I will happily sing the praises of both gentleman!

Janice - No worries about blowing the name Pentangle. I hadn't heard of them either, but then when 12 String Mike mentioned Renbourn and Bert Jansch, my old brain finally clicked on (albeit on a very low light! :D )

In fact, Al Stewart did a cover of Bert's "Soho", and this appears on Al's "Down In The Cellar" CD from year 2000. This, however, is not to be confused with Al's very own "Soho (Needless To Say)", which appears on the 1973 album "Past, Present, And Future".

One more thing. I was going to post the Al connection earlier today, as I had read the first 4 or 5 posts early this morning. But I got sidetracked, and now when I come back here, the great Sir John has beat me to it, in his own roundabout and unique fashion of course!

[DJ in MJ]

Originally posted by Cathy:
I have an Al Stewart folder on my computer and play his music quite often. I think he's pretty close to being a musical genius.

He IS a musical genius.

His lyrics are one of a kind and his guitar work on his solo shows is jaw-dropping.

[DJ in MJ]

Thanks for the confirmation, Sue.

Considering I like both Jansch and Renbourn, it should be a safe bet to buy, but as I am ever cautious I am searching for some snippets or samples first!

[ELizabeth]

Isn't Bert Jansch dead. If not someone should notify Sylvia Tyson at once. She wrote a heartbreaking song about his death and funeral. Can't recall the name of the song. Sorry.

[johnfowles]

Originally posted by ELizabeth:
Isn't Bert Jansch dead.

No ELizabeth.
On his official site
http://www.bertjansch.com/
there is indeed a link serendipitously entitled "Live Info" that takes you to:-
http://www.bertjansch.com/live.html
listing many gigs in the near future in the UK and Ireland plus those for 2003 thru 2005
it does say though that:
"gigs were due to resume in the later part of the year (actually 2005) starting with the Edinburgh Festival. However that tour had to be postponed, as Bert had to undergo heart surgery. He is now recovered"
and here is a 2003 photograph of interest to this topic's subject(see the lady on the extreme right

l-r) Johnny Hodge, Ralph McTell, Bert, Johnny Marr, Bernard Butler,
Jacqui McShee - BBC Special October 2003
Talking of folk groups as we are reminds me to report that we have tickets for the
concert a week tomorrow (28th) at the State Theater in New Brunswick (New Jersey)
by Peter, Paul & Mary

still from a video of PP and M beautifully singing "Early Morning Rain"
plus naturally we invested in tix for Gord's August 3 concert at the same venue
Woo Hoo!!!
John Fowles

[Auburn Annie]

Yep - from his site: New gigs!

Bert is fit and well again and is back on the road in April and May. The new dates are finally up on the live info page. He is playing various places in England through April and heading over to Ireland in the first half of May. Then Bert will play at All Tomorrow's Parties (the Devendra Banhart curated day) at Camber Sands on May 14.

[DJ in MJ]

I've heard nothing of his passing at all, and I do try to keep up with the British folk scene (Al, Ralph McTell, Richard and Linda Thompson etc...)

I find it interesting that the same bunch who did gigs and radio shows together almost 30 years ago, are pretty much the same ones appearing with each other today too.

Those folkies are suvivors!

[ELizabeth]

Oops! It must have the case that Bert Jansch wrote a song about a drug users death and funeral and Sylvia sang it(beautifully)and I assumed BJ was gone. Glad it's not so.

[Auburn Annie]

What about the late great JIM CROCE, now theres a poet who I can listen ti his music for hours. Gone way to early , a lot of bottled up talent in Jim Croce>> Lovers Cross, OPERATOR.\\\\\\\\

JUST BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

_________________________________________________

Agreed. He's the one singer-songwriter whose death has always had me wondering about what might have been. Taken way too soon.

[Cathy]

Originally posted by Jessi -Joe:
Al Stewart " YEAR OF THE CAT" CATHY your right very close to a Genis songwriter.

What about the late great JIM CROCE, now theres a poet who I can listen ti his music for hours. Gone way to early , a lot of bottled up talent in Jim Croce>> Lovers Cross, OPERATOR.\\\\\\\\

JUST BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Croce is right up there in my top five favorites.
Do you have high speed Internet and an e-mail address?

[Janice]

John: No, Al Stewart has not played for our series. I never really followed his career, but I do like a number of songs that I've heard - "Time Passages" and "Year Of The Cat" being two of them. I hope you can talk Susan into going. I'd love to see him, myself. For some reason I was thinking that Sheryl was going to see John, not Al, at McCabe's last summer, but I could be wrong and await clarification from her.

