Barry Green
Green studied classical and jazz piano at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and now plays regularly in jazz venues all over the UK. It is said of his playing that he can effortlessly sustain a graceful Bill Evans-like lyrical swing, adept at massaging the ideas of others while his contemporary references give him a broad sweep.Some musicians with whom he has performed and recorded with include: Dave Friesen, Bobby Watson, Perico Sambeat, Charles McPherson, Deborah Brown, Ben Street, Drew Gress, Chris Cheek, Martin Speake, Bobby Wellins, Ian Shaw, Anita Wardell, Tina May, Jean Toussaint, Tom Rainey, Christine Tobin, Adam Kolker, Marc Miralta, Gerald Cleaver, Anders Christiansson, Ingrid Laubrock, Richie Cole, Jim Snidero, Jeff Williams, Stan Sulzmann, Us3, Henry Lowther, Julian Argeulles and Bill McHenry
Barry has extensively toured the Uk almost every year from 1998. With, amongst others, Bobby Wellins, Ian Shaw, Anita Wardell, Martin Speake and most recently the MJQ project (featuring Jim Hart, Steve Brown and Matt Ridley)
Barry is a professor of jazz piano at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
Alan Barnes
Alan Barnes is a prolific international performer, composer, arranger, bandleader and touring soloist. He is best known for his work on clarinet, alto and baritone sax, where he combines a formidable virtuosity with a musical expression and collaborative spirit that have few peers. His range and brilliance have made him a “first call” for studio and live work since his precocious arrival on the scene more than thirty years ago.
His recorded catalogue is immense. He has made over thirty albums as leader and co-leader alone, and the list of his session and side-man work includes Bjork, Bryan Ferry, Michel LeGrande, Clare Teale, Westlife, Jools Holland and Jamie Cullum. He has toured and played residencies with such diverse and demanding figures as Ruby Braff, Freddie Hubbard, Scott Hamilton, Warren Vache, Ken Peplowski, Harry Allen and Conte Candoli.
In British jazz, the young Barnes was recognized – and hired – by the established greats of the time: Stan Tracy, John Dankworth, Kenny Baker, Bob Wilber, and Humphrey Lyttelton. But he is equally respected for his longstanding and fruitful collaborations with contemporaries such as David Newton, Bruce Adams, and Martin Taylor.
Alan Barnes’s unique musicianship, indefatigable touring, and warm rapport with audiences have made him uniquely popular in British jazz. He has received over 25 British Jazz Awards, most recently in 2014 for clarinet, and has twice been made BBC Jazz Musician of the Year.
Barnes plays music that was radical 50 years ago but he infuses it with so much passion and energy you could believe it was minted on the spot, which is always part of the story with jazz.
John L. Walters, The Guardian.
