Chris Barber RIP

Discuss the people that make the music here.
Post Reply
stewbones43
Posts: 218
Joined: Thu Oct 25, 2018 5:11 am
Location: Somerset, UK

Chris Barber RIP

Post by stewbones43 »

Sad to announce the passing of British trombonist Chris Barber yesterday at the age of 90.

He led his British style trad jazz band from 1953 until he retired in 2019.

Sad day.

Stewbones43
Conn 36H(Pitched in D/A)
B&H Sessionair
Besson 10-10
Conn 74H
Yamaha YSL-641 with Yamaha Custom Slide
Conn 88H Gen II with Conn SL4747 Slide
Besson Academy 409
Rath/Holton/Benge Bb/F/G or Gb/Eb or D Independent Bass
baileyman
Posts: 965
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2018 11:33 pm

Re: Chris Barber RIP

Post by baileyman »

And he was an early Lotus sports car racer, at one time fielding his own team. I suppose that indicates the level of his financial success that he could fund what is usually a hugely loosing proposition. More tromboners should do that instead of hording the dough!

Here's a pic:

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news ... o/80747290
stewbones43
Posts: 218
Joined: Thu Oct 25, 2018 5:11 am
Location: Somerset, UK

Re: Chris Barber RIP

Post by stewbones43 »

Thanks Baileyman. I didn't know that about him.

Cheers

Stewbones
Conn 36H(Pitched in D/A)
B&H Sessionair
Besson 10-10
Conn 74H
Yamaha YSL-641 with Yamaha Custom Slide
Conn 88H Gen II with Conn SL4747 Slide
Besson Academy 409
Rath/Holton/Benge Bb/F/G or Gb/Eb or D Independent Bass
User avatar
Grah
Posts: 102
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2018 6:40 pm
Location: REDLAND BAY, AUSTRALIA

Re: Chris Barber RIP

Post by Grah »

RIP Chris. Very sad! He was my trombone playing and band-leading hero when I first took up trombone in the 1950s. I used to follow his band around the greater London area, trying not to miss any of his gigs. Chris Barber, Pat Halcox and Monty Sunshine were a great sounding front line, and I still recommend their methods of blending to the players in my two current Traditional Jazz bands. Ottile Patterson was a very good jazz vocalist with the band, and also married to Chris for over 20 years before they divorced in 1983.

I also liked the way Chris developed his jazz style and used bigger band lineups with very swinging rhythm sections. Slightly more Mainstream sounds from these bands. I went even further myself in using a more Mainstream approach to my playing style and for my bands. But Chris was always there in my mind. And one can only envy his success.
Grah

(Transcribing jazz solos is fraught with difficulties because exact rhythmic notation is well-nigh impossible. So listen carefully because it's the only way to learn how to play jazz trombone so that we can return to the Golden Age.) 8-)
Bach5G
Posts: 2270
Joined: Sat Apr 07, 2018 6:10 pm

Re: Chris Barber RIP

Post by Bach5G »

Nice to hear from you Grah.
chromebone
Posts: 284
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2018 4:29 pm

Re: Chris Barber RIP

Post by chromebone »

Barber's legacy and influence goes far beyond trad jazz. The trad jazzers, led by Barber, Lonnie Donegan and Ken Colyer also introduced skiffle to England, which was the music that inspired the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and many others which started the British invasion in rock. If you want to see a short history of skiffle, this documentary is a great start:
https://youtu.be/-wfeO7Y_5eA
User avatar
Grah
Posts: 102
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2018 6:40 pm
Location: REDLAND BAY, AUSTRALIA

Re: Chris Barber RIP

Post by Grah »

I should stress that Chris was my first hero and certainly remained a huge influence. However, the other British trombonist that greatly interested me with his style was Roy Williams, who was playing with Alex Welsh. I hope that when I am playing Dixieland (Traditional Jazz), my present-day style of improvising is mainly a combination of the two.

Of course, then came the the great swing and modern jazz trombonists, and I hope my improvising kept pace with the developing styles. Especially when I am soloing with big swing bands.
Grah

(Transcribing jazz solos is fraught with difficulties because exact rhythmic notation is well-nigh impossible. So listen carefully because it's the only way to learn how to play jazz trombone so that we can return to the Golden Age.) 8-)
Post Reply

Return to “Musicians”