I have just heard the sad news that Bert Jansch has died. He had cancer and passed away early this morning.

He is probably best known for his involvement with the acoustic group Pentangle. His solo career, before and after Pentangle was also brilliant.

Folkies of my generation knew that nobody, but nobody could play the acoustic guitar like Bert Jansch. He was a brilliant interpreter of traditional material as his version of the Irish classic Blackwaterside shows.

He was also a fine songwriter, probably his best known song was ‘Needle of Death’ partly a gentle, non-judgemental elegy to a friend who died of a heroin overdose and partly a stark anti-drugs song..

Other people will write far more eloquent obituaries than I can. All I know is that the world feels diminished by his passing. As someone said with Davy Graham gone, and now Bert, “who is left to play ‘Anji’?”