Magical Flight

The obscure British folk revival artists album Magical Flight was released in 1977. Wizz Jones was admired by friends and fans like Ralph McTell, Incredible String Band, and Bert Jansch (Jones and the latter often tipped their hats to each other throughout their long careers). On this 70s LP, Jones followed a similar direction to Jansch by including a small-band backing, where he was previously a dogmatic voice/guitar performer. This adds a little lushness to his sound and a gentle rhythmic propulsion that brings Pentangle to mind. Like Jansch and John Renbourn, Jones maintains a cathartic edginess even in the most gentle songs, which makes for deceptively heavy listening. "See How the Time Is Flying" is absolutely Ralph McTell, but, incidentally, Wizz Jones was pioneering this folk revival sound as early as 1958, and on hearing his astonishing guitar technique and vocal delivery, his students certainly included Roy Harper and Ralph McTell himself. Not until the late 90s would Jones stunning albums, the rocky Right Now and the stripped-back solo acoustic collection Dazzling Stranger, appear in the U.S., thanks to Massachusetts independent label Scenescof. Magical Flight is an exquisite production from the 70s that may have been pushed under the carpet at the time, but it is no less than a vital chapter in the British folk scene. ~ Skip Jansen