bert jansch

Angi

Running from home

I was running from home in 1964, a Candide innocent in Soho, and Andy rescued me from his perch in Les Cousins and found me a seat. Told me to listen to this Bert Jansch fellow.

If I fancied coming round with some proper dosh some time, one John Renbourn wasn't bad either, and that Ralph McTell had a nice voice on him.

I think Bert told me he'd taped these with a borrowed guitar in someone's kitchen.

I can't remember when exactly I started playing from Davy Graham's repertoire - his version of 'Cocaine', the classic 'Angi', 'Seven Gypsies'.

The great Les Bridger and I sank an ocean of tea arguing over minute nuancing and precise speed and fingering.

Davy had the greyest of non voices and I was disrespectful enough to chug thru his version of Dylan's 'Don't think twice' by way of showing off my fluency with the solo, and mimicking DG's atonal chanting.

But Davy's fingering and style seem to have been part of my own plunking DNA from earliest days.

This delightfully precious and respectful tutoring of Angi made me smile.