The Hunting Song - Pentangle (1969)

For our next LCM Classic we showcase some folk jazz from supergroup Pentangle. This video clip of 'The Hunting Song' is taken from a live BBC TV special in the 70's. The track is from Pentangle's 'Basket of Light' album. Pentangle are a British folk-jazz band with an eclectic mix of folk, jazz, blues and folk rock influences. The original band were active in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and a later version has been active since the early 1980s. The original line-up, which was unchanged throughout the band's first incarnation (1967–1973), was: Jacqui McShee (vocals), John Renbourn (vocals and guitar), Bert Jansch (vocals and guitar), Danny Thompson (double bass) and Terry Cox (drums).

The name Pentangle was chosen to represent the five members of the band, and is also the device on Sir Gawain's shield in the Middle English poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight which held a fascination for Renbourn.

In January 2007, the five original members of Pentangle were presented with a Lifetime Achievement award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards by David Attenborough. Producer John Leonard said "Pentangle were one of the most influential groups of the late 20th century and it would be wrong for the awards not to recognise what an impact they had on the music scene." Pentangle played together for the event, for the first time in over 20 years.