ALAN BARNES + ELEVEN - A 60th Birthday Celebration: With New Takes On Tunes From Tunes From ‘59
Woodville Records WVCD151
Alan Barnes: saxophones / clarinet; Pat White: trumpet; James Copus: trumpet; Mark Nightingale: trombone; Gordon Campbell trombone; Howard McGill: alto / woodwinds; Robert Fowler: tenor / woodwinds; Andy Panayi: tenor / woodwinds; Mick Foster: baritone / woodwinds; Robin Aspland: piano; Sam Burgess: bass; Matt Skelton: drums
Alan Barnes is one of the UK's most popular and versatile jazz musicians. He decided to celebrate his 60th birthday by going back for inspiration to the most magical year of 1959. That year produced many ground-breaking albums by Art Pepper, Charles Mingus, Dave Brubeck, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk.
The Marty Paich Art Pepper album ‘Art Pepper + Eleven has long been one of Barnes’ favourite. Arranger Marty Paich took classic jazz tunes such as ‘Airegin’, ‘Walkin’ Shoes’, ‘Move’ and ‘Four Brothers’ and rearranged them to feature Art Pepper. Barnes has done something similar with tunes from ’59 in order to pay homage to the wonderful year of, and to the wonderful album. Barnes brought together a group of highly accomplished musicians avoiding members of ‘The Gloom School’. By the joyful sounds of the album, he was successful but it would be interesting to know who are the members of The Gloom School!
The album opens with the group roaring through ‘Boogie Stop Shuffle’. Barnes is featured on Parkerish alto. His alto emulates Paul Desmond in ‘Take Five’ where he does not attempt a straight copy of the sophisticated Desmond, Barnes has more edge to his playing.
Carlos Jobim dominated the sixties. On ‘A Felicidade’ Barnes plays clarinet with Andy Panayi on flute. The interweaving of lines towards the end of the piece is beautifully arranged and played.
Mark Nightingale’s arrangements are all pleasant and capture some of the spirit and the character of the originals. However, all the music played here was strikingly new in its day and it is a pity that the shock of the new is not always captured here. Nevertheless, it is a very agreeable album beautifully and incisively played.
‘Little Rootie Tootie’ is a very gnarled bumpy theme. It is probably the best arrangement on the album which honours the original and the gritty baritone of Barnes harmonizes with the theme. James Copus on trumpet flies over the arrangement while Panayi on tenor opens inappropriately with a quote from ‘I Dream of Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair’ before settling into his groove.
Barnes’ bass clarinet is featured on Duke Ellington’s ‘The Single Petal of A Rose’. Ellington and Billy Strayhorn composed this in 1958 and together with other pieces presented them as the Queen’s Suite to Queen Elizabeth. Ellington forbade circulation of the Suite until after his death. The Suite was eventually issued in 1976. The bass clarinet has a beautiful sound and the restrained arrangement has a tasteful solo from trombonist Gordon Campbell. For me, this track is the highlight of the album.
At the end of the last piece ‘Blowing the Blues Away’ the whole group does blow away. Their enjoyment is palpable. You can understand why someone laughs with pleasure as the last chords die away.
As was intended, the whole album is a wonderful tribute to the versatility of Alan Barnes and to the professionalism of the Eleven.
Reviewed by Jack Kenny
Woodville Records WVCD151
Alan Barnes: saxophones / clarinet; Pat White: trumpet; James Copus: trumpet; Mark Nightingale: trombone; Gordon Campbell trombone; Howard McGill: alto / woodwinds; Robert Fowler: tenor / woodwinds; Andy Panayi: tenor / woodwinds; Mick Foster: baritone / woodwinds; Robin Aspland: piano; Sam Burgess: bass; Matt Skelton: drums
Alan Barnes is one of the UK's most popular and versatile jazz musicians. He decided to celebrate his 60th birthday by going back for inspiration to the most magical year of 1959. That year produced many ground-breaking albums by Art Pepper, Charles Mingus, Dave Brubeck, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk.
The Marty Paich Art Pepper album ‘Art Pepper + Eleven has long been one of Barnes’ favourite. Arranger Marty Paich took classic jazz tunes such as ‘Airegin’, ‘Walkin’ Shoes’, ‘Move’ and ‘Four Brothers’ and rearranged them to feature Art Pepper. Barnes has done something similar with tunes from ’59 in order to pay homage to the wonderful year of, and to the wonderful album. Barnes brought together a group of highly accomplished musicians avoiding members of ‘The Gloom School’. By the joyful sounds of the album, he was successful but it would be interesting to know who are the members of The Gloom School!
The album opens with the group roaring through ‘Boogie Stop Shuffle’. Barnes is featured on Parkerish alto. His alto emulates Paul Desmond in ‘Take Five’ where he does not attempt a straight copy of the sophisticated Desmond, Barnes has more edge to his playing.
Carlos Jobim dominated the sixties. On ‘A Felicidade’ Barnes plays clarinet with Andy Panayi on flute. The interweaving of lines towards the end of the piece is beautifully arranged and played.
Mark Nightingale’s arrangements are all pleasant and capture some of the spirit and the character of the originals. However, all the music played here was strikingly new in its day and it is a pity that the shock of the new is not always captured here. Nevertheless, it is a very agreeable album beautifully and incisively played.
‘Little Rootie Tootie’ is a very gnarled bumpy theme. It is probably the best arrangement on the album which honours the original and the gritty baritone of Barnes harmonizes with the theme. James Copus on trumpet flies over the arrangement while Panayi on tenor opens inappropriately with a quote from ‘I Dream of Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair’ before settling into his groove.
Barnes’ bass clarinet is featured on Duke Ellington’s ‘The Single Petal of A Rose’. Ellington and Billy Strayhorn composed this in 1958 and together with other pieces presented them as the Queen’s Suite to Queen Elizabeth. Ellington forbade circulation of the Suite until after his death. The Suite was eventually issued in 1976. The bass clarinet has a beautiful sound and the restrained arrangement has a tasteful solo from trombonist Gordon Campbell. For me, this track is the highlight of the album.
At the end of the last piece ‘Blowing the Blues Away’ the whole group does blow away. Their enjoyment is palpable. You can understand why someone laughs with pleasure as the last chords die away.
As was intended, the whole album is a wonderful tribute to the versatility of Alan Barnes and to the professionalism of the Eleven.
Reviewed by Jack Kenny
