Alan Barnes: Live at West Side Jazz
- Hilary Seabrook
- Feb 5
- 2 min read
Although fairly new to the jazz scene, West Side Jazz is presenting an impressive selection of British musicians of note. None more so than their February offering of the understated yet virtuoso saxist Alan Barnes.
Barnes has been a fixture of UK jazz for many years, and he never fails to impress, in a very understated way. At West Side Jazz, he rarely brought his instrument (clarinet, alto or baritone sax) right up to the microphone. He didn’t need to, as the acoustics of the cinema screening room seemed perfectly suited to the rhythm section/soloist combination. The PA helped, but there was a feeling of immediacy and direct connection to the delighted near-capacity audience.
On stage with Barnes were Rob Barron (piano), Tom Mark (bass) and Dave Tandy (drums) and the seemingly-effortless swapping of melody and improvisations between them was dynamic and seamless.
Throughout the evening of impressive jazz performed brilliantly by the quartet, Barnes engaged easily and wittily with the audience. The two sets (not the 11, as Barnes once promised us) included jazz standards and originals that were sometimes surprising. Kenny Barron’s Voyage has a notoriously tricky chord progression that was handled with dexterity, as was Charlie Parker’s Steeplechase.
Barnes’s approach to ballads sat well with the whole ensemble, such as on the Ellington ballad Tonight I Shall Sleep (With a Smile on My Face) and the gorgeous Lane/Freed How About You? Their version of Billy Strayhorn’s Chelsea Bridge employed the Barnes baritone to great effect - I’m fairly sure it’s a tune I heard the great Gerry Mulligan play in similar expressive fashion when he visited London in the 1980s.
Established in May 2024 and hosted at the Campus West Cinema in Welwyn Garden City, there are big plans for the second anniversary gig. The brand new West Side Jazz Orchestra will feature some big names, especially from the UK’s thriving big band scene. You’re going to want to get your tickets soon for this one.
West Side Jazz was created by drummer Dave Tandy, who can often be found performing at other prestigious venues around the UK, including Ronnie Scott’s. The monthly sessions in Welwyn’s independent cinema are testament to his hard work in booking musicians, organising the PA and equipment required and generally hosting a jazz venue at a time when the economics of musical performance are tricky, to say the least.
If you’re anywhere close to Hertfordshire at the start of each month, then check out what’s on offer from West Side Jazz - you will be glad you did.
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