Alan Barnes

Alan Barnes (born 23 July 1959 in Altrincham, England) is an English jazz musician.

Career
Between 1977 and 1980 Barnes attended Leeds College of Music, where he studied saxophone, woodwinds and arranging before moving to London. In 1980 he played 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 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, with whom he recorded four albums.

In 1985 he recorded his first record date as co-leader with Tommy Whittle – Straight Eight and as leader of his own quartet in 1987– Affiliation with pianist David Newton, an association that goes back to their days at Leeds College of Music. In 1988 Barnesn was asked to fill the chair recently vacated by Bruce Turner in the Humphrey Lyttelton band where he stayed until 1992. Between 1987 and 1997 he also led the Pizza Express Modern Jazz Sextet with Gerard Presencer and Dave O’Higgins. After leaving the Lyttelton band, he concentrated on a freelance career. In 1993 he recorded again with Newton resulting in the duo album Like Minds and the quartet, quintet and sextet album Thirsty Work, which featured fellow reedmen Andy Panayi and Iain Dixon. Throughout the 1990s he co-led a quintet with be-bop trumpeter Bruce Adams, recording two CDs Side- Stepping and Lets Face the Music.

During 1997–99, Barnes began to record a large number of sessions with pianist Brian Lemon on the Zephyr label including albums with Warren Vache, Ken Peplowski, Tony Coe, Roy Williams and his own octet and nonet. He performed as a member of Clark Tracey’s Tribute to Art Blakey and was featured on the David Newton/Clark Tracey recording Bootleg Eric.

In 1999 he toured America and Europe with Bryan Ferry’s band, returning to the United States in early 2000 to record and tour for ten weeks with Warren Vache’s eleven-piece band - a project for which Barnes had written most of the arrangements. A band with Don Weller, celebrating the music of Cannonball Adderley, recorded a live album Cannonball which was awarded album of the year in the 2001 British Jazz Awards. In the same year he received the BBC Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year award. That November Barnes featured on baritone 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.

A regular broadcaster over a ten-year period with the BBC Big Band and Radio Orchestra, he has toured and recorded with big band leaders, Dick Walter, Kenny Baker, Bob Wilber, Don Weller, Stan Tracey and Mike Westbrook. Other bands he has toured and recorded with include the Gary Potter quartet, playing the music of Django Reinhardt, the Tina May Trio with Nikki Iles, Bill LeSage’s Genetically Modified Quintet, and Spike Robinson’s Tenor Madness. Barnes has also appeared as a session musician on albums by Selina Jones, Björk, Van Morrison, Bryan Ferry and can also be found on film and television soundtracks and jingles such as the Tetley Bitter series of adverts featuring his solo baritone.

Awards

 * BBC Jazz Awards – Best Instrumentalist (2001) and (2006)

Barnes has enjoyed considerable success in the The Marston's Pedigree British Jazz Awards, having won both the alto and clarinet sections five times and the baritone section three times. To celebrate this achievement a recording, Below Zero, featuring him on baritone saxophone accompanied by the David Newton Trio, was released by Concord Jazz.

Discography

 * 1985: Straight Eight – Tommy Whittle (Miles Music)
 * 1987: Affiliation – Alan Barnes (Miles Music)
 * 1989: Avalon Sunset – Van Morrison (Polydor/Umgd)
 * 1993: Like Minds – Alan Barnes and David Newton (Fret)
 * 1994: Side Steppin – Bruce Adams/Alan Barnes Quintet (Big Bear)
 * 1995: Let's Face The Music... – Bruce Adams/Alan Barnes Quintet (Big Bear)
 * 1995: Thirsty Work – Alan Barnes (Fret)
 * 1995: Post – Björk (One Little Indian)
 * 1995: Here Comes Trouble – Alan Barnes (Fret)
 * 1996: A Sleeping Bee – Alan Barnes and Brian Lemon (Zephyr)
 * 1996: Off Beaten Track – Mick Talbot & Steve White (New Note)
 * 1997: The Don Weller Big Band Live [Live] – The Don Weller Big Band (33 Jazz)
 * 1997: Revisited – Jim Richardson's Pogo feat. Alan Barnes (Spotlite)
 * 1997: Lay 'em Straight! – Humphrey Lyttelton and his band feat. Alan Barnes & Joe Temperley (Calligraph)
 * 1997: Young Minds – Old Hands – Alan Barnes & Brian Lemon Octet (Zephyr)
 * 1997: Play Jerome Kern: Yesterdays – Alan Barnes & Brian Lemon (Zephyr)
 * 1998: Below Zero – Alan Barnes (Concord)
 * 1998: Bootleg Eric – David Newton and Clark Tracey (Asc)
 * 1998: Shine – Warren Vache, Tony Coe and Alan Barnes (Zephyr)
 * 1998: Days of Wine and Roses – Tony Coe and Alan Barnes (Zephyr)
 * 1998: A Dotty Blues – Alan Barnes (w' Gerard Presencer & Mark Nightingale) (Zephyr)
 * 1999: Jumpin – Warren Vache, Tony Coe and Alan Barnes Septet (Zephyr)
 * 1999: Memories of You – Warren Vache and Alan Barnes (Zephyr)
 * 1999: As Time Goes By – Bryan Ferry (Virgin)
 * 2000: John Williams' Baritone Band – John Williams' Baritone Band (Spotlite)
 * 2000: Connonball – Alan Barnes (Asc)
 * 2000: The Pollwinners Playing Girl Talk – Alan Barnes Octet (Zephyr)
 * 2000: Summertime – Alan Barnes and David Newton (Concord)
 * 2001: Manhattan – Alan Barnes and David Newton feat. Conte Candoli (Concord)
 * 2002: If You Could See Me Now – Alan Barnes Quartet (Zephyr)
 * 2002: Speaking of Love – Marlene Ver Planck (Audiophile)
 * 2003: Live and Swinging [Live] – Peter York Jazz Allstars (Nagel Heyer)
 * 2003: Better Late Than Never – Alan Barnes (Woodville)
 * 2003: Swingin' the Samba – Alan Barnes Quintet (Woodville)
 * 2003: The Sherlock Holmes Suite (2 CD) – Alan Barnes (Woodville)
 * 2004: Twentysomething – Jamie Cullum (Verve)
 * 2004: Stablemates – Alan Barnes and John Horler (Woodville)
 * 2004: Songs for Unsung Heroes – Alan Barnes & Alan Plater (Woodville)
 * 2005: Yeah! – Alan Barns Quintet feat. Steve Waterman (Specific Jazz)
 * 2005: The Marbella Jazz Suite – Alan Barnes (Big Bear)
 * 2006: Blessing In Disguise – Alan Barnes Quartet (Woodville)
 * 2006: Hard! – Tommy Chase Quartet feat. Alan Barnes (Bgp)
 * 2006: Seven Ages of Jazz – Alan Barnes and Alan Plater (Woodville)
 * 2006: Zootcase – Alan Barnes & Scott Hamilton with the David Newton Trio (Woodville)
 * 2006: BBC Jazz Awards 2006 [Compilation] – Various Artists (Specific Jazz)
 * 2007: Barnestorming – Alan Barnes/Harry Allen (Woodville)
 * 2007: Nine Songs – Don Weller/Bobby Wellins (Trio)
 * 2007: Spontaneous Combustion – Bruce Adams/Alan Barnes Quintet (Woodville)
 * 2007: Sideways – Alan Barnes & John Hallam with the David Newton Trio (Woodville)