Guy Barker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Guy Barker
|
|
|---|---|
Guy Barker and Jean Toussaint in 2007
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Guy Jeffrey Barker |
| Born | 26 December 1957 Chiswick, London, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instruments | Trumpet |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Associated acts | Clark Tracey |
Guy Barker is an English jazz trumpeter and composer. He was born on December 26, 1957. He is known for his amazing trumpet playing and for writing music.
Contents
Early Life and Musical Start
Guy Barker was born in Chiswick, London. His mother was an actress and his father was a stuntman. Guy started playing the trumpet when he was twelve years old. Just one year later, he joined the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. This is a special group for young musicians. By age 15, he was already playing with a band called the Crouch End Allstars.
Playing with Famous Musicians
In 1975, Guy Barker took lessons from the famous trumpeter Clark Terry. In the 1980s, Guy played with many well-known artists. These included John Dankworth, Lena Horne, and Bobby Watson. He also toured and recorded with Gil Evans' orchestra in 1983.
From 1984 to 1992, Guy was part of Clark Tracey's quintet. As a sideman, which means playing with other bands, he worked with many different musicians. Some of these were Ornette Coleman, Carla Bley, Frank Sinatra, and Sting. He also played with pop bands like Wham!, Erasure, and The Moody Blues.
Leading His Own Bands
Guy Barker has also led his own bands. One of his bands had musicians from different countries. These included Perico Sambeat from Spain and Bernardo Sassetti from Portugal.
More recently, he has toured with the Guy Barker Jazz Orchestra. This is a big band with 15 musicians. They performed a special show called DZF. It was a new version of Mozart's famous opera, Magic Flute. The story was retold like a detective novel.
Music Director and Awards
From 2008 to 2014, Guy Barker was the music director for the "Jazz Voice" concert. This was the opening show for the London Jazz Festival each year. He also directed and arranged music for BBC Radio 2 shows. These shows celebrated the music of jazz legends like Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. He even helped celebrate the wedding of William and Kate with a special show.
In 2015, Guy Barker was given a special award. He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). This award is given for great service to jazz music. In 2013, he also received the BASCA Gold Badge.
Albums and Recordings
Guy Barker has released several albums of his own music.
- Isn't It? (1991)
- Into the Blue (1995)
- Timeswing (1996)
- What Love Is (1998)
- Soundtrack (2001)
- The Amadeus Project (2007)
He also recorded with Mike Westbrook:
- The Cortège (1982)
