Too Late the Guitar Hero

I first became aware of the name, Bert Jansch, from listening to the early Donovan records. In fact, Donovan titled one of his songs, "House of Jansch."

Jansch had a huge influence on Donovan's guitar playing and while American critics were dismissive of the latter as a British Dylan clone, he was actually a disciple of the Bert Jansch/Davy Graham school that combined traditional British folk styles with eastern modalities and chord structures.

For decades now, Bert Jansch has been one of my favorite musicians. I became familiar with his work in the early 1970s, about the same time I had discovered other British folk acts such as Fairport Convention, (which, at that time, included guitarist extraordinaire Richard Thompson and probably the greatest singer England has ever produced, Sandy Denny), Pentangle (which included Jansch and another guitar phenomenon, John Renbourn), and the Incredible String Band.

Over the years, I have had an opportunity to see most of the great British folk guitarists when they toured the Midwest: Donovan, Richard Thompson, John Martyn, Ralph McTell, and John Renbourn. But for some reason, Bert Jansch has been elusive. Either I have been out of town on the date of the show or there has been some other obstacle impeding the opportunity.

Well, Bert Jansch is in town again tonight to headline the Friday night portion of a three-day music festival at the Empty Bottle here in Chicago. He is currently touring in support of his new album, The Black Swan, which has been garnering rave reviews, and showcases a supporting cast that includes longtime admirers Beth Orton and Devendra Banhart.

[Speaking of admirers, Bert performed a duet last month with Neil Young at Neil and Pegi's s annual Bridge Benefit Concert. Neil Young has long been one of Bert Jansch's most vocal supporters, citing his influence on his own guitar playing on many occasions.]

Unfortunately, Bert isn't slated to perform until after midnight. And there are two supporting acts prior to his set that I am sure are just fine, but I really don't want to wait through two sets to see a headliner perform after midnight. Am I getting old or what?

Maybe next time...

I guess I will listening to the latest Luka Bloom album (see November 16 post) instead.


Photo courtesy: www.BertJansch.com