Chris Barber (1930-2021). Chris Barber, a pioneer in European jazz, was born in 1930. He was a member of the “Three Bs”, who together with Kenny Ball, Acker Bilk, defined traditional British jazz and led the revival of “Trad” in the late 1950s and early 60s. After being evacuated from London in World War 2, his interest in jazz started. He began to collect 78 records of American jazz heroes and became an expert on early recordings of jazz. After the war, he formed his first band in London playing the trombone he had bought from Humphrey Lyttelton. His first recordings were made in the late 1940s. However, it was only when he and Monty Sunshine formed a cooperative band under Ken Colyer’s leadership that his career really took off. Colyer’s band was synonymous with New Orleans authenticity. This was due to the fact that Colyer had been deported after he tried to make his way to New Orleans to play with some of the city’s most famous jazz musicians. The band split in 1954, with five of its members joining Pat Halcox, who would remain in Barber’s bands until 2008. Their 54-year-long partnership was unmatched in British jazz. The band found a winning formula when Ottilie Patterson, a Northern Irish singer, joined it. It moved from small jazz clubs in Britain to larger concert halls in Europe and the United States, where it was known as Mrs Barber. Barber was known as the “man who brought Trad back home to America” because of this. Barber had studied briefly the trombone and double bass at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He played the trombone on his 1956 album “Petite Fleur”, which featured Monty Sunshine’s clarinet. It was a chart success, reaching no. It reached no. 3 in the UK, and no. 5 in the American top 100. For several weeks, it was at number one in Sweden. Lonnie Donegan, the original banjoist of the band, also enjoyed chart success. Barber and he had included a brief set of “skiffle”, which is American country blues, in their concert sets. Their 1955 version of Rock Island Line was the first vocal recording to be certified Gold Disc in Britain. After owning a pair vintage Lagondas, Barber became interested in motorsport and drove a Lotus Mark IX, then a prototype Lotus Elite. This was supplied to him directly by Colin Chapman. His band frequently performed at post-race celebrations at British F1 Grand Prix. He was a frequent visitor to UK racing circuits throughout the years. Barber was already a popular figure with radio and television, and by the 1960s, he was also a prominent figure in the revival of blues music. He had brought to Britain such artists as Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. But he also added John Slaughter to his band, which was later called the Chris Barber Jazz and Blues Band. The group was never static musically. While his “Trad” compatriots played the classic jazz repertoire of 1920s and 1930s, Barber was exploring new material by Joe Zawinul, John Handy, and Charles Mingus. His eight-piece band, which spent much of the year in Holland and Germany, continued to experiment with new material. Barber was often a guest of Van Morrison and Jools Hollins, and brought his trombone and enthusiasm to their backing bands. Barber’s last venture was to expand his group as the Big Chris Barber Band. This band specialised in Duke Ellington music, which had intrigued him since childhood. His line-up was brilliantly organized by Bob Hunt, his fellow trombonist. Barber received the OBE in 1991 for his contributions to music. Barber, who had led a band for almost 70 years, announced his retirement in 2019. In 2014, he published his autobiography, “Jazz Me Blues”. After suffering from dementia, he died on March 2, 2021. from https://londonjazznews.com
