VA - JazzyFolk (PURIST) (A Butterboy Compilation) (4 x CDs)

JAZZYFOLK

VA - JazzyFolk (PURIST) (A Butterboy Compilation) (4 x CDs)

Every collector has one. That shelf. Not the one holding the obvious classics, but the records you instinctively pull out when someone says, “Play me something I've never heard before.”

For me, those records have always lived somewhere between folk, jazz and rock. Not simply folk‑rock. Not simply jazz‑rock. Something more elusive.

Over time I realised these albums shared an atmosphere rather than a genre. Acoustic guitars breathed like small jazz ensembles. Saxophones drifted through songs without turning them into jazz records. Harmonies borrowed from jazz while melodies stayed rooted in folk. The performances were intimate, understated and endlessly replayable, music built on atmosphere rather than labels.

It’s a sound defined by balance: too acoustic to be jazz‑rock, too harmonically rich to be folk‑rock, and too exploratory to be singer‑songwriter pop.  A twilight zone where all three traditions meet without overpowering one another.

Record shops never knew where to file this music. It was scattered across singer‑songwriter bins, progressive folk shelves, soft rock sections or jazz fusion corners. Artists as different as Pentangle, Mark‑Almond, John Martyn, Michael Chapman, Judee Sill and Roger Rodier rarely appeared together, despite speaking a similar musical language.

This compilation brings those conversations into one place.

It wasn’t built around famous songs or greatest hits. Alongside celebrated names, many of the artists here remain cult figures whose finest work slipped past the mainstream and later found new life among collectors and adventurous listeners.

One rule guided every decision: purity.

The music had to sit naturally at the intersection of jazz, folk and rock. If a track leaned too heavily toward conventional folk, it didn’t survive. If it drifted into straightforward jazz‑rock or singer‑songwriter pop, it quietly left the running. Every inclusion needed all three traditions present in some meaningful way.

The result is a journey rather than a history lesson.

Across four CDs the sound awakens in intimate acoustic settings, blooms into rich harmonic sophistication, wanders into increasingly adventurous territory, and finally settles into an almost cinematic dusk. By the closing moments, it feels less like listening to four discs and more like watching daylight disappear across a quiet landscape.

You’ll encounter celebrated names, forgotten masterpieces and records that deserve far wider recognition. Some are cherished collector’s items, others remain surprisingly affordable. All reward repeated listening, revealing new harmonic turns, lyrical subtleties and instrumental details long after the first play.

Creating compilations for me, has always been about more than assembling favourite tracks. It’s about building imaginary archive editions, the kind of lovingly curated box sets many of us wish existed. Sets with coherent narratives, thoughtful sequencing, beautiful artwork and the confidence to place obscure gems beside acknowledged classics without apology.

JazzyFolk (PURIST) may never appear in a record shop, but I hope it captures the spirit of those legendary archival releases. More importantly, I hope it encourages listeners to seek out an unfamiliar album, discover an overlooked artist and spend an evening in one of the most beautiful, sophisticated and quietly rewarding corners of modern music.

Sometimes the finest journeys begin not with the records everyone knows, but with the ones patiently waiting to be heard. (B)

