The Way I See It
The shipyard painter, political activist and razor-sharp cartoonist Bob Starrett has just written a new book The Way I See It on his eventful life and times. Below we reprint one of his stories and review an essential read
La Boheme
ENO's production of La Boheme is a triumph,
Acoustic Routes (12A)
Directed by Jan Leman
Thursday 28 February 2013
Printable
EmailJan Leman's intimate portrait of innovative guitarist Bert Jansch, which covers his career from the early '60s up until the time filming concluded in 1992, was never going to be anything less than inclusive.
In an age before the Intellectual Property Office actively recommended ideas be copyrighted before being shared, a young Jansch collected, fused and interpreted the wealth of musical influences he and his itinerant musician friends exchanged in the coffee houses, clubs and pubs of their Edinburgh and London bases.
Jansch respectfully acknowledges and shares this documentary stage with "friends," those who collectively pioneered the expansion of the British folk revival scene from which his own distinctive style of folk baroque emerged.
Twenty years has passed since Acoustic Routes was screened on BBC television and Jansch and fellow musicians Davey Graham, Hamish Imlach and Brownie McGhee have since passed on.
Leman was in the right place at the right time and he had the the foresight and determination to "keep the faith."
This film is not a memorial but a miracle - a quintessential piece of acoustic guitar-roots history preserved for a new generation of listeners and players, digitally remastered and extended to include unseen performance footage.
It is now screening in high definition larger than life format at selected cinemas and is soon to be released on DVD.
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