Jazz Northampton - NCJazz - promoting contemporary jazz in Northampton and Northants
Genius at Work
Thursday 17 March 2011 - the Alan Barnes Quartet
It's been said that some jazz musicians enjoy playing complicated jazz - but that it's not always so enjoyable for audiences to hear it. Regardless, or perhaps because, of its virtuosity, some contemporary jazz has a tendency to reach way beyond the interest of its audience.
This emphatically cannot be said of Alan Barnes, now undoubtedly one of the leading UK and European jazzmen. This was a scintillating gig, oozing quality with every note and offering an eclectic mix of numbers and an array of different genres to satisfy listeners of all persuasions.
Alan Barnes himself sported a veritable array of instruments - soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxes, plus clarinet for good measure. His mastery of each was clear for all to hear; nor were the rhythm section - Robin Aspland on piano, Mark Hodges, bass and Paul Clarvis on drums - found wanting.
Right from the opening, 'boppish', Duke Pearson number, Janine, the Quartet was in full swing, with Alan Barnes on alto at his best. The number was taken at a brisk pace - Aspland's piano was chirpy, Hodgson's bass, punchy, and Clarvis' drumming, crisp.
Thelonious Monk's Ask me Now followed, a ballad played in double-time featuring Barnes on baritone. The ghost of the late Gerry Mulligan was all-pervasive. Barnes' playing is an intense experience, eyes tight shut, cheeks extended, straining every sinew to achieve the artistic perfection so characteristic of his style. Mark Hodges plucked out a melodic solo, mouthing each note he played, and Robin Aspland played a delicious solo, punctuated with a series of arpeggios.
The variety continued. Minha Saudades, a bubbly Latin number, found Barnes on soprano and was launched with a tantalising opening from Clarvis, prompting the Quartet to burst into full swing with neat exchanges between soprano sax and bass.
It's difficult to pin down Alan Barnes' influences from simply hearing him play. For instance, Victor Young's Street of Dreams, a delicate ballad for which the scene was sensitively set by Aspland's opening, found Barnes' tenor revealing distinct influences of Stan Getz and Ben Webster. Yet, a later number, Hi-Fi, another 'boppish' offering taken at a sprightly pace, found his alto in distinctly 'Parkeresque' mode.
The highlights of such a varied programme were many. Pennies from Heaven, which closed the first set, swung throughout and produced a stupendous Barnes solo followed by the solo of the evening from Aspland - a frenetic, pulsating effort which brought raucous spontaneous cheers from the audience. Aspland attacks the keys feverishly and was later to excel again on Kenny Barron's composition, Voyage, a favourite of Stan Getz.
Some might choose Barnes' exhibition on clarinet for Humph, a Barnes-composed tribute to the late Humphrey Lyttleton and a derivative of a Mezz Mezzrow number, Revolutionary Blues. Others might opt for Antonio Carlos Jobim's composition, Triste, which featured an extraordinary solo from Paul Clarvis, tapping out the rhythm with his fingertips on the pandero, a tambourine -like instrument.
Besides the exquisite jazz, this gig was real entertainment. Alan Barnes is a natural communicator with his audiences. He draws them into the experience with his witty banter and self-deprecating humour. No wonder audiences flock to hear him - this event was a sell-out. His knack of producing jazz of the highest quality, in a way that is accessible to audiences of all shades, smacks of genius - genius which is surely not the capacity for taking pains, but rather making difficult things seem easy.
Talking to NC Jazz afterwards, Alan revealed that his earliest jazz influence was Acker Bilk.
"I began with the clarinet when I was 12," he reflected. "I used to listen to the radio a lot. I really wanted to start with the saxophone, but a teacher said I should begin with the clarinet. Actually, the clarinet's coming back for me at the moment. I played it with Martin Taylor on The Spirit of Django and I'm currently working with him on a CD for clarinet and guitar.Then I moved on to alto sax, then baritone, tenor and soprano - even the flute. Among other reasons, there were financial considerations," he explains, "because they offered me opportunities both inside and outside the jazz world."
His main musical influences come from some of the greatest names in jazz.
"Art Pepper, Benny Carter, Cannonball Adderley, and, of course, Charlie Parker were my main alto influences - on baritone, there was Harry Carney and various of the Ellington bands - Zoot Sims and Lucky Thompson for the soprano - and a wide range of influences for the clarinet, like Barney Bigard, Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman and Omer Simeon."
His first foray into the jazz world mainly involved appearances in orchestras. True to his eclectic tastes, he had spells with the Midnight Follies and the Pasadena Roof Orchestra.
"These were early opportunities for a 'proper job' for me," as he puts it. "I got the opportunity to tour in Europe and to learn and play lots of different styles."
Now, he tends to prefer the smaller format,
"there's much more room to really stretch out on a solo. I suppose my ideal format is an octet, which combines several different voices, as in an orchestra, yet still retains the advantages of the smaller combo as a means of expression."
Looking generally at the UK jazz scene, he finds there are now more classically-trained and classically-influenced players.
"Nowadays, there seem to be far fewer players who've been influenced directly by the great jazz players such as, say, Sonny Rollins or Johnny Griffin. Although I'm generally mainstream, I usually adapt my style to suit whoever I'm playing with."
He also finds that more jazz arises from original compositions as opposed to standards, such as the great American songbook.
" Sometimes I think that original compositions don't always lend themselves to jazz," he explains, " sometimes jazz appears to be played more as an art form than with the audience in mind. I've always thought that it's very important to structure a set - for instance, Bobby Wellins sometimes opens with a ballad - that's fine, and I once heard Chet Baker play fast all the way through. You have to make sure you take the audience with you. It's Ok to play a free jazz number, so long as you explain to the audience what you're trying to do."
Talking of audiences brings up the question of the predominantly middle-aged jazz audiences.
"People have been making this point to me for over 30 years," he says with a laugh. "I think it's because a lot of people find jazz later on in life. They become bored with traditional styles of music and want something more profound - something a bit different. But sometimes it can be the type of venue that affects who comes to listen; and sometimes older listeners don't like younger people coming to listen!"
As for the future, Alan will carry on in much the same way. His high profile on the jazz scene means there's always plenty of work as well as occasional commissions for special compositions. And no-one could bet against him taking up yet another instrument!
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