Home » Jazz Musicians » Barry Guy

Barry Guy

Barry Guy is an innovative double bass player and composer whose creative diversity in the fields of Jazz improvisation, solo recitals, chamber and orchestral performance is the outcome both of an unusually varied training and a zest for experimentation, underpinned by a dedication to the double bass and the ideal of musical communication.

Between the early Seventies and mid Nineties Barry Guy held principal bass position in various orchestras including The Orchestra of St.John’s Smith Square, City of London Sinfonia, Monteverdi Orchestra, The Academy of Ancient Music, Kent Opera and The London Classical Players. During these years he was also active in the European Improvised Scene.

He is founder and Artistic Director of the London Jazz Composers Orchestra for which he has written several extended works with recordings of the following: Ode (Incus 1972 and re-released on Intakt 1996), Stringer (FMP 1980), Polyhymnia on ZURICH CONCERTS (Intakt 1988), Harmos (Intakt 1989), Double Trouble (Intakt 1990), Theoria (Intakt 1992) with the Swiss pianist Irène Schweizer as soloist, Portraits (Intakt 1994) and Three Pieces for Orchestra (Intakt 1997).

His concert works have been widely performed and his skilful and inventive writing has resulted in an exceptional series of compositions: Flagwalk (1983), The Eye of Silence (1988), Look Up! (1990), After the Rain (1992), Bird Gong Game (1992), Fallingwater (1996), Redshift (1998), Remembered Earth (1999), Nasca Lines (2001), Inachis (2002), Folio (2002) and Anaklasis (2003).

Look Up! was honoured with the Royal Philharmonic Society Award for Chamber-Scale Composition 1991-1992. Guy's compositions usually reflect a personal liaison with musicians and ensembles he writes for. As such, the commissions arrive from chamber orchestras, chamber groups and soloists interested in contemporary musical performance with a special commitment to communicate with the audience. Guy's works therefore have a sense of freshness without recourse to ideological excesses or scores that baffle players to the extent that performing becomes a trial.

The scores however are virtuosic and often present innovative sonorities and extended instrumental techniques and as a performer himself he is ideally placed to assess these possibilities.

Barry Guy continues to give solo recitals throughout Europe as well as continuing associations with colleagues involved in improvised, baroque and contemporary music. His current regular ensembles are the Homburger/Guy duo, the Parker/Guy duo, piano trios with Marilyn Crispell and Paul Lytton, Jaques Demierre and Lucas Niggli and a recently formed trio with Agusti Fernandez and Ramon Lopez. He continues the longstanding trio with Evan Parker and Paul Lytton as well as projects with Mats Gustafsson.

Read more

Tags

2
Album Review

Zlatko Kaućić: Zlatko Kaučič@70 - Inklings

Read "Zlatko Kaučič@70 - Inklings" reviewed by Neri Pollastri


Per celebrare il settantesimo compleanno di Zlatko Kaučič (di cui si parla nella recente intervista), avvenuto nel 2023, l'etichetta con cui il batterista sloveno ha pubblicato diversi suoi lavori negli ultimi anni, Fundacja Słuchaj, ha presentato questo cofanetto di quattro CD che documentano altrettanti concerti, tre dei quali registrati in occasione di diverse edizioni del Brda Contemporary Music Festival, ideato e diretto dall'artista e che quest'anno taglierà il traguardo dei quindici anni. I concerti vedono Kaučič assieme ad ...

1
Radio & Podcasts

Barry Guy, Jaleel Shaw, Linda May Han Oh & Zoh Amba

Read "Barry Guy, Jaleel Shaw, Linda May Han Oh & Zoh Amba" reviewed by Maurice Hogue


English avant-garde bassist Barry Guy is considered one of the finest in any musical genre and his compositional work is equally regarded. One of his signature pieces is “Harmos," and you will hear that as performed by the London Jazz Composers Orchestra recorded live in Krakow Poland. Saxophonist Jaleel Shaw's new Painter Of The Invisible provides a powerful tribute to Tamir Rice, the 12-year-old African American boy who was shot and killed by a Cleveland police officer in November 2014 ...

1
Album Review

Agustí Fernández: Aesthetic of Prisms

Read "Aesthetic of Prisms" reviewed by Neri Pollastri


Cofanetto di ben sette CD, edito per celebrare i settant'anni del pianista catalano, Aestethic of Prisms permette di ascoltare Agustí Fernández all'opera in numerose situazioni e con compagni diversi, sebbene sempre rigorosamente alle prese con l'improvvisazione libera e non idiomatica, di cui è uno dei grandi interpreti contemporanei. Apre la raccolta Blue Rose, un duo tra il pianista e lo straordinario contrabbassista Barry Guy, suo abituale partner (figura infatti in altri due CD del cofanetto), registrato in studio ...