As for the 2005 Massey Jam Session, I still have not come across those tapes in the many boxes I'm trying to go through and unpack. As you may remember, I wasn't able to stick around for the entire jam session since I had to go pick up a special birthday cake and other party supplies. When I left, I just turned on the recorder with a fresh tape and got whatever was played in the 80 minutes that followed. I have no clue if Ron arrived before the tape ran out or not. I have a lot going on right now with concerts and job hunting, but will continue my search for the tapes and my hope is to have an answer for you soon. (I'll make a copy for you either way)

David: the sad thing is that I not only didn't know the name Pentangle, but I didn't know the guitarists names either. I just thought it was ironic that I read about them here and within a few hours my partner sent me an email letting me know that he had just booked Renbourn. If I hadn't read about him here, I would have had no idea who he was when I received that email. Thanks to you guys, I was able to tell Carey, "Sure I know who he is! He founded Pentangle and is a highly regarded guitarist." :D

[geodeticman]

John Renbourn had a great instrumental album around '78 named ( get this John..) "Sir John a Lot of" or, it may have been contracted as: "Sir John Alotof". I still have it lost somewhere in the garage

It had a Medieval etching image on the album front of a Knight in full armor, holding a sword as I recall. It has some interesting guitar work on it that one might expect to hear somewhere at a Renaissance festival. Captivating and full of imagery; Arthurian dreams.

This album, and GL's Don Quixote were the tighly clutched pair of albums a friend of mine listened to at Purdue that was quite a Renaissance man. He was one of the most eggregious womanizers I knew at an age when I thought that was cool, too.

As a lifelong friend of his, it is interesting to note that when he finally settled on a very wonderful lady named Ivy, he proposed to her; she declined, citing his hedonistic lifestyle.

He went home, listened to both albums (Renbourn's and DQ), thought a long while, and decided to pursue theology and, ultimately, is now Father Sergius at the Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Massachusets. He is resident iconographer and metals/ceramics maker of crosses, etc.

He has been there for almost 23 years now, and when he and I speak sometimes of our carousing youth when we did not really respect women yet, he remembers very well that day playing Don Quixote and pondering Cervantes, and Gord's lyrics, it was his epiphone on life (for him). Watched him go through it all.

Amazing how Gord's musical tapestry weaves its way into the lives of thoughtful listeners who REALLY listen to his lyrics. Can be life changing at times. Certainly has seen me through a lot.

Sorry for the non-sequitor from Renbourn's great album; but the memory it brought back for me was ( I hope ) of interest to some of you because of the DQ tie-in.

Gord's music has been there at so many points in my life, and I know from reading of so many of yours as well.

I wonder what Renbourn and Gord would think if they knew that their work had a part in leading a (rather excessive) loverman into a monastic life full of philosophy, quiet contemplation, and hard work. My friend is also responsible for the extensive gardens on the Russian Orthodox Monastery's grounds.

An anecdote I hope of interest.
- geo Steve
Geo Steve

With reference to the very wonderful Al Stewart, somebody I have to see when hauls up to my neck of the woods. If you are near Chicago on 19th May, check him out. He has Laurence Juber with him on the gig. Laurence appears on Al's latest CD 'A Beach Full Of Shells' as producer and guitarist, an excellent fingerstyle guitarist. This will be an superb show.

Laurence was once Paul McCartney's lead guitarist in Paul's Wings days. So he has impeccable credentials.. I wish I could be there.
They will be at the Old Town School of Folk Music
http://www.oldtownschool.org/

Sorry about the silly minor typos in the above. The price one pays for not registering. Hopefully it can be understood.

[johnfowles]

Originally posted by Janice:

For some reason I was thinking that Sheryl was going to see John, not Al, at McCabe's last summer, but I could be wrong and await clarification from her.

Janice
when you said "see John"
did you mean John Stewart or John Renbourne??
Sheryl actually posted on:-
http://www.corfid.com/ubb/ultimatebb...=000633#000000
"My husband (Gabe) just called from work. He was on the 'net and found out that Al Stewart is playing at a small guitar shop
in Santa Monica (McCabe's) next month, so we're going to try to get tickets "
I am still wondering If Sheryl and Gabe got to that concert or not and if so how was it???

Originally posted by Janice also:


David: the sad thing is that I not only didn't know the name Pentangle, but I didn't know the guitarists names either. I just thought it was ironic that I read about them here and within a few hours my partner sent me an email letting me know that he had just booked Renbourn. If I hadn't read about him here, I would have had no idea who he was when I received that email. Thanks to you guys, I was able to tell Carey, "Sure I know who he is! He founded Pentangle and is a highly regarded guitarist." :D

that is such a weird coincidence Janice
John Fowles

[Janice]

Originally posted by johnfowles:
when you said "see John"
did you mean John Stewart or John Renbourne??
Sheryl actually posted on:-
http://www.corfid.com/ubb/ultimatebb...=000633#000000
"My husband (Gabe) just called from work. He was on the 'net and found out that Al Stewart is playing at a small guitar shop
in Santa Monica (McCabe's) next month, so we're going to try to get tickets "

I meant John Stewart, but see by your elaboration that I was mistaken about who Sheryl was going to see.

Originally posted by John also:
that is such a weird coincidence Janice
John Fowles

Even more freaky is that this was not the first time it's happened. Plus the opposit has happened where we will have booked or hosted a performer and their name will crop up here in some context or another, out of the blue.