Bert Jansch not a uilleann piper, but nonetheless a giant among musicians and the English folk scene, has passed away today . Bert was an enormous influence on me as a guitarist and singer back in the day when I played guitar. We’d hitch hike down to London at the weekends to visit “Les Cousins” an all-night folk club where musicians such as Bert, John Martyn, Jo Ann Kelly, John Renbourne, Keith Christmas, Sam Mitchell, Mike Chapman, Duffy Power etc. would play.
Here’s Bert playing Reynardine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmVA7BHsF1I&feature=related
Very sad news indeed. Bert was an incredible musician. I saw him play here in Toronto once. I still have all his albums, solo and with Pentangle. I was probably looking for new Bert Jansch records when I stumbled upon the first Irish trad and uilleann pipes recordings I ever heard, way back in the '70s.
Never heard of him until about three months ago when he played support to Joanna Newsom in Marlay park, Dublin. So sad to think he was battling lung cancer while singing to us. The gig was great and I have since become a fan, and talking to my wifes uncle who also used to frequent les cousins in the sixties I now realise how important he was, great to have seen him.
. Bert was an enormous influence on me as a guitarist and singer back in the day when I played guitar. We’d hitch hike down to London at the weekends to visit “Les Cousins” an all-night folk club where musicians such as Bert, John Martyn, Jo Ann Kelly, John Renbourne, Keith Christmas, Sam Mitchell, Mike Chapman, Duffy Power etc. would play.