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Track lists

CD1

01 Pentangle - Light Flight 3:16 1969

02 Mick Greenwood - Friend of Mine 2:39 1972

03 Bridget St. John - Fly High 3:22 1971

04 Trees - Polly on The Shore 6:14 1970

05 Trader Horne - Morning Way 4:36 1970

06 Fotheringay - The Sea 5:32 1970

07 John Martyn - Solid Air 5:46 1973

08 Mark-Almond - The City 7:41 1971

09 Michael Chapman - Aviator 9:33 1970

10 Dando Shaft - Kalyope Driver 3:05 1971

11 Mike Cooper - Goodbye Blues 4:56 1970

12 McKendree Spring - For What Was Gained 7:58 1972

13 Mick Softley - Keep Movin' On 2:42 1970

14 Bert Jansch - Come Back Baby 3:03 1967

15 Gary Farr - Don't Know Why You Bother Child 4:10 1973

16 Shelagh McDonald - Stargazer 4:11 1971

17 Matthews' Southern Comfort - Woodstock 3:25 1970

18 Joni Mitchell - Barangrill 2:51 1972

19 Van Morrison - Almost Independence Day 10:06 1972

20 Tim Buckley - Phantasmagoria in Two 3:28 1967

CD2

01 Judee Sill - The Kiss 4:36 1973

02 David Ackles - Montana Song 10:06 1972

03 Tim Hardin - If I Were A Carpenter 2:44 1967

04 Eric Andersen - Blue River 4:46 1972

05 Roger Rodier - While My Castle's Burning 4:17 1972

06 Tom Rapp - The Jeweler 3:28 1970

07 Bill Fay - Be Not So Fearful 2:44 1971

08 Michael Franks - The Lady Wants to Know 4:46 1977

09 Mark-Almond - What Am I Living For 5:14 1972

10 John Martyn - May You Never 3:41 1973

11 Accolade - Nature Boy 9:44 1970

12 Mickey Newbury - Heaven Help The Child 4:13 1973

13 Dando Shaft - Waves Upon The Ether 4:34 1971

14 Dayle Stanley - The Foundlings 3:53 1969

15 John Renbourn - Sarabande 2:44 1970

16 Dave Ellis - Can You Tell Me 3:55 1973

17 Fred Neil - The Dolphins 4:05 1966

18 Bert Jansch - The Bright New Year 1:34 1969

19 Montreal - Circles and Lines 2:44 1970

20 COB - Music of The Ages 3:53 1971

CD3

01 Mark Almond - The City Part 1 (The Ghetto) 6:14 1971

02 Michael Chapman - Postcards of Scarborough 5:19 1970

03 Mike Cooper - The Singing Tree 5:36 1970

04 Dando Shaft - Coming Home to Me 3:26 1971

05 Joni Mitchell - Edith and The Kingpin 3:37 1975

06 Bill Fay - The Sun is Bored 2:32 1970

07 Roger Rodier - My Spirit's Calling 5:03 1972

08 Andy Roberts - Home Grown 2:52 1971

09 Gary Farr - General's Daughter 3:33 1973

10 Mick Softley - The Song That I Sing 4:49 1970

11 Tom Rapp - Blind River 4:59 1972

12 Bridget St. John - Seagull-Sunday 3:10 1971

13 John Renbourn - The Lady and the Unicorn 3:25 1970

14 Judee Sill - The Vigilante 3:50 1973

15 Bob Carpenter - Morning Train 4:27 1975

16 Tucker Zimmerman - Left Hand of Moses 4:06 1969

17 Robbie Basho - Blue Crystal Fire 4:48 1978

18 Murray McLauchlan - Out Past The Timberline 4:27 1972

19 Buzzy Linhart - Friends 3:59 1969

20 John Martyn - Go Down Easy 3:36 1973

CD4

01 Chris Smither - I Feel the Same 4:24 1972

02 Peter Lang - Wide Oval Rip-Off 3:24 1973

03 Tim Buckley - I Must Have Been Blind 3:46 1969

04 Judee Sill - Soldier of the Heart 3:34 1973

05 Bill Fay - Plan D 3:12 1971

06 Sandy Denny - The Lady 3:40 1972

07 Third Ear Band - Stone Circle 3:28 1970

08 David Ackles - His Name is Andrew 6:09 1972

09 Jim Sullivan - Rosey 3:21 1969

10 Kathy McCord - Rainbow Ride 4:59 1970

11 Dave Van Ronk - Clouds 4:43 1969

12 Dando Shaft - Riverboat 4:15 1971

13 David Wiffen - One Step 2:29 1971

14 Marc Brierley - Welcome to the Citadel 4:36 1968

15 John Fahey - Wine and Roses 3:28 1968

16 Jade Warrior - A Winters Tale 5:14 1971

17 Nick Drake - Road 2:00 1972

18 Mike Cooper - Hope You See 3:55 1970

19 Michael Chapman - Among the Trees (Mono) 3:37 1978

20 John Martyn - Small Hours 6:32 1977

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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.

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