Tony Barnard's High Five

Historical article recovered from a Wayback capture dated 2018-02-24.

Tony is an Australian guitarist and composer currently living in the UK. Tony made his first recording at age 16 with Don Burrows, John Sangster and Bob Barnard

Tony has appeared at most of Australia’s jazz festivals, accompanied visiting jazz and show-biz stars from overseas, won ‘best guitarist’ polls, Formed Australia’s first 5 guitar big band ‘Interplay’, led his own bands and worked as musical director on cruise ships.

Tony has a diverse range of albums to his name (36 and counting) ranging from jazz to blues and classical, and has played with a wide range of artists including The Australian Chamber Orchestra, The BBC Concert Orchestra, The Ronnie Scott’s jazz orchestra, Barney Kessel, Earl Hines, Nat Adderley, Nancy Wilson, Dave Liebman, Keely Smith, Barry Humphries , Dan Barrett, Cliff Richard, Rufus Reid, Jim Mullen, Curtis Stigers, Don Burrows, Billy Field, Louis Stewart, Georgie Fame, Kevin Spacey, Steve Winwood, The Inkspots, Ronnie Corbett, Clare Teal, Jacqui Dankworth, Claire Martin, Scarlet Strallen, Peter Grant, Marti Pellow, Tony Hadley, John Colianni, and Monica Mancini, amongst others, and is currently a member of the Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra . He has also composed for and appeared in television and stage shows.

Now based in the UK, Tony performs regularly at Ronnie Scott’s and other top London jazz venues. As well as performing all over the UK and Australia, he has also performed in Paris, Montreal, Venice, Brussels, Amsterdam, Verona, Singapore, Berlin, Cologne, Istanbul, Edinburgh, Dublin, Dubai, Sydney, Aalborg, Auvers- sur -Oise, Auckland, Arillas (Greece), Suva, Noumea, Vila, and even tiny Samurai island (new guinea) Amongst others.

Tony has performed for HRH Prince Charles, HRH Queen of Denmark, HRH Prince Turki al Faisal, Sultan of Brunei , Australian Prime Ministers Hawke, Keating, Fraser and Howard, President Giskard of France , Sir David Attenborough, Sir Richard Harris, Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John, Sir David Frost, Sean Connery, Sophia Loren, Sir Richard Attenborough, Sir Ian McKellan, Sting, Ozzy Osbourne, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Daniel Craig, Paul Hogan, Keith Emerson, Paul Newman, Sam Neil, Nicole Kidman , Hugh Grant, Kathy Bates, Liz Hurley, Barbra Windsor, Bryan Brown, Chick Corea , Elle MacPherson , Sir Cliff Richard, Andrea Bocelli, Jeff Beck, Miranda Richardson, Shirley Jones, Bert Weedon, The Cast of Eastenders, Rolf Harris, Jodie Kidd, Lulu, Bryan Ferry, Sir Tim Rice and Matt “Guitar” Murphy amongst others.

1. GRAEME BELL’S ALL STARS - Chevron hotel in Surfers Paradise, 1966/7.

I was 7 years old at the time and my father Bob was playing in Graeme’s band at the Chevron along with Graham (Speddo) Spedding on Clarinet, George Brodbeck on Trombone, Harry Harmon on Bass and Tuba and. It was a roaring band and they used to do all sorts of comedy routines as well as play hot stomping jazz. I was used as the stooge several times, sitting up front in the beer garden, whilst Speddo chased my father around with a shaving cream pie, dressed in tails and fright wigs accompanied by the mad sounds of the “Cotton Pickin Peckin” overture. I would always get the pie in my face! I loved it. Speddo would also play an incredibly long note during his solo on “Golden Wedding” whilst taking his clarinet apart. It was great jazz and very entertaining. I remember that everyone had such a great time, and thinking that not many kid’s Dads got to do this for a living. It was a profound moment and set me on my way as a musician.

2. HERB ELLIS, BARNEY KESSEL & CHARLIE BYRD - The Great Guitars: Sydney Town Hall about 1973.

I was about 14 years old and I was so impressed with these guys when I saw them. I could not believe the way they all played together so perfectly. The interplay between them was surreal at the time and still brings a delicious feeling to me when I hear recordings of them. I was learning to play classical guitar at the time, as well as dabbling with improvising, so it was a big eye opener for me then. Once again, these guys told jokes and had an enormous amount of fun on stage and it really struck me that music, especially Jazz music, was a very special kind of thing. I was determined then to play like those guys.

3. HERB ELLIS & BARNEY KESSEL - The Basement Sydney, 1978.

When the Basement in Sydney opened its upstairs bar, I was fortunate enough to get the Midnight to 3 AM spot three nights a week, playing in a duo with Bass player Chris Paton and later guitarist Dave Smith. I was 19 years old. This led to me be able to hang out with Barney and Herb for the three nights that they played there in that year. I was sitting up front every night never taking my eyes off their fingers, it was a truly marvellous experience and I learned a lot. Barney even came to my house one night, I was blown away.

4. TONY BARNARD QUARTET - Pinball Wizz 1978. Sit ins Dave Liebmann.

It wasn’t my band that is the top thing here, it was the fact that during our regular gig with Jim Piesse on drums, Chris Paton on Bass and Steve Dagg on Sax one night, in walked Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke and Dave Liebmann. All our jaws dropped to the ground. Now I wasn’t the best of improvisers at the time and when Dave Liebmann asked to sit in I was a bit freaked out to say the least. Steve Dagg put his sax down and hid somewhere. We played a blues and he took about a million choruses playing stuff over the changes that I had no idea about. It was a whirlwind of musical colours and just astonishing. When he finished his solo he looked at me to take my turn. I cringed inwardly, gritted my teeth, swallowed the butterflies (again) and determined to do my best, launched into a some sort of chaotic chromatic fantasy that had nothing to do with anything really, I threw in everything I had and some stuff that I didn’t. Compared to the slick performance that had gone before me, it must have sounded like the proverbial fire in a pet shop, it was awful. Afterwards, Chick Corea congratulated me for being so brave! Just shows what a nice man he is. It was a big turning point in my musical life and it made me do some serious woodshedding!

5. RONNIE SCOTT’S JAZZ ORCHESTRA – London, 2006-2013

I have been lucky enough to be a part of one of the most amazing big bands in the world for the last 7 years. When I was first asked to join I was terrified, even after nearly forty years of experience. The musicians in the band are second to none and are incredible improvisers as well as being able to read the most frightening and complicated charts I have ever come across. It has a repertoire of hundreds and hundreds of tunes and arrangements. As well as our residency at the famous jazz club, the band has travelled around Europe and even to Turkey and the Middle East. We have backed a huge range of international stars as well, including John Faddis, Buddy Greco, Keely Smith, Curtis Stigers, etc, the list goes on. To this day I still sit on the stage and look around while the band is in full roar thinking to myself “I’m in this band!! How did that happen?” It is one of the best musical experiences of my life so far.