Search - Bert Jansch :: Black Swan

A great one from a great one

B. Schuman | NY | 11/24/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I discovered Bert Jansch shortly before this album was released, and I saw him perform live in Philadelphia during the tour that accompanied it.

I did not buy the album then because I usually do not buy the newer albums of musicians who I like based on their decades-old work. They often disappoint me. On contemporary albums, the once-great artist often sounds lazier than they did in their classic years, and modern, digital production often washes out the magic that once emanated from the artist, giving the listener a depressing sense that both the great artist and the music industry have faded and gotten stale over the years.

But I finally bought The Black Swan on a whim the other day. I thought it would be nice to add it to my collection, and I figured it would have at least a few good songs.

I definitely enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. It's vintage Jansch and it also sounds new. Like many albums by 60-something musicians, it's a record of an old legend aided by contemporary musicians who are also fans. What's interesting here, though, is how similar those newer artists (Noah Georgeson, Beth Orton, and Devendra Banhart) are to Jansch himself. They all have been influenced by Bert's unique brand of acoustic folk music, a style that is primitive without being simple, mellow without being sweet, and intricate without being difficult. Their contributions don't feel like anachronisms at all. They're the same type of musicians he played with in the '60s and '70s.

Noah Georgeson's production adds some subtle but noticable reverb that is absent from older recordings of Jansch, and its presence here helps to shake things up a little bit and distinguish this album from others in his catalogue. His guitar and vocals have rarely sounded so smooth and clean and they also have never before sounded so deep and ethereal.

Many of the good qualities Bert always had have not changed, perhaps because he was never quite of his time, even in the '60s. His lyrics are vague and full of surreal imagery, but he always seemed like he was emulating the simple yet weird folk songs of ancient times rather than psychedelic poetry. While some musicians made folk psychedelic, Bert was content to let folk be weird in the same ways that it always was.

Like many of Bert's albums, The Black Swan is balanced between original songs and "traditional, arranged Jansch" songs, solo performances and group performances, songs with vocals and instrumentals(The only major stylistic surprise here is "Texas Cowboy Blues," which almost rocks). Things are a little different in the world of Jansch, but it's still the same unmistakable world of Jansch, and the sameness a listener will hear on The Black Swan is only the good kind.

I don't love The Black Swan quite as much as I love many of his early classics, but it is certainly of equal quality. It can never approach the early classics in its contagious, quietly fresh originality, but it's a testament to Bert's perennial greatness that his style continues to be interesting even when the years have diluted its originality.

I'm not sure if The Black Swan is the album I'd recommend if you've never heard or are just beginning to listen to Bert Jansch just because familiarity with his previous work makes it so much more rewarding. But if you're already a fan of Jansch at all, this one should definitely satisfy you."

How can I possibly give this cd such a bad review?

ml | 06/03/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I purchased this cd after only hearing the brilliantly arranged/performed "Katie Cruel" on Pandora.com. Absolutely fascinating! The reviews of this cd here on Amazon were so positive. And from what I understand, Bert Jansch is very influential in the folk scene. The cd art work is very nice, the guitar playing here is drop-dead beautiful, the tunes are all good, but why does he have to sing lead on most of his songs??? One kinder reviewer here related Bert's voice to a sinus infection. I believe it is worse. He regularly drifts into degrees of flatness, has awful phrasing, and frequent unintelligible mumblings that are simply not musical. Sort of reminds me of another great, John Renbourn, only not even that good.



I will not continue to listen to this cd, despite the great guitar. too bad for me. I truly hope I can find some of Bert's music that is performed without his singing. If I do I will probably purchase it.

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