Ben Walker
BBC Folk Award winner, Ben Walker, was recently hailed as ‘one of the ten best acoustic guitarists in the world’ by Total Guitar magazine. His music has been described as ‘thoughtful’ (Guardian), ‘deft’ (Telegraph) and even ‘legendary’ (Morning Star). He is brilliant at bringing together traditional and contemporary music – putting old jewels into new settings. As well as having a busy gigging schedule, the 37-year-old is an admired producer, arranger, mixer and teacher. Ben says, “I had great fun with this guitar. There’s some really funky stuff that happens if you hold one of the knobs in.”
Bert’s Blues
A piece by Ben Walker for Bert Jansch
Ben says: “It’s difficult to be a folk musician without feeling the connection to Bert Jansch. I first discovered him through Gordon Giltrap who was a local hero of mine. It wasn’t until later that I realised the true extent of Bert’s influence on the folk guitar canon. The timing, the feel – it’s all him. I love the fact that there’s consistency in what he produced whether it was just him at a kitchen table with a tape machine in 1965, or with the full collaborative efforts on something like ‘The Black Swan’ in 2006. I love the fact that he stayed with it and worked with the best of the next generation of musicians. It’s a great thrill for me play my ‘Bert’s Blues’ here and to be involved with such a wonderful project.”
After six critically acclaimed albums as a duo with Josienne Clarke, Ben’s first solo record, ‘The Fox on the Downs’ EP, came out in 2018. A deceptively simple instrumental, it was immediately picked up by Mark Radcliffe for Radio 2. Reviewers pronounced it ‘jaw-dropping’ (Folk Radio UK), and ‘almost obscenely good’ (Fatea), calling for a full album soon to follow.
