Alan Barnes (Saxes - UK)

Multi-reed player Barnes, born in Altrincham in 1959, started on clarinet at twelve and studied at Leeds College of Music from 1977 until 1980, before moving to London. There he played with the Pasadena Roof Orchestra from 1981 to 1983, as well as occasionally working with the Midnite Follies Orchestra. He was with Tommy Chase's Quartet for three years from 1983. Barnes also worked with Bob Wilber's Big Band, including a booking at the Nice Festival. In 1988 he joined Humphrey Lyttelton, and worked regularly with him until early 1993, as well as being part of the Pizza Express Modern Jazz Sextet from 1989. He co-led a quintet with John Barnes and freelanced with many line-ups in the 1990s, including the BBC Radio Orchestra, Mike Westbrook, Kenny Baker's Dozen, Ian Cruickshank, Anthony Kerr, Don Weller and many other groups.

From early 1993 he co-led a quintet with Bruce Adams, which continues to this day. In 1996 he did a brief tour with Freddie Hubbard, and for a number of years featured in Val Wiseman's Lady Sings the Blues show and Peter York's Gene Krupa Tribute. He has continued to lead his own quartet, work in duo with Dave Newton and lead his own septet, octet and nonet, as well as a long standing association with writer/lyricist Alan Plater, which has produced a number of shows and recordings, including Beiderbecke and All That Jazz! , Songs for Unsung Heroes and The Seven Ages of Jazz.

He also toured and presented his own Sherlock Holmes Suite. Early in 2000 he toured the USA for ten weeks as part of his friend Warren Vache's eleven piece band, which also featured Jake Hanna, and for which Alan contributed a number of arrangements. An album by the band was released on Nagel Heyer records.

Never one to be idle, he also runs his own recording label, Woodville Records, on which he has produced, in addition to the suites, a number of critically acclaimed albums, including Zootcase featuring Alan and Scott Hamilton and Blues from Blueport by Andy Panayi's Quartet. Other projects he has devised have included tributes to Cannonball Adderley and Horace Silver. A busy man, he can usually be spotted in Laurie Holloway's Orchestra on the Michael Parkinson TV Show.

Photo courtesy of Bruce Lindsay

Web Site www.alan-barnes.co.uk