Posted in: Guitar by Gerry Bern on October 7th, 2011 | 0 Comments
Bert Jansch, the highly influential Scottish guitarist/singer/songwriter has passed away after a two-year battle with lung cancer.
Bert Jansch was a rarity in music; a much loved and popular musician who actually earned the title legend and fully deserves it.
Image via Wikipedia
Although Jansch has always been described as a ‘folk musician’ by writers, the music industry and the media, he is one of those genre-transcending musicians whose output can be heard as an outright denial of such simple classification.
There is no denying that Bert Jansch has a deep affinity with Scottish and English folk music; he developed the foundations of his craft immersed in tradition. But like many of his generation it was the Blues – in particular the guitar style of Big Bill Broonzy – that inspired him to pick up a guitar in the first place. The legacy of blues, jazz and music in general is just as audible as that labelled folk throughout his career.
Listen to Bert Jansch, call his music folk if you like – but it would sound the same by any other name.
Image via Wikipedia
Of course, the tendency these days is to call anyone who masters an acoustic instrument and performs songs using their native accent a ‘folk’ musician. Characteristically humble, Bert Jansch remained untouched and not bothered about the critical acclaim with which his talents were lauded, and simplistic labels would have added to his sense of alienation.
Quite rightly, Bert Jansch never developed the ego problems or show-off attitude that’s plagued so many hyped guitarists since the 1960’s – why should admiration affect who a person intrinsically is? Basking in praise and glory – normally instead of practicing – seems to have put paid to many a player’s creativity and future promise, dooming their careers to a short burst of beauty followed by either some form of personal oblivion or tired repetition and self-imitation. Not so for Jansch.
Image via Wikipedia
Listening to his Pentangle band-mate and oft-times collaborator John Renbourne, or contemporary Davey Graham, you can hear that the most lauded British acoustic guitar players all displayed a similar disregard for stylistic boundaries, especially in their own compositions.
In contrast to truly generic music – that follows a proven formula in order to sell to a predictable pre-defined audience – Jazz, blues, Arabic, African, Irish, English, Scottish, Californian and of course the well known ‘Skegness garden shed music’ style all co-inhabit the same musical space in the creations of non-generic musicians. Maybe this is what should define a folk musician – the ability to learn from all kinds of folk.
All kinds of folk have certainly learned from him. Bert Jansch’s innovation and talent was so great, and so sustained over so many years that the Scottish guitarist and singer literally influenced every acoustic guitar player to come after him, even if they didn’t realise it.
Image via Wikipedia
Many much more famous guitar players and musicians are all over the press and media this week with their reminiscences, quotes and tributes to the man. Via those musicians who have stated him as a major influence – including Jimmy Page, Johnny Marr, Neil Young, Dick Gaughan and Eric Clapton – the self-effacing and eternally humble Bert Jansch has influenced generations of players who may never have heard of him.
I don’t currently know who owns the rights to the back catalogue – but hopefully Bert Jansch’s death won’t spark the same kind of posthumous milking of the cash cow that seems to follow the deaths of musicians these days.
He would have been too busy playing guitar to notice.
RIP, Bert Jansch.
Gez Hebburn Oct 6 2011
Gez has such a cool job he got to write about Bert Jansch today when he should have been fitting bathroom suites for ex members of Pentangle or chatting to John Renbourne about bathroom accessories.
