?A great deal has been said about Blues and Rock’n’Roll musicians being inspired to great things by folk music. But one hears little about those who work quietly in the background, far removed from dazzling light shows, power amps and fog machines, and who create new strains of tender plants from the roots of traditional folk, so to speak. One such person is Wizz Jones from south England. He can write songs, and he can sing – but it would be far too simple to describe him as a songwriter. His cultivated and versatile performance technique on the guitar bears witness to his personal aspiration for perfection on his instrument. With Jones all this culminates in highly original high-end folk: he’s particularly laid-back in groovy numbers (“Right Now”, “No More Time To Try”), where the elastic and springy sound of the guitar is enhanced with chirping sitar and wavering bottleneck slides so typical of the times. Alongside these are the carefully re-worked traditional melodies (“American Land”), a 17th-century tune (“Raven”) where the singer plays ‘call-and-response’ with himself, and a solid 16-bar blues (“Deep Water”) in the early Chicago style. Particular attention should be paid to the numbers in which he collaborates with Alan Tunbridge and is fired by his genial ideas – specially recommended: “Mary Go ’Round”.

Recording: 1972 by Colin Caldwell at Marquee Studios, London
Production: John Renbourn