Artists
Album Info
Release Date: 2020-01-31Label: Lake Records
Edited and mastered by Paul AdamsArtwork by Mary Blood
Recorded live at Falkoner Centret, Copenhagen, Denmark on September 17th, 1961.
Liner notes sums up the release "A good concert recording full of variety with a very high standard of playing and plenty of atmosphere which gives it a touch of class is how I would sum it up. The band rarely puts a foot wrong and manages to create a lot of excitement. As always it is almost invidious to point up individuals because this is very much a team effort with the band functioning superbly as a unit".
Product Description:
Early in 2019 Chris Barber retired from band leading after a remarkable 70 years.
During the 1950s when Chris Barber was under contract to Denis Preston's Record Supervision Ltd three concert recordings were released on Pye's Nixa 'Jazz Today label. In 1959 Denis Preston signed a new deal with EMI to license his recordings on their Columbia label under a new series named 'The Lansdowne Jazz Series'. Three more concerts appeared on the new label under the banner title 'Chris Barber International' Vols 1,2 & 3. All the concerts have been reissued on LAKE.
Two of the concerts, Berlin (1959) and the London Palladium (1961) have achieved 'classic' status whereas the Copenhagen (1960) one has received less attention. A few years ago a set of tapes came to light of a concert recorded in Berlin a year after the first concert. This has been issued as 'Barber Back In Berlin 1960' (LAKE LACD346). By happy coincidence early in 2017 another set of recordings materialised this time recorded in Copenhagen, at the same venue as the first Copenhagen concert, a year on (1961) from the previous one and LAKE managed to acquire them. These are the recordings on this album. It is well recorded with the band on top form and plenty of atmosphere. It features some well known Barber tunes plus some lesser known ones. Chris himself plus Pat Halcox and Ian Wheeler all get features and, of course, vocalist Ottilie Patterson is also featured. Despite touring in recent years with The Big Chris Barber Band fans always hankered after the 6 piece band of the 50s and 60s. So much so that Chris devoted part of every concert to feature a 6 piece. Reissues of the early albums have always sold well and this is a worthy, if hitherto unknown, contribution to the Chris Barber canon.