Dariush Kanani
Bert Jansch Foundation Young Artist 2020-2022, London
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 80thbirthday 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 in 2020.
Dariush has been chosen as one of the two Bert Jansch Foundation Young Artists for 2020-2022.
For ‘Around the world in 80 plays’ Dariush plays Bert’s ‘The Wheel’