Trees of Light

When they formed in 1968, Pentangle were hailed as Folk's first supergroup, fusing elements of jazz and underground music and comprising the twin guitar/songwriting talents of Bert Jansch and John Renbourn with bassist Danny Thompson, drummer Terry Cox and singer Jacqui McShee.

Two CD set. Pretty much the first UK Folk-Rock supergroup and the inventors of the sound that would later be adopted by Fairport, Trees and others. Pentangle were an unusual agglomeration of seemingly disparate talents, and at their best succeeded in mixing elements of traditional Folk, Jazz improvisation and Pop into a seamless whole. Featuring the brilliant and contrasting guitar talents of Bert Jansch and John Renbourn, against the rhythmic undertow provided by drummer Terry Cox and superb bass player Danny Thompson, and topped off with the bell-like purity of Jacqui McShee's vocals, Pentangle garnered much critical acclaim. This is the perfect introduction to their work. 31 tracks.

Olav Torget working on a solo album “Talking Trees” on Furusus Records, in collaboration with Helge Andreas Norbakken and Trygve Seim. The three have previously worked together in several contexts, but this constellation is new. Torget approaches music from a new angle that has allowed for a lot of improvisation, and where ideas from other cultures are integrated. For Torget, it is important to give each individual musician a lot of space to shape their own role, which we can hear on “Talking Trees”. The music is innovative and uses elements from both African traditions and improvisational music. The song titles are nature images and reminders of meeting oneself in nature.

On “Infinity Vibraphones”, Inside The Rose’s graceful opener, Jack Barnett sings of “an addiction to the impossible” - a grandly ambiguous statement full of aspiration and intent. It is however a statement that could also be used to characterise These New Puritans’ approach to creation. Perennially challenging themselves, let alone their audience, These New Puritans remain as ambitious, fearless and breathtaking as before on their fourth studio record..