Bert Jansch, one of Britain’s most influential guitarists, has passed away at the age of 67.
Bert, who was a founding member of the folk rock group Pentangle and one of the brightest stars of the 1960s folk scene, lost his battle with cancer this week.
Bert Jansch (centre) performing with Pentangle at Glastonbury 2011
Born in Glasgow he influenced musicians around the world throughout his career, including Neil Young, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant and was renowned for his intricate guitar picking.
We at Neonfiller were privileged to see Bert play a number of times, as a solo musician and most recently in June at Glastonbury as part of a brief reunion tour for Pentangle. During that performance he was quieter than his other fellow Pentangle members but his guitar playing skills never wavered during this thrilling set.
He had been due to play at The Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh in August but as his health worsened he was forced to cancel and was hospitalised. He died at 12.30am this morning (Oct 5).
Among his accolades were two lifetime achievement awards at the BBC Folk Awards, for his solo work and as a member of Pentangle.
Despite being diagnosed with lung cancer in 2009 he went on to perform a two month tour of the US with Neil Young in 2010.
Here’s one of our favourite Bert Jansch clips.
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Sad to see Jansch gone. It’s about that time now where all the sixties survivors that are still around fade away. Memento mori – Carpe Diem.