Herbert Jansch (b. 3rd November 1943), commonly known as Bert Jansch, is a Scottish folk musician and founding member of the band Pentangle. He was born in Glasgow and, particularly in his early career, was sometimes characterised as a British Bob Dylan. This, however, was misleading, in that Jansch's best work has always been fundamentally instrument-driven unlike Dylan's, which is primarily lyric-based.
As a child Bella was always singing. Edale was the ideal place to nurture this natural ability, with an abundance of communal song. Having played the fiddle a small amount at school, Bella attended a Folkworks Youth Summer School in Durham age 13. Motivated by the number of young people playing folk music, she was inspired to begin working on folk fiddle. She also met many of her great friends and musical companions.
Isambarde’s music is a powerful blend of traditional and contemporary folk songs, taking the English tradition forward into the 21st century. The band comprises of Chris Green (vocals, guitar), Jude Rees (oboe, vocals) and Emily Sanders (vocals, fiddle). The albums Brunel’s Kingdom, Barnstorming and Living History are all available to buy from the band’s website www.isambarde.co.uk. Isambarde are currently working on a new album, to be produced by Phil Beer on his label Chudleigh Roots.
Originally from Scotland, Shelagh McDonald moved to London in the late 1960s, where she was part of the folk-music scene. In 1970 she released her first album, Shelagh McDonald Album, which sold rather poorly. 1971's Stargazer sold better, and was critically acclaimed. However, some time after its release, McDonald disappeared and wasn't heard from again until quite recently. Shelagh McDonald's music is close to that of some of her contemporaries, for example, Sandy Denny, Nick Drake, and Duncan Browne.
Drawing on a range of folk, jazz and world musics, the Pindrop Band are a group of musicans who love acoustic music and like to perform without the aid of huge amplification systems. The emphasis in on delicate arrangements and harmonies and purity of sound. Much of their material is self-penned (with the odd quirky cover), and features a vast array of instruments including guitars, ukulele, banjo, mandolin, harp, fiddle, accordion, charango, whistles, harmonium, autoharp, double bass and percussion.
Ashley "Tyger" Hutchings first achieved recognition as a co-founder of Fairport Convention in 1967, but his work and his musical influences predate Fairport Covention by several years, and he has since gone on to found and lead numerous other notable groups, including Steeleye Span, and the various Albion Bands. In many respects, he is to English folk-rock the rough equivalent of what John Mayall is to British blues, except that his recordings have remained interesting for far longer.