Tributes as ‘the acoustic Jimi Hendrix’ dies aged 67

BERT Jansch, the pioneering Scottish folk musician revered by generations of guitarists for the way he redefined the instrument’s possibilities, has died. He was 67.

Feted by the likes Jimmy Page, Neil Young, and Johnny Marr, he won critical acclaim the world over for his unique playing style and modest outlook on life.

His peers in the Scottish folk music movement and further afield paid tribute yesterday to the Glasgow-born musician.

Dick Gaughan, a friend of Jansch for more than four decades, told The Scotsman his death was “devastating,” adding that his mentor had “changed the face of music”.

Jansch passed away at 12:30am yesterday in a north London hospice, little over two months after his last public performance. He had been diagnosed with lung cancer two years ago.

His spokesman, Mich Houghton, said: “I don’t know anyone who had less of a sense of celebrity. He was always very self-effacing and critical adulation was completely irrelevant to him.”

A founding member of influential folk band Pentangle, Jansch’s technical prowess on the acoustic guitar ensured he played a prominent role in the British folk revival of the 1960s.

Born in Glasgow in 1943, Jansch’s family moved to West Pilton, Edinburgh, when he was three months old. He became infatuated with music aged seven after one of his teachers at Pennywell Primary brought a Spanish guitar to class.

In his mid-teens, he took professional guitar lessons. By 16, he was giving them.

As well as his work with Pentangle, who recorded their debut in 1968, Jansch enjoyed an illustrious solo career spanning dozens of albums, with young rock musicians from successive eras lining up to record with a singer/songwriter they considered their idol.

One of his final recording sessions, for instance, saw him play with Pete Doherty.

Young, who toured with Jansch last year, considered the Scottish guitar doyen his favourite player of all time, once describing him as “the Jimi Hendrix of the acoustic guitar”.

Page, meanwhile, regarded him as a pivotal influence on Led Zeppelin.

Jansch, who lived in Kilburn, north London, with his wife, Loren Auerbach, was twice recognised at the BBC Folk awards with lifetime achievement prizes.

Gaughan, said: “There are few people of whom it can be said that they changed the face of music. Bert Jansch was one of the few. Anybody who plays acoustic guitar will have been influenced by him, whether they ever heard of him or not.

“As well as being a major influence on my approach to music, he was also my friend and mentor for over 40 years and his loss at such a relatively early age is devastating.”

Radio 2 folk show presenter Mike Harding added: “He was a quiet and gentle man, but when he picked up his guitar he was the centre of everyone’s attention. He was a true original.”