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, 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 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.