Barker, Guy

He is a jazz trumpeter, composer and arranger born Guy Jeffrey Barker in Chiswick, London who began to play the trumpet when he was 12 years old. By the time he was 13 he had become a member of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra and a couple of years later when he was 15, he was a performer with the Crouch End Allstars. When he was 18, in 1975, he began taking lessons with the British drummer and band leader Clark Tracey.

During the early 1980s he toured and recorded with he jazz pianist Gil Evans’s orchestra as well as playing with Johnny Dankowrth, Bobby Watson and Lena Horne. In 1984 he became a member of Clark Tracey’s quintet and remained with them until 1992.

He often performed with, arranged for and recorded with other artists and groups as a sideman and some of these include Nat Adderley, Alphaville, Patti Austin, Alison Balsom, Big Dish, Chris Botti, Boyzone, Brother Beyond, Sam Brown, Elvis Costello, Jamie Cullum, Ray Davies, Sammy Davis Jr., Charlie Dore, Sheena Easton, Erasure, Paloma Faith, Haircut One Hundred, Joe Henderson, The Housemartins, Holly Johnson, Quincy Jones, Cleo Laine, Phil Manzanera, Steve Marriott, Wynton Marsalis, Kirsty McCall, Malcolm McLaren, Ralph McTell, Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra, George Michael, Liza Minnelli, Kylie Minogue, James Morrison, Gregory Porter, Paul Roberts, Tom Robinson, Frank Sinatra, Snow Patrol, The The, Mel Torme, Was (Not Was), Paul Weller, Westlife, Willard White, Amy Winehouse and Hans Zimmer along with numerous others.

He formed his own band which featured several acclaimed international jazz musicians and his 15-piece big band, the Guy Barker Jazz Orchestra, has toured and performed dZf, narrated by Michael Brandon, which is a re-working of the Magic Flute by Mozart.

As a music director he has arranged and led “Jazz Voice: Celebrating a Century of Song” every year from 2008 to 2014 at the London Jazz Festival. He has also been the music director and arranger on several Friday Night Is Music Night shows broadcast on BBC Radio 2 where his orchestra has been featured with the BBC Concert Orchestra. He has appeared at the BBC Proms and for several years his band has performed annually at London’s Royal Albert Hall in the popular Guy Barker’s Big Band Christmas.

During the course of his career he has released his own albums which include Holly J, Isn”t It, Into the Blue, Timeswing, What Love Is, Soundtrack and The Amadeus Project as well as The Cortege with the pianist Mike Westbrook. The countless albums he has performed on as a musician, arranger and/or composer are too many to mention but a select few include How to Be a… Zillinionaire! by ABC, Circle of One by Oleta Adams, The Christmas Album by Roberto Alagna, The Key by Joan Armatrading, V Deep by The Boomtown Rats, Hand Cut by Bucks Fizz, The Nightbird by Paul Carrack, I Couldn’t Live Without Your Love by Petula Clark, Going Back by Phil Collins, When the World Knows Your Name by Deacon Blue, Three Line Whip by Georgie Fame, Shaking the Tree: Sixteen Golden Greats by Peter Gabriel, Body of Work by Godley & Creme, Small World Big Band by Jools Holland, Evening Standards by The Jags, Reload by Tom Jones, Ji by Junior, Slave to the Rhythm by Grace Jones, Hot Brass by the London Sound Collective, Masque by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, Whose Side Are You On? by Matt Bianco, Flowers in the Dirt by Paul McCartney, Keys of the Kingdom by The Moody Blues, ell Me Something: The Songs of Mose Allison by Van Morrison, Live at London Weekend Television by the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, The Lion by Youssou N’Dour, QE2 by Mike Oldfield, A Very Special Season by Diana Ross, Bitter Sweet + Turn the Music Up by Shakatak, Ten Summoner’s Tales by Sting, Our Favourite Shop by The Style Council, Another Non-Stop Sister by Swing Out Sister Suddenly Last Tuesday by The Clark Tracey Quintet, Fantastic by Wham!, John Williams Plays the Movies by John Williams, Nonsuch by XTC, Other Voices by Paul Young and Friday’s Child by Will Young along with numerous collections and compilations.

He has been a musician on the soundtracks of many films that include Absolute Beginners, CrissCross, Funny Bones, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Hotel Splendide, Last Orders, Hoodlum & Son, La Vie en Rose and A Thousand Kisses Deep along with several others and has been the composer of music used in an episode of the TV series The No. 1 Ladie’s Detective Agency and Juro que te amo.

As a composer his works include dZf, The Lanterne of Light trumpet concerto, Soho Symphony, the music theatre suite That Obscure Hurt and Violin Concerto along with several other concertos and an opera.

In 2013 he received the BASCA Gold Badge and in 2015 he was honoured for his services to jazz in the 2015 New Year Honours List and appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).

Matt Bianco recordings
Good Times (New Version) (Mark Reilly/Mark Fisher)
(WEA YZ302, 247740-7)

Sources:

Barker, Guy (26th December 1957-Present)

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