My hero Bert Jansch would have been 80 this week, I would like to post my tribute song to him. I hope fans will be joining the celebration of his life and work at the South Bank tomorrow!
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We’ll be there. We have a big day in the smoke lined up with a visit to the new viewing platform on the 55th floor of 22 Bishopsgate, a play in the West End in the afternoon and then the Bert Jansch tribute in the evening. If we’re really lucky we’ll find time to eat at some point as well.
Great stuff, Tripster – a dash of Dicky Thompo in the vocal style there. I was involved in some filming with Ralph McTell earlier today, in Belfast. I brought a hip flask. Afterwards, we raised a glass to Bert. 🥂
Here’s my homage from 2019.
Insouciant, quicksilver. Just like Bert. Like it a lot!
Heading south right now, looking forward to the gig.
Are you, erm, driving? @thecheshirecat
I think we were on the Up Fast pulling into Nuneaton as I was posting.
I’ve looked that up. Next time I heave on to Euston I will talk knowledgeably.
So what’s the verdict from others lucky enough to be at the Royal Festival Hall last night? We thought the first half was better than the second, though the standard throughout was excellent, and it was amazing that in 3 hours with almost 30 musicians there was only one obvious technical SNAFU when James Yorkston’s guitar didn’t feed through the PA for half a song.
Our highlights were Martin Stephenson, Robert Plant’s first half songs, Kathryn Williams with Bernard Butler and Sarathy Korwar (who knew that what the world needed was jazz/raga fusion versions of the instrumentals from Avocet?) A terrific night out all round.
You mean Martin Simpson? His 90s instrumental albums are stunning – sadly, only ‘Cool And Unusual’ is easily available these days.
Here’s Wizz Jones singing Bert’s ‘Moonshine’ last week. I doubt Wizz was asked to the birthday show, which seems a shame if so.
I do indeed – no Daintees involved.
Martin Simpson’s “A Closer Walk with Thee” album from 1994 is simply incredible. Five stars.
Martin Simpson is having the time of his 60s(70s?), what with solo shows, gigs like this, all manner of collabs and recordings, rounded off by his late emergence as an electric axe warrior, with Magpie Arc. Always looks benignly amused by his luck to be doing this for money.
Definitely a good night out. The format worked well of having a brace of contributions from each collaboration; it gave the evening a pace and sense of travel, narrative even. Yes, those interpretations of Avocet were revelatory. Other high points for me included the contributions from Martin Simpson, from Robert’s banjo player and absolutely anything touched by Bernard Butler. I was never a fan of Brett Anderson’s voice, so, while I have always known of Butler, I have never been a consumer. As far as I was concerned, he was the star of the show.
On the other hand, Sam Lee seemed to be ill-served by his mic, which is a shame as during the slightly-less-than-rousing finale, it struck me that his voice was well suited to singing Bert. Minor quibbling; it was grand.
I thought Sam’s start to the second half, singing Blackwaterside a Capella and in darkness without introduction, was meant to be a spine-chilling, hear a pin drop moment, but it didn’t quite work when so many people were still coming back from the bars and loos. The finale was always likely to be a bit of a mess with so many on stage, but it was a very good natured finale.