Bert Jansch – Blackwaterside

This is a live performance by finger style guitar legend Bert Jansch playing his version of the classic folk song “Blackwaterside”.
The song is also known under the title “Down by Blackwaterside”. It is a folk song in the traditional sense that it has no known author. Though the origin of the song probably comes from somewhere near the river Blackwater in Northern Ireland.
Jansch recorded a studio version of this song in 1966 on his album “Jack Orion”. He also came up with the “chord free” or at least not so chord reliant version of doing folk songs. Most people who were doing folk music in the 60’s would cover them in very simple 3 chord structures. But Jansch and Anne Briggs were always working on new and more complex ways of accompanying the old traditional folk songs. Jansch actually learned the song from Briggs who recorded it first.
Jansch also played a version of this song at the 2010 Crossroads Festival. I highly recommend that people check out that version. The playing is sublime, but more important Jansch’s voice has aged which really fits the song.
But this is a really good performance of an amazing composition of a classic folk song.

Enjoy ;-)