Alan Barnes
Biography
1977-80 Alan studied saxophone, woodwinds and arranging at the Leeds College of music.
In 1980 he moved to London, playing with the Midnight Follies Orchestra and the following year was with the Pasadena Roof Orchestra, touring Europe until 1983. In that year he left to join the hard bop band of Tommy Chase where he attracted considerable attention on the UK jazz scene for the first time.
He left Chase in 1986 to co-lead The Jazz Renegades with rock drummer Steve White travelling as far afield as Japan and recording four well received albums. In 1988 Alan was asked to fill the chair recently vacated by Bruce Turner in the Humphrey Lyttleton band where he stayed until 1992. 1987-97 he also found time to lead the Pizza Express Modern Jazz Sextet with Gerard Prescencer and Dave O’Higgins. Since leaving the Lyttleton band, Alan has concentrated on his freelance career.
Alan has enjoyed a prolific career as a sideman, playing and recording for many bands. He broadcast regularly over a ten-year period with the BBC Big Band and Radio Orchestra and has toured and recorded with big band leaders, Dick Walter, Kenny Baker, Bob Wilber, Don Weller, Stan Tracey, Mike Westbrook and John Dankworth. Other bands he has toured and recorded with include the Tina May Trio, Bill LeSage’s Genetically Modified Quintet, Spike Robinson’s Tenor Madness, Clare Teale, and a sextet with Don Weller playing the music of Cannonball Adderley. Alan has also toured the U.K. with Freddie Hubbard. Alan has long associations with pianist David Newton, going back to their college days, and with blistering be-bop trumpeter Bruce Adams, with whom he has co-led a quintet since the early nineties.
Alan has been featured on many jazz recordings from his first record date as co-leader in 1985 with Tommy Whittle and as leader of his own quartet in 1987 right up to recent record dates with Scott Hamilton, Warren Vache and Harry Allen. He has appeared on the Concord, Fret, Miles Music, Nagel Hayer and Specific labels with various projects.
Alan has recorded a large number of sessions with pianist Brian Lemon on the Zephyr label. Amongst these sessions are duet, quintet, sextet and octet sessions with Warren Vache, Tony Coe, KenPeplowski, Gerrard Prescencer and Mark Nightingale.
Alan has performed as a member of Clark Tracey’s “Tribute to Art Blakey” and was featured on the David Newton/Clark Tracey recording Bootleg Eric. He has also appeared as a session musician on albums by Selina Jones, Bjork, Van Morrison, Bryan Ferry, Clare Teal, Jamie Cullum and Westlife and can also be found on film and television soundtracks including “Chicago” and jingles such as the Tetley Bitter series of adverts featuring his solo baritone. Alan has appeared regularly as a member of the Laurie Holloway orchestra on television’s Michael Parkinson show and Strictly Come Dancing.
In 1999 Alan toured America and Europe with Bryan Ferry’s band, returning to the U.S.A. in early 2000 to record and tour for ten weeks with Warren Vache’s eleven-piece band- a project for which he had written most of the arrangements. He returned to Kansas City in 2001 to perform as a guest soloist at the Topeka jazz Festival. That November he featured on Baritone and clarinet at the Blue Note Clubs in New York and Tokyo with the Charlie Watts Tentet and followed this with a stay in South Africa as a solo artist.
Over the years Alan has won many British Jazz awards in alto, baritone, clarinet and arranging categories. In 2001 and 2006 Alan received the prestigious BBC Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year award and in November 2003 was made a fellow of the Leeds College of Music
2003 also saw the inception of Alan’s own record label Woodville Records.
Compositions and commissions include “The Sherlock Holmes Suite”, two series of jazz songs written with playwright Alan Plater – “Songs for Unsung Heroes” and “The Seven Ages of Jazz”, “The Mabella Suite”, and settings of E.E. Cummings and other poets arranged for Jazz octet. Latest projects include a clarinet led trio with Jim Hart on vibes and Paul Clavis on drums and an all star octet playing the music of Duke Ellington.
Latest CD
Barnstorming
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Latest News
JULY 2008
16th
British Standard Time with Chris Biscoe
Start 8pm
Leasowes Bank Farm
Ratlinghope, Shropshire SY5 0SW
More Info: 01743 790 769
17th
Wigan Jazz Festival
10am Seminar
1-3pm Liquorice Stick Allsorts
Wigan Cricket Club
Parsons Walk
Wigan, WN1 1RU
01942 241581
18th
With the Laurie Holloway Trio
The Arts Festival at The Townley Hall, Fulbourne
Ticket info www.fulbournarts.org or 01223 880778/880793.
19th Jazz On A Summer’s Day
Featuring Roy Williams, Andy Wood and the David Newton Trio with appearances from John Dankworth and Alan Barnes.
