THE Big Chris Barber Band play the Grand Opera House, York, on Monday night, as the 87-year-old Welwyn Garden City jazz trombonist notches up his 68th year as a bandleader.
Inspired by the King Oliver Creole Jazz Band, Barber formed his first Barber New Orleans Band in 1949 at the age of 19. In 1953, along with Monty Sunshine and Lonnie Donegan, he joined forces with Ken Colyer, and after the replacement of Colyer by Pat Halcox, Ken Colyer's Jazzmen mutated into Chris Barber's Jazz Band in 1954, since when they have been one of Europe's most successful traditional jazz bands.
Despite being "on the slide" since 1949, having performed 10,000 concerts and made thousands of recordings, the Chris Barber Band keep marching on, to the Millennium and beyond. Indeed, at the end of 2001, Barber expanded his band with three more musicians into The Big Chris Barber Band.
Tickets for Monday's 7.30pm concert cost £24.90 upwards on 0844 871 3024 or at atgtickets.com/york
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