Edited from Pentangle's official bio

Bert Jansch and John Renbourn were well-known acoustic guitarists on the British folk circuit when they decided to get together for some duets. The two albums they put out, Bert and John and Stepping Stones, show a progressing musical vision that led them to create a band. This band was Pentangle, and also featured vocalist Jacqui McShee, bassist Danny Thompson, and drummer Terry Cox. Their debut album, 1967's The Pentangle, showed an unclassifiable group. There were several traditional folk songs, but other cuts showed the influence of jazz, pop, and blues (on their version of the Staple Singers' "Hear My Call"). 1968's Sweet Child was a two-record set that gave them room to explore all their influences. Especially noteworthy were their versions of two jazz standards, Thelonious Monk's "Goodbye Porkpie Hat" and Charles Mingus' "Haitian Fight Song". 1969's Basket of Light was their most popular album, even scoring a British hit single with "Light Flight". For many fans, these remain the essential Pentangle albums.

On the three remaining albums that this line-up produced (Cruel Sister, Reflection, Solomon's Seal), the jazz influences became less pronounced, and the group rededicated themselves to traditional folk. Pentangle broke up in 1973, but reformed in the 1980's with McShee, Jansch, and a shifting line-up of other musicians. Today, Jansch is no longer with the group, and the band records and tours under the name Jacqui McShee's Pentangle.

Last update: Thursday, December 27, 2001 at 3:55:08 PM