11:30am £11 in advance, £12 on the door
Venue: Old Rectory Garden
The Stables Theatre Ltd
Stockwell Lane
Wavendon
Milton Keynes
MK17 8LU
19th
Sax Supremos
John Dankworth, Andy Panayi, Alan Barnes, Frank
Griffith, Jimmy Hastings with Dave Newton (Piano)
Andy Cleyndert (Bass) Steve Brown (Drums)
2:30pm £12
Venue as above
19th
Gala Night – with Fireworks & The Chamber Ensemble of London
Director / Solo Violin: Peter Fisher
Hosted by: John Dankworth and Alan Barnes
7.30pm £17.50
Venue as above
20th
Final Festive Flourish – The Gardener’s Big Band
Leader Andy Panayi, under the command of
John Dankworth, Mark Nightingale.
12:00pm £15
Venue as above
22nd
Medway Jazz Society
24th
‘The Miles Davis Influence’
Alan Barnes – saxophone
John Horler – piano
THE DYSART ARMS
135 Petersham Road
Richmond
Surrey
TW10 7AA
020 8940 8005
enquiries@thedysartarms.co.uk
28th
Alan Barnes Septet For Duke
Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival
The Spiegeltent
George Square
Edinburgh, EH8 9LD
Phone: 0131 555 6966
21:00 – £12
29th-31st
Teaching
7th Dordogne International Jazz Summer School
www.jazzschool-dordogne.co.uk/
AUGUST
1st
Spontaneous Combustion -12 noon
Andy Cleyndert Bass
David Newton Piano
Royal Albert Hall
1st
With the Phil DeGreg Trio
8pm
Telegraph Inn, Putney Heath, London, SW15 3TU
3rd
Guestspot with Dan Shepherd Trio
1-3pm
Brighton
4th-8th
Teaching
Rock School
The Dome
Brighton
7th
Jazz at the Boathouse
Hosted by Broxbourne Rowing Club, Old Nazeing Road, Broxbourne
EN10 6QU
Doors open 7.30pm. Music 8pm
Telephone: 01992 442263
9th
Don Weller Big Band
Brecon Jazz Festival
Event 10. Saturday 09 August 1:00 PM
Venue: Theatr Brycheiniog Price: £14.50 (GBP)
9th
Brecon Jazz Festival
18.00 18.45 Theatr Brycheiniog Studio Echos of Ellington Dave Newton & Alan Barnes (Set 1)
19.15 20.00 Theatr Brycheiniog Studio Echos of Ellington Dave Newton & Alan Barnes (Set 2)
12th
Alan Barnes & Dave Newton
The Rhythm Station
Station House
New Hall Hey Road
Rawtenstall
BB4 6AJ
8.30pm
booking tel 01706 214039
15th
Bakewell Arts Festival
Friday 15 August • Piedaniel’s Restaurant, Bath Street • 6.30pm for 7pm • £45 to include gourmet dinner • Tickets (which are to be paid for when booked) available from Andy Littler on 07785 520674 or via the BAF Hotline
17th-23rd
Teaching
The MEhr Clef Summer Jazz Courses are residential courses held at Digby Stuart College, Roehampton University, London.
FOR MUSICIANS AGED 18+ (NO UPPER AGE LIMIT)
www.mehrclef.com
18th
With the Tevor Tomkins Trio
8.30
Coach & Horses Isleworth
183 London Rd, Middx, TW7 5BQ
19th
With Judy Carmichael
10pm
Boisdales
15 Eccleston Street
Belgravia
SW1W 9LX
Tel: 020 7730 6922
info@boisdale.co.uk
20th Boisdales
(as the 19th)
21st
Tutors Concert
7.30
Digby Stuart College, Roehampton University, London.
22nd
Boisdales
(as the 19th)
23rd
Boisdales
(as the 19th)
24th
Keith Nichols Band
12-2.30pm
8-11pm
Bude Jazz Festival
25th
Octupal Odyssey
3-5.30pm
8-11pm With The John Hallam Quartet
Bude Jazz Festival
26th-30th
Teaching
The MEhr Clef Summer Jazz Courses are residential courses held at Digby Stuart College, Roehampton University, London
FOR MUSICIANS AGED 21 AND UNDER (MINIMUM AGE 14)
www.mehrclef.com
28th
Evening
Maida Vale Studios
public recording
Tribute to Allan Ganley
31st
12.15-2.30
Merlins Cave
The Village Green
Chalfont St. Giles
HP8 4QF
Tel: 01494 875101
SEPTEMBER
4th
Guesting with Hugh Ockendon Trio
20:30 – 11:00
Birchwood Park Golf Centre
Birchwood Road, Wilmington Kent DA2 7HJ
Sidcup
DA2 7HJ
Telephone: 020 8325 3999
Email: Marion200@ntlworld.com
6th
Liquorice-Stick All Sorts
10.15-11-30pm
Cleethorpes Jazz Weekend
Cleethorpes Beachcomber
208 North Sea Lane
Cleethorpes
Tel: 01472812666
7th
Alan Barnes Septet
6.30pm
Pontypool Jazz Festival
Newport
12th