Pascal Froissart
Pascal Froissart from Reims in France was born in 1953. At fourteen, he was playing the guitar for folk songs, blues, ragtime, and also bluegrass on the mandolin. He discovered Bert Jansch and John Renbourn at 18 and was immediately captivated by their music. He heard them live at a Pentangle concert in Bobino, Paris, in 1972. He even met and talked to Bert and John before the concert in a tiny bar, which was a thrilling experience! From configuring Renbourn’s music, Pascal turned to classical guitar for a while, before discovering Irish music. He then put down his guitar in favour of the Irish accordion which he played extensively all over Ireland. He is still playing and partly living in Ireland.
Veronica
“I chose to play “Veronica” because I’ve always liked that tune. Every time I play it, I can hear the whole rhythmic section of the Pentangle. It shows how much Bert contributed to the Pentangle’s music by providing a structure very close to jazz. It reminds me of John Coltrane’s quartet with McCoy Tyner in the early 1960s. The modal character of the tune and its rhythm, show that Bert was definitely open to a wide range of music and consequently was very creative in his compositions and song arrangements. “Veronica” may sound like a simple tune, but it is not that simple. It sounds like it could have been the basis for a big Pentangle number.”
“I’m really delighted to be asked to contribute to Around the world in 80 plays. and I really feel like playing more of Bert Jansch’s compositions in the future to keep his music alive. Although I was more into John Renbourn’s music on the guitar, I loved listening to Bert’s music and particularly to the Rosemary Lane album. Then I heard about John Renbourn’s death which came as a shock and I felt drawn back to the music I was playing on the guitar. With my old friend Didier Bégon, a professional guitarist also from Reims we have been revisiting some of John and Bert’s guitar pieces together to our greatest satisfaction.”
