For those who followed the folk revival of the 1960’s and the music of the cult band Pentangle, John Renbourn’s music needs little introduction. Spanning musical genres from blues and jazz through to folk, early music and original compositions he left behind a sumptuous catalogue of recordings which demonstrated not only his extraordinary talent as a guitar player but also his great musical depth. Any boundaries which may have existed previously were blurred by John’s eclectic taste, alongside a level of artistry and delicacy which led the way in the evolution of the steel-strung guitar.
Here is a rare, one-off opportunity to hear some of John’s greatest compositions performed live by one of the World’s finest guitarists who regularly shared the same stage. Clive Carroll was recently described by Total Guitar Magazine as “...arguably the most accomplished fingerstylist in the world today…” and like John, he is equally at home playing Mississippi Blues as he is playing the Elizabethan lute music of John Dowland. On stage, Clive’s entertaining performance transfixes audiences whether they are guitar enthusiasts or not. Coupled with Dariush Kanani’s stunningly good technique inspired by his heroes John Renbourn and Bert Jansch, this one-time show is not to be missed!
This tour coincides with the release of Clive’s new album which features the music of John Renbourn.
Clive Carroll began his musical journey in Chelmsford, Essex. His parents had a taste for American country and old time music and it wasn’t long before Clive was playing in the family band on a homemade banjo. By his early teens, guitar in hand, Clive was traversing the worlds the soul, pop, funk and traditional Irish music, balancing his affinity for Slayer with the etudes of Tárrega. This breadth of musical curiosity was to become one of his strengths; even as a child Clive was as comfortable accompanying a group of folk singers as he was jamming along to Nirvana or performing the Rodrigo Guitar Concerto.
Clive went on to earn a 1st Class Honours Degree in Composition and Guitar from the famed Trinity College of Music in London, all the while balancing his classical work with forays into the world of the steel string guitar. By the time he graduated, Clive had not only penned orchestral works, he had a written an album’s worth of solo acoustic guitar music. A chance meeting with English guitar legend John Renbourn proved the catalyst for Clive’s debut album, “Sixth Sense”, which Renbourn deemed “a milestone in the journey of the steel-string guitar”. He subsequently took Clive on the road with him and the pair toured North America and Europe together, thus launching Clive’s solo performing career.
Since then, Clive has established himself as one of the world’s premier acoustic guitar players. He has toured across Europe, Australia, the Middle East, North America, and East Asia garnering praise for his sublime performances of everything from 16th and 17th century lute music to Jazz standards, Blues, Irish reels and his own groundbreaking compositions. Lauded guitarist Tommy Emmanuel has also taken Clive on the road with him and similar nods to Clive’s musicianship have been given by everyone from classical guitarist John Williams to Madonna.
In addition to Clive’s four solo albums - “Sixth Sense”, “The Red Guitar” (which Tommy Emmanuel cites as one of his desert island discs!), “Life in Colour”, and “The Furthest Tree" - Clive has written music for television and film. He notably collaborated with John Renbourn on the score for the film “Driving Lessons”, starring Julie Walters and Rupert Grint of Harry Potter fame.
In 2021 Total Guitar Magazine cited Clive as “...arguably the most accomplished fingerstylist in the world today...” - Total Guitar Magazine
Dariush Kanani has emerged from the large crowd of young would-be guitar players by virtue of his stunningly good technique, inspired by his heroes John Renbourn and Bert Jansch, amongst others.
30-year-old Dariush first discovered Bert in his teens through Jimmy Page! Seeking out Bert’s music, Dariush says “the first time I listened to his ‘Blue’ Album I was instantly changed forever!
Hearing ‘Strolling Down the Highway’ for the first time was like something dropping out of the sky – what was that sound he was making? It was so inspiring – but seemed light years away from my ability at the time.” However, with dedicated study of Bert’s and other fingerstyle music of Davey Graham and John Renbourn, mentored by John himself and Stefan Grossman, Dariush has become an aficionado and is regularly invited to perform with some of the most influential figures in fingerstyle guitar.
He played at the tribute concert for Davey Graham in 2009 on John Renbourn’s recommendation, and at the tribute concert in 2016 after John passed away, alongside Jacqui McShee, Ralph McTell, Bernard Butler, Graham Coxon and more, at Cecil Sharp House. In April 2019, Dariush was invited to perform at the Wizz Jones 80th birthday concert at the Cadogan Hall in London with Wizz, Clive Carroll and others. In September 2019, Dariush was invited by Jacqui McShee to play guitar in Pentangle for a show at the Isle Of Wight commemorating the 50th aniversary of the 1969 Isle Of Wight Festival – The original Pentangle line-up which included Bert Jansch and John Renbourn performed at the now famous I.O.W. 1969 and 1970 festivals.
The guitar virtuoso, Stefan Grossman, chose Dariush to be his personal teaching assistant for all his annual UK guitar workshops and masterclass. Dariush is now also a workshop leader for the Bert Jansch Foundation’s Guitar workshops. Dariush is so pleased to be able to introduce others from many countries to the music of Bert and see the same instant musical awakening that he had experienced in his teens.
Dariush is now collecting and arranging new material for his next album which he hopes to record in the Bert Jansch Studio in Frome. Dariush was chosen as one of the two Bert Jansch Foundation Young Artists for 2020-2022.
