I think I can honestly say that John Renbourn is my favorite guitarist. I count myself very fortunate to have met him several times. I never tired of watching his fluid and effortless technique, and of being amazed at the excellence of his sound - all out of one person with one acoustic guitar! Sadly missed indeed. RIP John :(
Tom Draughon Heartistry Music www.heartistry.com 715-682-9362 Sent from my iPhone > On Apr 5, 2015, at 7:55 AM, Stephen Barber and Sandi Harris > <[email protected]> wrote: > > John Renbourn's passing leaves a large hole, he was a giant figure of the > British folk scene. > > One of the many illustrious lutenists he inspired was the late, great Tom > Finucane, who Steve shared a flat with in the 1970's for several years. Tom > was always playing John's early recordings, and Tom was very happy to have > the opportunity to let John that he was his inspiration in person, and thank > him, when they both found themselves playing at the same event at Dartington > Hall, Devon, several years after Tom had come to prominence as one of the > greatest lutenists the modern revival has produced. > > On a personal level, we well recall a gig John played at a folk club at The > White Horse pub in Hampstead (standing room only, but we managed to get in on > the guest list, thanks to mutual friend and neighbour folk guitarist Dave > Bull, with whom John was staying overnight). John opened his set with > 'Goodbye Pork-Pie Hat' by Charlie Mingus, a piece that few other guitar > players had tackled – a notable interpreter being Mahavishnu John McLaughlin: > it opens his 1987 recording 'My Goals Beyond'. Not sure what a few of the > assembled folkies made of it, but playing a Mingus tune was typical of John's > eclectic approach. Afterwards, when we asked him about the piece, he > commented that it would make an interesting lute intabulation. > > John drove us all home from the gig in his battered white Mercedes 190SL, a > comedy drive across London, oblivious of speed limits and quite a few traffic > lights . . . we weren't sure if the groaning, rattling chassis was going to > make it – the car, that is – but John swore it would (and swore at it a few > times too). The conversation during the drive centred on John's desire to > acquire an orpharion at some stage, he'd always wanted to get his hands on > one, and having heard a recording of Paul O'Dette playing on a 7c orpharion > we'd made him, said he really wanted to try one of these instruments, feeling > he may well find affinity with its metal stringing and touch. Back at Dave's > flat, the Glenmorangie came out, and we staggered home at around 4am. John > came to the workshop a few weeks later, and we talked long about orpharions > and bandoras, we showed him various moulds and the research material we had, > along with photos of examples we'd made over the years. Sadly, we ne! ver to! > ok the idea forwards, John's path went in other directions. He was always > fizzling with ideas for new projects, and one of the last times we heard news > from him was when the Pentangle reunion was being planned, and he was loudly > complaining about being "Too stiff these days to sit on the bloody floor to > play the sitar parts" in 'Once I Had A Sweetheart'. > > It was a privilege to have met John and got to know him a little; he was one > of those rare figures whose path and musical trajectory touches and inspires > many musicians: kind, amusing, friendly and generous almost to a fault, he is > sadly missed by many, and that part of his enormous musical legacy – having > inspired many to play lute music, and take up the lute – would be more than a > fitting tribute. That evening after the White Horse gig, discussing fanned > frets and tuning pegs for metal strings and whose head should end up on the > pegbox, all through a mist of Glenmorangie which John had produced from the > boot of the Merc, will live with us always. > > Sadly missed, another of the Greats gone. > > Stephen and Sandi. > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >
