Barnes & Newton

Barnes & Newton

• Sax – Alan Barnes
• Piano – David Newton

Alan Barnes and David Newton have been playing duets together for over 40 years. Both legendary figures in the UK jazz scene, these multi award-winners cover a vast repertoire from Louis Armstrong to Chick Corea and play with an empathy that can only come with long experience. The emphasis, as always, is on swinging, accessibility and interplay. Expect a hugely entertaining programme of straight ahead jazz flawlessly played and interspersed with lots of anecdotes.

Their recently released new album on Woodville Records “’Tis Autumn” will be available on the night.

Alan Barnes has long associations with pianist David Newton, going back to their college days, and with blistering be-bop trumpeter Bruce Adams, with whom he has co-led a quintet since the early nineties. He has featured on many jazz recordings from his first record date as co-leader in 1985 with Tommy Whittle, including releases on the Miles Music, Concord, Specific, Nagel Hayer and Zephyr labels.

Over the years, Alan has won many British Jazz Awards in the alto, baritone, clarinet and arranging categories. In 2001 and 2006 he received the prestigious BBC Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year award and in 2003 was made a fellow of the Leeds College of Music.

2003 was also the year that saw the inception of Alan’s own record label Woodville Records. He has produced over 38 CDs including ones playing with Scott Hamilton, Warren Vache, Ken Peplowski, Harry Allen, Bruce Adams and Martin Taylor.

David Newton had a musical upbringing in Renfrewshire, with the piano trio sound of Oscar Peterson, Art Tatum or Erroll Garner an ever-present feature in the Newton household.

An incredibly versatile pianist, from swinging stride piano to meditative improvisations to beautifully supportive accompaniments to singers, he has it all. From his emergence from Leeds College of Music in 1979, he quickly commanded a place at the top table of British jazz, working with Martin Taylor, Alan Barnes, Carol Kidd, Marion Montgomery, Tina May, Annie Ross, Claire Martin and of course Stacey Kent, with whom he spent the next ten years recording and travelling all over the world.

David Newton was made a Fellow of Leeds College of Music in 2003 and in 2019, was voted ‘Best Jazz Pianist' for the sixteenth time by the Jazz audience of the UK in the British Jazz Awards.