Avocet

"Though Jansch primarily plays acoustic guitar on Avocet, he plays solo piano on the relatively short "Lapwing" and employs a shimmery psychedelic electric guitar on "Bittern", which also features a bass solo from Thompson. All the songs on Avocet, for that matter, are as strongly colored by Jenkins' and Thompson's playing as much as Jansch's ... Avocet was favorably received upon release and has since become a fan favorite. To say its representative of Jansch's other work would be missing the mark, but not because of a comparative lack of quality. But because it's so individual and unique. It would not be an overstatement to say it's one of the most successfully ambitious and enjoyable concept albums of the last few decades".

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"After touring Europe with violinist Martin Jenkins, Bert Jansch took him into Denmark's Sweet Silence studios in February 1978 to record his 12th album, joined by the fluid, jazzy undertow of Danny Thompson's double bass. He named each track after a sea or wading bird and emerged with an album he often named as his favourite ... Starting with the mesmerising 18-minute title suite, inspired by traditional song The Cuckoo, there was a rare magic in the air that day as the trio meandered, embroidered and sparked off each other through the glistening, swirling tapestries of Lapwing, Bittern (with startling solo flight from Thompson), Osprey and the pastoral Kittiwake, while Kingfisher is a rare solo piano piece from Jansch, who, fittingly perhaps, had rarely sounded so free and uncaged ... Now enhanced with a booklet by Jansch biographer Colin Harper".

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