Chris Barber: Leader of the Band

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Radio 2 Celebrates Jazz

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Performances, playlists and documentaries from the history of jazz.

Performances, playlists and documentaries from the history of jazz, including shows from the BBC's archive and more - marking the Cheltenham Jazz Festival.

Radio 2 Celebrates Jazz: Chris Barber- Leader of the Band: Episode 2

Chris Barber- Leader of the Band: Episode 2

BBC Radio 2 - Radio 2 Celebrates Jazz, Chris Barber- Leader of the Band: Episode 2

Jools Holland presents the second part of a profile of the late British jazz great

Jools Holland presents the second part of a profile of the late British jazz great. With contributions from Chris himself, Mark Knopfler, Paul Jones, and Jon Hiseman.

Jools Holland presents the second part of a major profile of the late British jazz great, one of the most influential of all time. In addition to his own very successful recording career, Chris was responsible for bringing blues greats like Muddy Waters and Sister Rosetta Tharpe to the UK for the first time; the impact of those performances went a long way to creating the British blues boom of the 1960s. His involvement in the fledgling Marquee Club in London gave the Rolling Stones a valuable early platform, and he was also one of the founding fathers of the Reading Festival. 

The skiffle movement was created by members of the Chris Barber Band, and he broke new ground for jazz both in the US and behind the Iron Curtain, where he fame was once so great that he was able to travel without a passport! He played for President Kennedy and in the black blues clubs of 1950s Chicago and crossed musical boundaries as though they didn't exist.

The programme features extensive recollections from Chris himself, alongside contributions from Mark Knopfler, Paul Jones, Acker Bilk, Kenny Ball, Van Morrison, Jon Hiseman, Phil Collins, Lonnie Donegan, Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts and more.

Chris Barber died in March 2021, and Radio 2 pays tribute with this programme which was originally broadcast in January 2013.

Amazing music. Played by an amazing line up.

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Chris Barber- Leader of the Band: Episode 2

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