Jacqui McShee's Pentangle

Jacqui McShee's Pentangle stands today as the definitive living voice of modern British folk, a group that not only preserves a remarkable musical lineage but continues to expand it with grace, imagination, and quiet authority. Rooted in the fearless creative spirit of the original Pentangle—one of the most pioneering and culturally important ensembles ever to emerge from the British folk revival—this modern incarnation gathers exceptional contemporary musicians around music of rare subtlety, beauty, and emotional truth. Their performances move effortlessly between the ancient and the avant-garde, where centuries-old ballads meet jazz sophistication, blues feeling, and spellbinding instrumental interplay, creating concerts that feel at once timeless, intimate, and profoundly alive.

To understand the power of Jacqui McShee's Pentangle today is to recognise the historic significance of the original Pentangle within British musical culture. Formed in the late 1960s at the height of the folk revival, Pentangle did something quietly revolutionary: they dissolved the boundaries between folk tradition and modern musical language. Drawing equally from medieval song, English and Celtic balladry, American blues, and contemporary jazz improvisation, they forged an entirely new sound—intellectual yet deeply emotional, intricate yet accessible. In doing so, they helped redefine what British folk music could be, influencing generations of musicians across folk, acoustic, jazz, and even progressive rock. Their work stood alongside the broader cultural awakening of the era, placing British folk on an international stage not as nostalgia, but as forward-thinking art.

Their importance was reflected in the legendary stages they graced. From the Isle of Wight Festivals of 1969 and 1970—among the defining gatherings of a musical generation—to Newport Folk Festival, Fillmore East and West, Carnegie Hall, and London's Royal Festival Hall, Pentangle carried British folk into the same conversation as Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, and The Band. Few groups from the UK folk movement achieved such global artistic reach, and fewer still did so while maintaining such musical integrity and refinement. Pentangle proved that traditional roots music could be sophisticated, exploratory, and world-class, without losing its soul.

At the centre of this enduring story is Jacqui McShee, a founding member whose voice remains one of the most recognisable and emotionally pure sounds in British music. Clear as glass yet rich with feeling, her singing became the spiritual heart of Pentangle's sound—never showy, always truthful, carrying centuries of song with effortless grace. Through every evolution of the band, Jacqui has remained the living link to those first transformative days of the late 1960s, ensuring that the music is not merely remembered, but lived, breathed, and continually renewed.

Today, Jacqui McShee's Pentangle continues that journey with a superb contemporary lineup of musicians whose artistry reflects the same spirit of openness and musical dialogue that defined the original band. Alongside Jacqui is Spencer Cozens—keyboardist, guitarist, vocalist, composer, and long-standing musical collaborator—whose career spans work across the British folk, jazz, and singer-songwriter worlds. A musician of rare sensitivity and breadth, Cozens brings not only harmonic richness and textural colour to the ensemble, but also a deep compositional awareness that allows the music to breathe and evolve naturally in performance. His partnership with Jacqui over many years has been central to shaping the modern sound of Pentangle, ensuring continuity with the past while gently guiding the music into new emotional and sonic landscapes.

On bass and vocals, Alan Thomson contributes a lifetime of experience at the highest levels of British acoustic and jazz-influenced music. Renowned for his melodic intelligence, rhythmic subtlety, and instinctive musical empathy, Thomson has worked with an extraordinary range of leading artists across folk, rock, and jazz, developing a reputation as one of the UK's most musical and expressive bass players. Within Pentangle, his playing provides both foundation and conversation—anchoring the ensemble while simultaneously weaving fluid counter-melodies that echo the sophisticated interplay of the original group's golden era.

Completing the lineup is Gary Foote, whose mastery of saxophones and flute introduces a lyrical, jazz-coloured voice that feels entirely true to Pentangle's historic fusion of folk tradition and improvisational freedom. A highly respected figure across British jazz, folk, and world-music circles, Foote's phrasing combines technical finesse with deep emotional nuance, adding air, light, and spontaneous expression to the band's sonic palette. His presence extends the group's long-standing dialogue between structured song and open musical exploration—an essential thread in the Pentangle story from the very beginning.

Together, these musicians form not a revival but a living, breathing continuation of the Pentangle vision. The result is not a tribute, nor a recreation, but the ongoing unfolding of a vital musical tradition—one that still astonishes audiences at concerts and festivals, still reveals new colours within familiar songs, and still reminds listeners why Pentangle's contribution to British folk remains so profound.

In an age of passing trends, Jacqui McShee's Pentangle stands as something far rarer: a living bridge between heritage and discovery, between the deep roots of British folk and its limitless future.