6
Album Review

Sergio Armaroli / Francesca Gemmo / Barry Guy: At Sotto Il Mare First Visit

Read "At Sotto Il Mare First Visit" reviewed by John Sharpe


Deep hinterlands distinguish the three protagonists on this exceptionally simpatico date and imbue it with a sharpened sense of purpose. You might call it freely improvised, but as the liner notes reveal, unplanned might be a better descriptor. Italian vibraphonist Sergio Armaroli, who seems to be the principal mover, reportedly gave short verbal instructions before the music began. And while his exact words are not provided, they may account for the cohesion of what follows. Or perhaps not. Practiced improvisers, ...

10
Album Review

Zlatko Kaučič: Zlatko Kaučič@70 - Inklings

Read "Zlatko Kaučič@70 - Inklings" reviewed by Mark Corroto


I am tempted to call Inklings, a tribute to 70-year-old Slovenian drummer, composer, and percussionist Zlatko Kaučič, a celebration of his long and inspirational career. Yet, I hesitate, for much like the indefatigable octogenarians Han Bennink and Louis Hayes, Kaučič shows no signs of slowing down. It would not be surprising if he, like Roy Haynes, remained vital well into his late nineties. One reason to honor Kaučič now is the arduous and unconventional path he has taken. At 17, ...

2
Album Review

Savina Yannatou / Barry Guy / Ramon Lopez / Floros Floridis: Kouarteto

Read "Kouarteto" reviewed by John Sharpe


Four seasoned improvisers unite to telling effect on Kouartéto. Their pedigrees go back a long way. Greek vocalist Savina Yannatou, English bassist Barry Guy and Spanish drummer Ramon Lopez have been colleagues in Guy's Blue Shroud Band for the past 14 years, though Attikos (Maya, 2010) documenting bassist and singer in tandem at Amsterdam's esteemed Bimhuis predates that. Clarinetist Floros Floridis' association with the singer stretches back further still, not surprising as he has been at the forefront of the ...

7
Album Review

Savina Yannatou / Julius Gabriel / Agusti Fernandez / Barry Guy / Ramon Lopez: In The Light Of The Current Myth

Read "In The Light Of The Current Myth" reviewed by John Sharpe


Although this is the first release by the quintet of saxophonist Julius Gabriel, pianist Agustí Fernández, drummer Ramon López, bassist Barry Guy and vocalist Savina Yannatou, all five have been members of Guy's Blue Shroud Band since its inception in 2014. As such they are well versed in each other's capabilities and predilections, having taken part in countless improv sessions together in a variety of combinations. Consequently there is an ease and trust that permeates the fast mutating kaleidoscope of ...

Read more articles
4
Event

The world premiere of Barry Guy's new composition "The Blue Shroud"

The world premiere of Barry Guy's new composition "The Blue Shroud"

Source: Maxim Micheliov

The world première of Barry Guy’s new composition “The Blue Shroud” will take place in Krakow, Poland on November 21st. During the three preceding rehearsal days , there will be concerts every evening in the famous Alchemia Club. This will involve his new ensemble the “BLUE SHROUD BAND” Barry Guy – bass and director (GB) Savina Yannatou – voice (GR) Agusti Fernandez – piano (ESP) Ben Dwyer – guitar (IR) Peter Evans – trumpet (USA) Maya Homburger – violin (CH) ...

140
Recording

Agusti Fernandez, Barry Guy and Ramon Lopez - Morning Glory (Maya, 2010) ****1/2

Agusti Fernandez, Barry Guy and Ramon Lopez - Morning Glory (Maya, 2010) ****1/2

Source: Free Jazz by Stef Gijssels

By Stanley Zappa At its high points, Morning Glory is no less a musical achievement than the greatest of the great piano trios in our beloved music. Two that come to mind are the The Lowell Davidison Trio and Bill Evan's Sunday at the Village Vanguard. At their best Agusti Fernández, Barry Guy and Ramón López continue the larger, transcendent conversation begun by the players on those canonical recordings and could, for approximation reasons, be likened to a combination of ...

Brad Barrett
bass, acoustic

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Kouarteto

Maya
2025

buy

At Sotto Il Mare...

Ezz-thetics
2025

buy

Fucking Ballads

Euphorium Records
2024

buy

Six Hands Open As One

Fundacja Sluchaj,
2024

buy

Live in Munich

ECM Records
2024

buy

In The Light Of The...

Fundacja Sluchaj
2024

buy

Videos

Similar

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.