Bob Hunt (MD, trombone); Mike Henry (trumpet, vocals); Gabriel Garrick (trumpet, vocals); Trevor Whiting (tenor sax, clarinet); Richard Exall (tenor sax, alto sax, clarinet); Nick White (soprano sax, alto sax, bass sax, clarinet); Joe Farler (banjo, guitar); Joe Trudgeon (double bass); Steve Vintner (drums)
Chris Barber's legacy lives on. His nine piece band continues to fly the flag with concert engagements at home and abroad. This rescheduled Whitley Bay Playhouse concert attracted the faithful, their diminishing number no doubt due to a combination of factors - infirmity, old age or, perhaps, having recently joined Barber in the Jazz Club in the Sky. As the house lights dimmed a solitary figure ambled out onto the stage ...
Barber's long-serving right hand man Bob Hunt sat on a stool, peered into the auditorium and said: Christ, there's not many of you, is there? The Big Chris Barber Band's MD told it as it was. Hunt, joined by his bandmates, opened with Bourbon Street Parade. In no time at all band and audience were having a ball. Unexpectedly, the band reeled off five numbers without pausing for breath. It was only after a hot Jubilee Stomp that band members addressed the audience. It was all very convivial, everyone, on stage and off, were determined to have a good time.
The Barber years were revisited, from the early 'trad jazz' days through to mid-fifties' Whistlin' Rufus (a tune from the nineteenth century!) to the expansive Ellington charts, not forgetting Barber's pioneering support of the many American blues musicians who, through his efforts, made it across the Atlantic (Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee's Cornbread, Peas and Black Molasses). What would the faithful make of Miles Davis' modal jazz? It is heartening to report that All Blues didn't frighten the horses. The Ellington numbers proved to be the icing on the cake: Black and Tan Fantasy, East St Louis Toodle-oo, Merry-Go-Round.
The musicianship couldn't be faulted (all soloing at some point during the evening), similarly the ensemble work, very polished, these guys are top notch pros. A Big Chris Barber Band concert wouldn't be a Big Chris Barber Band concert without Petit Fleur. We got it and more. It's likely some in the audience heard Barber first time round, seventy-odd years ago. Here's to the next time. Russell
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Before the band started playing 'Whistling Rufus', there was a bit of giggling among the musicians - and Bob told us a little background story. Princess Margaret was a big fan of the band in the 1950's, and went to many of their concerts. Before one of these she was backstage to meet the musicians - when she saw Chris she sidled up to him and asked if he could play one of her favourite numbers 'Whispering Rupert'. The boys in the band heard this, and from then on, Chris Barber was called 'Rupert'.
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