A game of connections... 

Earlier this month my brother asked me if I'd heard that Gerry Conway, drummer with Fairport Convention from 1998 to 2022, who we'd seen perform on at least a dozen occasions over those years, had died ? The Fairport's website confirmed the sad news and said "condolences are with Gerry's partner Jacqui and the family".

Now I didn't know he was married to Jacqui McShee, of Pentangle fame. The original sixties band's line up now reads like a 'supergroup' with Danny Thompson on bass along with John Renbourn and Bert Jansch on guitars.

I had recently read about Bert Jansch being mentor and inspiration to a musician in Hastings who's responsible for Friday Sundowner sessions at the Jenny Lind pub in the Old Town.
Jason McNiff recalls going to the 12-Bar Club in London's Denmark Street (Tin Pan Alley) and studying Bert's finger picking style, which is evident in his guitar playing. He has a number of videos and albums to this effect, one being a covers CD 'Tonight We Ride' from which this track comes: 'One Too Many Mornings' - a Dylan song from 1964 (which neatly points in the direction of next month's blog). 

Connecting: Gerry Conway > Jacqui McShee > Bert Jansch > Jason McNiff >

Nice video shot in Hastings, around the library and The Printworks area. 

  

Further info: Interview with Jason McNiff - HOT ‘Hastings Online Times’ click here