Chambertin

A piece by Bert Jansch played by Ryan Deakin for Bert

Recorded in Lowton, Cheshire
February 2019

Intrepid Ryan has chosen what he recognises as one of Bert’s most challenging instrumentals for ‘Around the world in 80 plays’. He says: “Many see it as Bert’s Magnum Opus. The way Bert played guitar was unique, sometimes sounding like multiple guitars at once, and his unorthodox way of aggressively plucking what is traditionally seen as a very pretty instrument is almost punk. As a songwriter he also stands out. His songs made me feel like something magic took place a long time ago in another part of the country.

I think I was perhaps 13 years old when I heard my dad practicing Anji. It took me a couple of weeks to learn it myself, and I found it such fun to play! I had to seek more, and so I took to the internet. I discovered a treasure trove of strange music – music I had never heard before, nor could I compare it to anything I had heard before. It is incredible how, in this day and age of technology, Bert Jansch’s minimal, earthy early recordings still manage to stand out in their unique tone. His music gave me permission to find myself…

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