Accolades for an English musician don't come more exotic than a description of Chris Barber as the "Bix Beiderbecke of British-style jazz" – this, from the pen of musicologist David Boulton back in 1958. Not that this kind of plaudit about Barber is confined to the past, nor to the jazz world. Blues-Rock Explosion published in 2001 states that, "Chris Barber, Alexis Korner, Lonnie Donegan and Cyril Davies ...were the real founding fathers of what became the British 1960s blues-rock explosion."
Trombonist, bandleader and sometime bassist Chris Barber has been at the centre of British musical life for seventy years. This double album anthology shows exactly why he has been such an influential figure, giving just a taste of the breadth of interest, and of his involvement in jazz, blues, skiffle and beyond.
If proof were needed how widely Barber is held in high esteem by his fellow musicians, it’s the visitors from the rock world who deliver it. Eric Clapton jams with Chris, Keith Emerson welcomes Chris into his T-Bones, Mark Knopfler plays beautifully with the band and Van Morrison eclipses the band’s own vocal star Lonnie Donegan with a trio of performances that count among his best recordings.
Chris Barber’s Jazz Band, which can trace its lineage back to 1949, became a beacon of traditional styles of jazz in the UK. This collection includes some of the early high points, as the band welcomes some of its American heroes into the line-up including New Orleans clarinetists Ed Hall and Albert Nicholas, legendary trombonists Trummy Young and Eddie Durham, and keyboard wizard Dr. John. Ex-Louis Armstrong All-Stars clarinetist Joe Darensbourg also plays on a special informal session with Chris.
From early in his career, Chris’s band welcomed blues stars to Europe. This collection is particularly rich in terms of those blues connections, with Brownie McGhee remembering highlights of his tour with the band, and examples of Chris’s collaborations with Muddy waters and James Cotton. The Barber Band toured with many a gospel singer too, and Professor Alex Bradford hones the band’s singing skills on this album. There are home-grown blues connections, starting with the band’s own long-term singer Ottilie Patterson plus Rory Gallagher and Paul Jones.
The guests, however, are only part of the story. It’s Barber and his own band of excellent musicians that are at the core of this collection, proving exactly why they remain a national treasure.
One reason why Boulton drew a comparison with Bix Beiderbecke back in 1958 was because he felt that in less than ten years as a band leader Barber's "imitation developed until it could exist in its own right." He continued, ..."Whether or not this British style will eventually be considered of any permanent value is for a later generation to decide."
Seventy years on, it looks like they have decided.
“Memories of My Trip” is a remarkable two CD retrospective celebrating the pioneering Barber's “A” list jazz, blues and gospel collaborations throughout his seventy-years as a band leader. It opens with Brownie McGhee remembering highlights of his early tour with the band. The whole set is crammed tight with fine examples Chris recording with Eric Clapton, James Cotton, Sonny Terry &Brownie McGhee, Ottilie Patterson, Lonnie Donegan, Keith Emerson, Andy Fairweather Low, Rory Gallagher, Edmond Hall, Jeff Healey, Jools Holland, Paul Jones, Mark Knopfler, Van Morrison, Dr. John, John Slaughter, Albert Nicholas, Muddy Waters and others.
Accolades for an English musician don't come more exotic than a description of Chris Barber as the "Bix Beiderbecke of British-style jazz" – this, from the pen of musicologist David Boulton back in 1958. Not that this kind of plaudit about Barber is confined to the past, nor to the jazz world. Blues-Rock Explosion published in 2001 states that, "Chris Barber, Alexis Korner, Lonnie Donegan and Cyril Davies ...were the real founding fathers of what became the British 1960s blues-rock explosion."
Trombonist, bandleader and sometime bassist Chris Barber has been at the centre of British musical life for seventy years. This double album anthology shows exactly why he has been such an influential figure, giving just a taste of the breadth of interest, and of his involvement in jazz, blues, skiffle and beyond.
If proof were needed how widely Barber is held in high esteem by his fellow musicians, it’s the visitors from the rock world who deliver it. Eric Clapton jams with Chris, Keith Emerson welcomes Chris into his T-Bones, Mark Knopfler plays beautifully with the band and Van Morrison eclipses the band’s own vocal star Lonnie Donegan with a trio of performances that count among his best recordings.
Chris Barber’s Jazz Band, which can trace its lineage back to 1949, became a beacon of traditional styles of jazz in the UK. This collection includes some of the early high points, as the band welcomes some of its American heroes into the line-up including New Orleans clarinetists Ed Hall and Albert Nicholas, legendary trombonists Trummy Young and Eddie Durham, and keyboard wizard Dr. John. Ex-Louis Armstrong All-Stars clarinetist Joe Darensbourg also plays on a special informal session with Chris.
From early in his career, Chris’s band welcomed blues stars to Europe. This collection is particularly rich in terms of those blues connections, with Brownie McGhee remembering highlights of his tour with the band, and examples of Chris’s collaborations with Muddy waters and James Cotton. The Barber Band toured with many a gospel singer too, and Professor Alex Bradford hones the band’s singing skills on this album. There are home-grown blues connections, starting with the band’s own long-term singer Ottilie Patterson plus Rory Gallagher and Paul Jones.
The guests, however, are only part of the story. It’s Barber and his own band of excellent musicians that are at the core of this collection, proving exactly why they remain a national treasure.
One reason why Boulton drew a comparison with Bix Beiderbecke back in 1958 was because he felt that in less than ten years as a band leader Barber's "imitation developed until it could exist in its own right." He continued, ..."Whether or not this British style will eventually be considered of any permanent value is for a later generation to decide."
Seventy years on, it looks like they have decided.
“Memories of My Trip” is a remarkable two CD retrospective celebrating the pioneering Barber's “A” list jazz, blues and gospel collaborations throughout his seventy-years as a band leader. It opens with Brownie McGhee remembering highlights of his early tour with the band. The whole set is crammed tight with fine examples Chris recording with Eric Clapton, James Cotton, Sonny Terry &Brownie McGhee, Ottilie Patterson, Lonnie Donegan, Keith Emerson, Andy Fairweather Low, Rory Gallagher, Edmond Hall, Jeff Healey, Jools Holland, Paul Jones, Mark Knopfler, Van Morrison, Dr. John, John Slaughter, Albert Nicholas, Muddy Waters and others.
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"one of the best anthologies I've ever heard. The music here is all phenomenal..." ~ Michael Doherty
"Barber’s led a musical career that’s made him a historian by virtue of the history he’s lived, and this two-disc set provides a fine overview of his travels.' ~ Hyperbolium
