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REVIEW FROM www.livingtradition.co.uk

 


 

 

 
PETER KNIGHT'S GIGSPANNER BIG BAND - Natural Invention 

PETER KNIGHT'S GIGSPANNER BIG BAND - Natural Invention 
Private Label GSCD007 

If Peter Knight is a folk-rock pioneer who may have fallen off some people’s radar, he may be due a re-assessment. Not quite a founder member of Steeleye Span, he was very much a key man in the line-up that achieved the band's greatest commercial success. He might not have had the charisma of a Swarbrick, but in terms of technique he has been a match for anyone on the fiddle, or rather on the violin, the term he always seems to have preferred. Call him what you like; this is an album which shows that he still has plenty to offer.

The ‘Big Band’ is a multi-generational effort. If Knight represents the roots of folk-rock, then John Spiers - the last man to sign up - brings the verve of the Bellowhead generation. The established duo of Hannah Martin and Phillip Henry has become renowned in its own right, whilst the rhythm section of Roger Flack on guitar and percussionist Sacha Trochet are clearly both well used to playing with the boss (as part of the Gigspanner trio). Trochet's wide-ranging percussion, in fact, is very reminiscent of Terry Cox's work with Pentangle all those years ago. Not that this outfit is derivative or backward looking. The Gigspanner Big Band, in this its first studio album, delivers fresh and feisty versions of songs like Long A Growing, Searching For Lambs and Earl Brand. Knight and Martin do the bulk of the singing and show their calibre throughout. It's a strong line-up on paper and an even better one in reality. Well worth rediscovering.

www.gigspanner.com

Dave Hadfield

 

This review appeared in Issue 134 of The Living Tradition magazine