The Black Swan is the twenty-third album by Scottish folk singer Bert Jansch

Bert Jansch

Herbert "Bert" Jansch was a Scottish folk musician and founding member of the band Pentangle. He was born in Glasgow and came to prominence in London in the 1960s, as an acoustic guitarist, as well as a singer-songwriter...

. It was released in 2006 through Drag City

Drag City (record label)

Drag City is a Chicago-based independent record label. It was established with a Royal Trux release in 1990 in Chicago, Illinois by Dan Koretzky and Dan Osborn.Drag City specializes in experimental indie rock acts...

. Jansch described the album: "It's been fantastic working with everyone who's been involved on the record. They all came to it from a standpoint of being fans of my music, so while there are lots of great musicians making wonderful contributions to the record it still has a very acoustic, intimate feel – and there's still a lot of me on there!"

Canadian progressive rock

Progressive rock

Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...

 band The Tea Party

The Tea Party

The Tea Party is a Canadian rock band with blues, progressive rock, Indian and Middle Eastern influences, dubbed "Moroccan roll" by the media. Active throughout the 1990s up until 2005 when the band broke up, The Tea Party released eight albums on EMI Music Canada, selling 1.6 million records...

 covered "A Woman Like You" on the Special Tour Edition 2000 of their album Triptych.

Track listing

All tracks composed by Bert Jansch, except where indicated

1. "The Black Swan" - 6:25
2. "High Days" - 3:47
3. "When the Sun Comes Up" - features Beth Orton
   Beth Orton
   Beth Orton is a BRIT Award–winning English singer-songwriter, known for her 'folktronica' sound, which mixes elements of folk and electronica. She was initially recognised for her collaborations with William Orbit and the Chemical Brothers in the mid 1990s. However, these were not Orton's first...
   
    - 3:54
4. "Katie Cruel
   Katie Cruel
   Katie Cruel is a traditional American folksong, likely of Scottish origin. As a traditional song, it has been recorded by many performers, but the best known recording of the song is by Karen Dalton on the album In My Own Time...
   
   " (traditional, Jansch) - features Beth Orton
   Beth Orton
   Beth Orton is a BRIT Award–winning English singer-songwriter, known for her 'folktronica' sound, which mixes elements of folk and electronica. She was initially recognised for her collaborations with William Orbit and the Chemical Brothers in the mid 1990s. However, these were not Orton's first...
   
    and Devendra Banhart
   Devendra Banhart
   Devendra Obi Banhart is a singer-songwriter and visual artist. Banhart was born in Houston, Texas and was raised by his mother in Venezuela, until he moved to California as a teenager. He began to study at the San Francisco Art Institute in 1998, but dropped out to perform music in Europe, San...
   
    - 2:59
5. "My Pocket's Empty" (traditional, Jansch) - 3:49
6. "Watch the Stars" (traditional, Jansch) - features Beth Orton
   Beth Orton
   Beth Orton is a BRIT Award–winning English singer-songwriter, known for her 'folktronica' sound, which mixes elements of folk and electronica. She was initially recognised for her collaborations with William Orbit and the Chemical Brothers in the mid 1990s. However, these were not Orton's first...
   
    and Kevin Barker
   Kevin Barker
   Kevin Stewart Barker is a Major League Baseball first baseman who is currently a free agent. Barker made his major league debut on August 19, , with the Milwaukee Brewers....
   
    - 2:54
7. "A Woman Like You" - 4:13
8. "The Old Triangle
   The Auld Triangle
   "The Auld Triangle" is a song written by Dominic Behan for his brother Brendan Behan and is featured in Brendan's play The Quare Fellow. It is used to introduce the play, a story about the occurrences in a prison the day a convict is set to be executed...
   
   " (Brendan Behan
   Brendan Behan
   Brendan Francis Behan was an Irish poet, short story writer, novelist, and playwright who wrote in both Irish and English. He was also an Irish republican and a volunteer in the Irish Republican Army.-Early life:...
   
   ) - 4:06
9. "Bring Your Religion" - 3:05
10. "Texas Cowboy Blues" - 3:07
11. "Magdalina's Dance" (Jansch, Paul Wassif
    Paul Wassif
    - Career : Paul Wassif’s early career included a brief spell Punk/Rock band The London Cowboys. This was followed by various stints in New York bands including the The Ugly Americans with ex New York Dolls members, Jerry Nolan and Sylvain Sylvain...
    
    ) - 3:19
12. "Hey Pretty Girl" - 3:03