Formed out of jams at London’s Horseshoe Hotel in mid-1967, at the beginning of an unprecedented period of musical cross-fertilisation between jazz, folk, blues and rock, Pentangle were the first ensemble to bridge the folk-jazz divide with a vision and skill that, 50 years on, still stands in a world of its own. Guitarists Bert Jansch and John Renbourn had already reaped considerable acclaim as two of the UK’s finest exponents of finger-style folk, blues and beyond guitar, who drew as much on Gábor Szabó as they did on Big Bill Broonzy and Davy Graham. Double-bassist Danny Thompson and drummer Terry Cox were active on the London jazz/ session scene having played with Alexis Korner, Tubby Hayes and John McLaughlin, while jazz fan turned folk singer Jacqui McShee completed the line-up that lasted for six albums and relentless touring until they went their separate ways in mid-1973. Right from the very moment Thompson’s ominous arco bass drone ignites their high-flying debut, The Pentangle, firing the deft interplay of Jansch and Renbourn, Cox’s subtle rhythmic swing, the startling purity of McShee’s voice coupled with Jansch’s earthy sadness, the die was firmly cast. A quicksilver mix of evocative originals, interpretations of traditional song, articulate jazz propulsion and improvisational empathy that had a profound influence on Nick Drake and John Martyn among others and whose traces can be heard down the years in Iain Ballamy and June Tabor’s recent Quercus albums. Gathered here in this highly desirable box-set are remastered versions of the five albums recorded for Transatlantic, The Pentangle, Sweet Child, Basket of Light, Cruel Sister, Reflection and their sole release for Reprise, Solomon’s Seal, all housed in original artwork digipaks with a hefty cargo of bonus cuts including singles, outtakes, early sessions and live takes, 22 of which are previously unreleased. There’s also a crisply designed 88-page book packed with album and track analysis, interviews, gig and recording chronology and enough archive cuttings, press ads and images to feed hungry collectors. Pentangle hit a peak on the double-album, Sweet Child, recorded, in part, live at the Royal Festival Hall in June 1968, where Thompson and Cox proved one of the most empathetic rhythm sections for the subtle but intense acoustic guitar explorations. Expanded here to include the entire concert and introductions, McShee’s gospel influences shine through on ‘No More My Lord’, ‘Hear My Call’ and the Furry Lewis blues, ‘Turn Your Money Green’, where her harmonies with Jansch are one of Pentangle’s bitter-sweet treasures. Thompson’s solo interpretation of ‘Haitian Fight Song’ and the moody Jansch/ Renbourn duet on ‘Goodbye Pork Pie Hat’, show the band’s deep love of Charles Mingus too. Basket of Light, broadens the palette with banjo and Renbourn’s sitar and is arguably their strongest studio set, fattened here by three robust live cuts from Aberdeen in 1970. Echoing the prevailing folk-rock wind in 1970/71 Pentangle moved deeper into inspired interpretations of traditional folk pieces for Cruel Sister and Reflections, hoisted on the rhythm section’s fizz and flight. By the time of 1972’s Soloman’s Seal, their final studio album, exhaustion from touring, arguments and a fondness for the bar had weakened their resolve, though ‘People On The Highway’ and ‘No Love Is Sorrow’ are latter-day gems that stand tall with their earlier triumphs.