Chris Barber
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Donald Christopher 'Chris' Barber (born April 17, 1930 at Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England) is best known as a trombonist playing in his Trad revivals with his Dixieland jazz band.
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[edit] Early life
He is the son of a statistician father and headmistress mother and was educated at St Paul's School, in London and the Guildhall School of Music.
[edit] Music career
Barber played trombone with Humphrey Lyttleton in 1949 and began leading his own bands in which he played trombone in 1950. Barber helped to create the careers of many diverse musicians, most notably the superb blues singer Ottilie Patterson - who was at one time, Mrs Barber. Others include vocalist and banjo player Lonnie Donegan who rose to his own fame during the Skiffle music craze of the middle-1950s. He had his first transatlantic hit during his time in Chris Barber's band with the release of Rock Island Line.
In addition to Donegan, Barber also featured Pat Halcox on trumpet from 1954 onwards, once Ken Colyer had moved on after a difference of opinion as to the way the band should develop. The band formed in 1953 took Colyer's name as they thought that his recent spell in New Orleans would be an attraction, with Monty Sunshine on clarinet, Donegan, Jim Bray (Bass), Ron Bowden (drums) and Chris Barber on trombone. In April, 1953, the band made its public debut in Copenhagen where it also recorded several sides for the then new Danish Storyville label. A trio from the band, Sunshine, Donegan and Barber (on bass) also recorded during that trip. Later, back in London, Sunshine and Barber recorded a version of Bechet's Petite Fleur that made it onto the pop music charts. Although the Barber band featured traditional jazz in the New Orleans style, it later also engaged in Ragtime, Swing, Blues and R&B and worked with other artists including Louis Jordan and Dr. John. After 1959 he toured the United States many times.
Almost in passing, in the late-1950s and early-1960s, Chris Barber was mainly responsible for arranging the first UK tours of seminal blues artists such as Big Bill Broonzy, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee and Muddy Waters. This, along with encouragement from local enthusiasts such as Alexis Korner and John Mayall, sparked the interest of young local prospective musicians such as Peter Green, Eric Clapton and the members of the The Rolling Stones in the Blues and caused the British Blues explosion that in turn resulted in the British invasion exported back to the US in the middle to late sixties.
Originally a six piece band, with a back line of drums, bass and banjo, and a front line of trombone, clarinet and trumpet, Chris stunned the traditionalists in 1964 by including blues guitarist, John Slaughter, into the line up. (apart from a break between April 1978 and August 1986, when Roger Hill took over the spot, John is still there).
Chris then added a second clarinet/saxophone, making it an eight-piece band, and this continued right up until 1999. With a long time love of the Duke Ellington music, Chris added fellow trombonist and arranger Bob Hunt into the line up, along with another clarinet and trumpet. The band is now known as "The Big Chris Barber Band", boasting an impressive 11 man lineup and a very broad range of music, still catering for many tastes but also still having a spot in the concert programme for the original traditional, six man lineup.
[edit] Current activities
The partnership with trumpeter Pat Halcox, dating back to May 1954, is now the longest in jazz history. The current line up is John Sutton - drums; Dave Green double bass (Jan 2007); John Slaughter - guitar; Joe Farler - banjo & guitar, forming the rhythm section. Front line Chris Barber, John Service - trombone; Pat Halcox, Mike Henry - trumpets; Mike Snelling, Tony Carter, Richard Exall - clarinets, alto sax, tenor sax, baritone sax, flute.
Recent band members who have moved on:
Bob Hunt - trombone left end January 2008.
Vic Pitt - double bass retired January 2007 after 30 years with the band. His feature duet with the drummers of the day - "Big Noise From Winnetka" was not only a feature of the Chris Barber concerts, but also his time with the Kenny Ball band immediately before.
John Defferary - reeds - End 2006; Andy Kuc - banjo/guitar End 2006 Colin Miller - drums; John Crocker - reeds Jan 2003
Many of the band's classic albums from the 1950s and 1960s can be found on the UK's LAKE RECORDS label.
In 2008, Chris Barber--along with Eric Clapton and others--is involved in a new cooperative record company, Blues Legacy.
