Chris Barber's Memorable Musical Journey

In celebration of Chris Barber’s 80th Birthday, Proper Records has compiled a double CD compilation of performances, Memories Of My Trip, that display how central a figure on the English music scene for six decades. The performances give a suggestion of the breadth of his musical interests which are centered around jazz, blues and skiffle. While several years ago there was a three CD series of primarily blues recordings from the 50s and 60s, the present compilation is more of a retrospective of some the many legendary and contemporary performers in performance with him. Barber himself provides recollections of the performers and the songs heard herein.

Opening is a Brownie McGhee recording from a Folkways recording of McGhee, that provides this compilation with its title, presenting McGhee’s fond recollections of his European travels with Chris and his traditional jazz band. McGhee, and his partner Sonny Terry, are heard on two selections with the traditional gospel number Do Lord, Do Remember Me. It is a spirited ensemble performance with Ottilie Patterson, Barber’s regular vocalist sharing the lead with Brownie. Weeping Willow is a recording of Barber on trombone with Eric Clapton taking the vocal and playing guitar. Muddy Waters and Pinetop Perkins can be heard on an enthusiastic rendition of Kansas City, with Muddy vigorously calling out for Chris. It is followed by a nice James Cotton performance backed by Alexis Korner on guitar and Chris on bass.

Rory Gallagher is heard playing slide and singing Muddy’s Can’t Be Satisfied, with just Barber’s bass and this is followed by Lonnie Donegan doing a raucous Diggin’ My Potatoes, backed by a full band. Barber traveled to Canada to play with Jeff Healey and His Jazz Wizards for a atmospheric blues Goin’ Up The River, with Barber singing and playing nice tailgate trombone along with the able support of Healey’s restrained guitar and trumpet. Van Morrison is heard on two nicely sung blues performances from a 1998 performance and a somewhat over-the-top vocal on Oh Didn’t He Ramble, from 1976 on a session that also included Dr. John. Ottilie Patterson herself was featured on Lonesome Road, while gospel legend Alex Bradford takes the lead on Couldn’t Keep To Myself where Chris and other band members provided the backing vocal chorus.

Traditional jazz with a New Orleans flavor is represented by selections by such important artists of the time as clarinetist Edmond Hall with a nice medley that included St. Louis Blues, and a brilliant version of the New Orleans jazz staple, High Society. Keith Emerson would be better known as a member of Emerson Lake and Palmer, but when he recorded Rock Candy in 1966, he was playing organ in the vein of Jack McDuff and Jimmy McGriff. Barber’s trombone spices up to this funky blues instrumental. A couple of selections feature former members of Louis Armstrong’s All Stars as Trummy Young brings his vocal and trombone (in addition to that of Chris) for Georgia On My Mind. Clarinetist Joe Darensbourg is heard on an intimate small group recording of a swing staple, “Rose Room.”

Another New Orleans clarinetist, Albert Nicholas, is spotlighted on the Ellington staple, “C-Jam Blues,” with lovely guitar from John Slaughter while Stu Morrison’s jangly banjo adds a clipped rhythmic flavor behind Nicholas’ very fluid playing. Eddie Durham was arranger for Count Basie and other bands, and one of the first jazz electric guitarists to record. He was also a trombonist of considerable capability and is featured on a blues that was called “Jack Teagarden Blues” after that famous trombonist.

After “Tailgate Boogie,” featuring the piano of Sammy Price, the CDs close with performances with Jools Holland and Mark Knopfler (of Dire Straits fame). Holland’s rendition of Jelly Roll Morton’s “Winin’ Boy Blues” is a marvelous rendition of this classic. Knopfler is on an appealing low-key rendition of The Delmore Brothers’ “Blues Stay Away From Me,“ with some lovely trombone from Barber along with a lovely updating of the Dallas String Band’s ”Dallas Rag” that opens with some nice picking from Knopfler. Pat Halcox’s trumpet is also quite nice here. These are very amiable performances that conclude a varied and entertaining release. Memories Of My Trip is Chris Barber’s own musical capsule of a musical life well lived.

My review copy was provided by a publicist for the recording. Here is a video of Chris Barber.

Chris Barber's Blues Legacy Lost and Found

Trombonist Chris Barber has been a mainstay of the British trad jazz scene for over five decades. With Lonnie Donegan he helped lunch the skittle music scene with ‘Rock Island Line,’ while his own band backed numerous legends including some from the world of blues and gospel. Not long ago he came across some old 1/4 inch magnetic tapes of some of the legendary blues artists he brought over to England in the 50 and 60s. The result are three volumes, Chris Barber Presents The Blues Legacy: Lost and Found Series (MVD Audio).

