Pentangle
Boasting two acoustic guitar masters, Bert Jansch and John
Renbourn, a virtuoso rhythm section (comprising drummer Terry Cox
and bassist Danny Thompson) and the pure unsullied voice of Jacqui
McShee, The Pentangle had plenty going for them.
In keeping with
the spirit of the times, they were experimental too, throwing jazz
and blues elements into the mix an venturing way beyond folk
music's traditional boundaries.
The year The Pentangle released their eponymous debut album
they played eleven Radio 1 sessions - proof that their defining
brand of jazz-folk was popular as well as pioneering. The LP
showcased the classic Let No Man Steal Your Thyme and the
baffling, unclassifiable Pentangling.
It was followed only months later by their second album, Sweet
Child, partly recorded at the Festival Hall (where, alongside
more stylistic hi-jinks, Mingus's Pork Pie Hat precedes a
16th Century pavane) and partly in the studio, where Jacqui
McShee's superb reading of Trees They Do Grow High stands
out.
Pentangle broke up in 1973 and in 1974 an album compiled of old
material (So Clear) was released. The band reformed
(without guitarist John Renbourn) in the 80s and released two
albums - Open The Door (1983) and Play The Game
(1985).
Jacqui McShee sang as well as ever, and new bass player
Nigel Portman Smith (who replaced Danny Thompson on Play The
Game) added a new dimension.
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