This charming, effortlessly classy album is the final recording by John Renbourn. One of the guitar heroes of the 60s folk-baroque scene, he was a co-founder of Pentangle, along with Bert Jansch, and in recent years had been touring with another fine British guitarist and laidback singer, Wizz Jones.
They first met more than 50 years ago, and there’s more than a dash of nostalgia in a folk-blues set that starts with a swinging revival of Big Bill Broonzy’s Hey Hey and includes the hitchhiking anthem National Seven, which appeared on Renbourn’s 1965 solo debut, along with songs by Jackson C Frank, and (of course) Jansch.
Those who want to hear Renbourn play Bach or Satie should check out Palermo Snow from 2011. Here he’s enjoying himself with an old friend, and their collaborations on Jansch’s Strolling Down the Highway or the instrumental title track are a delight.