Volume 1 opens with Barber introducing Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the legendary gospel singer and guitarist. When she arrived in England with her arrangements from her days with Lucky Millender’s Big Band, Barber and his combo was flustered, but were able to back her on a variety of her classic sacred repertoire including Every Time I Feel the Spirit, Didn’t It Rain, Up Above My Head I Hear Music In The Air, and Old Time Religion, with the backing provided by barber and his band matching the exuberance of her performance if the overall sound of the performances occasionally sounds messy and chaotic. This Train, is performed solo with some fine guitar featured and her effectively dramatic vocal. Vocalist Ottilie Patterson joins her for one of two renditions of Old Time Religion, and When the Saints Go Marching In. The rest of this volume is devoted to performances by Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee who mostly perform without a band and are in typical form for the two opening with Midnight Special, Climbin’ on Top of the Hill (a reworking of Sitting on Top of the World), the remarkable harmonica feature Fox Chase, How Long How Long Blues, another harp solo Callin’ Mama Blues, and Betty and Dupree. While the repertoire will be familiar, these concert performances are strong ones. Also included is an joyous duo version of When the Saints Go Marching In, followed by Little Light of Mine, on which Barber and band and accompaniment although playing somewhat more restrained here. Chris Barber and Band close with another gospel number with Ottilie Patterson taking the front stage.

Volume 2 opens with Chris Barber’s contemporary recollections of the 1958 recordings by Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry that open this volume. There is a nice duo of Poor Man Blues, while Ottilie Patterson takes lead on the vocal backed by Barber and the duo on When Things Go Wrong, and How Long Blues. Barber provides another spoken introduction to the performances by Muddy Waters with Otis Spann presented here, which he noted was an amazing experience. Muddy and Spann were terrific and Barber’s band does a credible job in support although the drummer on several tracks is a bit stiff and tad heavy handed. Repertoire played included Hootchie Kootchie Man, Blow Wind Blow, Baby Please Don’t Go, Long Distance Call, I Can’t Be Satisfied,Blues Before Sunrise (an interesting to hear Muddy refer to this as originally made by a friend of his before he died), and Walking Through the Park. Muddy goes solo on ‘Rolling Stone,’ and revisits ‘Feel Like Going Home.’ Spann is exceptional while Barber and the band try to be unobtrusive in supporting Muddy, who certainly sounds fine here. Perhaps not indispensable, these tracks are a nice addition to Muddy’s discography in any event Next up are fine three tracks by Champion Jack Dupree including a nice Christmas blues, a humorous lament about his mother-in-law, and his own very distinctive rendition of Tampa Red’s When Things Go Wrong. The disc closes with a 1962 performance by the great Louis Jordan with whom Barber’s traditional jazz band provides nice support for a nice duet between the saxophonist-vocalist Jordan and Ottilie Patterson on T’aint Nobody’s Business. There is a nice mix of performers and some genuinely good performances on this volume.

Sonny Boy Williamson opens the final volume, Volume 3, with some performances from 1964. Barber mentions the great shows presented by Lippman and Rau which led to his performance that opens with United Blues/ Help Me as the band plays the melody before Williamson enters with his harp and launches into the song. Then Barber recalls some of the performances of him including some jazz songs like ‘C-Jam Blues,’ as well as staples of his repertoire as So Sad to Be Lonesome, his reworking of Robert Lockwood’s Take a Little Walk With Me, Bye Bye Bird, Your Funeral, My Trial, and Pontiac Blues. Like Brownie and Sonny, he closes his set with some gospel songs, Saints, and This Little Light of Mine, with Ottilie Patterson sharing the vocal.’ The music does get a bit chaotic but still remains fun with the joyful sound and Sonny Boy’s harp blends well with the trad jazz backing. Jimmy Witherspoon came over in 1964 and played at a festival Barber helped organize, and Spoon sounds terrific on his first trio of tunes, although the backing remains a bit rough on Times Getting Tougher Than Tough, and Roll ‘Em Pete. The backing behind Howlin’ Wolf with Hubert Sumlin seems a bit tighter as Wolf howls through Howlin’ For My Darling, Dust My Broom, and May I have a Talk With You. Sumlin sounds really good if a bit underamplified while Wolf’s vocals are ferocious, and the backing band almost sounds like a urban blues band as opposed to a Dixieland group. Jimmy Witherspoon has five more vocals to close this set, and the backing is a bit more together here as he reprised Everyday I Have the Blues, and When I’ve Been Drinkin’.

There are some very good performances on all three volumes although I give the nod to those on the latter two volumes. One would be hard-pressed to call any of these essential but fans of Muddy, Sonny Boy, Wolf and Spoon will especially find performances that may merit their consideration.

I recently received a double CD in commemoration of Chris Barber’s 80th Birthday which I hope to write-up shortly. I noticed that I had never posted this review of three blues-related CDs by this important English musician and music evangelist. This review originally appeared in the July 2008 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 306). I likely received my review copy from a publicist.