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Pentangle means magical
symbol - a five pointed-star. Five talented and quietly creative musicians
together form The Pentangle, who appear at Leeds Town Hall on October 14.
The complete harmony, musical feeling and ability of The Pentangle results
in an effect produced by no other group of musicians. When they play at
the Town Hall the audience will sit in silence, as they will at the Royal
Hall in Harrogate on Saturday October 25. The stage will not be groaning
under a ton of amplification, although microphones will litter the place
like fragments of steel web, for The Pentangle are a rarity. They amplify
a sound produced by acoustic instruments - played well. Line-up of Talent.
Two fine guitarists, Bert Jansch and John Renbourn, who have each made
successful solo and duo albums in the past, singer Jaqui McShee, Danny
Thompson, double bass, and Terry Cox, drums, make up the group. They came
together over a period of time in the world of London’s folk clubs, began
pulling capacity audiences in the Tottenham Court Road, and soon reached
the ears of John Peel of “Top Gear”. An album followed, then in June last
year The Pentangle gave their first major concert at the Royal Festival
Hall, which was a sell-out two weeks in advance. That summer, they
appeared at the Woburn Abbey festival, the Cambridge Folk Festival and the
Edinburgh Festival. This year brought a tour of America, which was such a
success that they had to return for the legendary Newport Folk Festival.
Fusion of Styles.
One minute racing in a near-jazz vein the next, soft and light, the music
of The Pentangle is a fusion of many styles and periods - but with an
identity all its own. The voice of Jaqui McShee is clear and cool shining
on traditional songs. Often Jansch supplies a light rolling guitar riff
while Renbourn inserts smatterings of notes above the rhythm of Thompson
and Cox. Thompson often uses the bow and can produce inspired solos, as
was demonstrated at the recent Isle of Wight Festival of Music. Perhaps a
good way to get into the music of The Pentangle is to listen to earlier
recordings by Jansch and Renbourn. Don’t try to classify all the music by
The Pentangle. Just listen to it and you may find that it is a lot of
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