Chris Barber’s Canadian Connections
Introduction
Throughout his long and distinguished career as a musician and bandleader, Chris Barber never confined himself strictly to New Orleans jazz. Instead, he remained open to diverse musical influences, styles, and ideas, adapting them to his own artistic vision. Similarly, his collaborative spirit extended beyond his own bands and beyond Europe, where most of his engagements took place. He frequently sought out and embraced opportunities for international partnerships, inviting fellow musicians to perform, tour, and record with him, just as he himself played trombone and sang with a variety of ensembles both on stage and in the studio.
A particularly fascinating example of his international collaborations took place in the early 2000s, when Chris Barber developed strong musical ties with Canadian musicians. These connections led to memorable performances and recordings that showcased his continued passion for early jazz and blues traditions while reinforcing his role as a bridge between generations and styles.
Chris Barber and Sweet Papa Lowdown
Vancouver, on Canada’s west coast, has a vibrant jazz scene that includes bands dedicated to early jazz, blues, and New Orleans-style music. Among them are the New Orleans North Traditional Jazz Band, founded by clarinetist, soprano saxophonist, and vocalist Lloyd Arntzen, and Sweet Papa Lowdown, led by guitarist and singer Jeff Shucard. Notably, Arntzen was also a member of Sweet Papa Lowdown.
According to Jeff Shucard, Sweet Papa Lowdown’s style can be described as “post-modern retro-fusion Afro-American hokum jazz and blues.” Hokum, sometimes referred to as hot jazz, was a popular and commercially successful musical style in the 1920s and 1930s. It featured witty, often risqué lyrics, lively rhythms, and a ragtime-influenced bounce that made it perfect for energetic dancing. One of the biggest hits of the era was “It’s Tight Like That”, a song that later found its way into the repertoire of Chris Barber’s Jazz Band.
Shucard, always eager to get inspiration and to discover new material for his band, was drawn to early jazz recordings. During his research, he became particularly fascinated with the music of pianist Jimmy Durante, who had composed and recorded numerous songs during the 1920s. Sweet Papa Lowdown incorporated several of Durante’s compositions into their repertoire, recording them for CD release. Shucard also compiled a collection of Durante’s music on a cassette, which, through a fortunate twist of fate, ended up in the hands of Chris Barber.
Barber, himself a devoted expert of early jazz with an extensive collection of rare 78 rpm shellac records, was captivated by the music. As Shucard later recalled, Barber reached out to him directly, leading to an extensive phone conversation in which they discovered their mutual passion for early jazz and a strong alignment in their musical philosophies. Their shared enthusiasm soon led to a decision: as suggested by Barber they would perform together.
In September 2000, Chris Barber traveled to Vancouver, where he played two sold-out shows with Sweet Papa Lowdown at the Hot Jazz Club. The concerts were broadcast live by Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) Radio 2 Vancouver. Their collaboration was so successful that they reunited two years later. In June 2002, they performed again, this time as part of a concert series that included an appearance at the 18th Vancouver International Jazz Festival from June 21 to 30, 2002, an event that drew over 400,000 attendees. CBC Radio 2 once again broadcast the performance live.
Their collaboration extended beyond live performances. From the recordings made in 2000 and 2002, they selected ten tracks for a CD release. The album, Sweet Papa Lowdown with Special Guest Chris Barber: One of Your Smiles – A Live Recording of Barbaric Blues and Sizzling Syncopations [Pacific Music PM11362], was released in 2003. It featured five tracks recorded at the Hot Jazz Club in Vancouver on September 15, 2000, and five more recorded at CBC Jazz Café on June 24, 2002. This album stands as a unique document of Barber performing in a setting quite different from his usual band configurations, offering a fresh take on early jazz and blues.
Chris Barber and Jeff Healey & The Jazz Wizards
Norman Jeffrey „Jeff“ Healey was born on March 25, 1966, in Toronto, on Canada’s east coast. Tragically, he lost his sight as an infant due to a rare form of eye cancer. He suffered from this tumour throughout his life and died in Toronto on March 02, 2008. Despite this, he became an extraordinary guitarist, singer, and songwriter, as well as a skilled trumpet, trombone, and clarinet player. From an early age, he displayed remarkable talent, developing an unconventional guitar technique in which he played the instrument flat across his lap, his right hand picking and strumming, while his left hand running wildly across the strings of the fingerboard, thus allowing for uniquely expressive vibratos.
In the mid-1980s, Healey formed The Jeff Healey Band, a blues-rock trio that gained international fame and reputation in the late 1980s and 1990s. His phenomenal playing technique and soulful voice made him one of the world’s top blues-rock musicians. However, in the early 2000s, he turned away from blues-rock and returned to his true musical love: early American jazz from the 1920s and 1930s. He had long been fascinated by this era, in particular by Louis Armstrong, and had amassed a collection of over 30,000 vintage 78 rpm gramophone records. His deep knowledge of early jazz and blues led him to work as host at several radio stations, sharing his passion with audiences.
Healey eventually founded Jeff Healey & The Jazz Wizards, a band dedicated to reviving the sound of 1920s jazz. With this band he now performed as a trumpeter, guitarist and singer. In many ways, he and Chris Barber had much in common: both were bandleaders, both played brass instruments and sang, both had an extensive knowledge of early jazz and blues, and both had amassed significant record collections. Their shared passion made their collaboration almost inevitable.
According to Healey, their first contact was over the phone, when Barber invited him to join his band as a special guest for European concerts. Healey, reluctant to spend long periods away from home, instead invited Barber to come to Canada and perform with The Jazz Wizards. Barber accepted and wrote about this in his autobiography Jazz Me Blues [Equinox Publishing Ltd., Sheffield, GB (2014)]: „The group I was to play with was run by a fellow called Jeff Healey. … But Jeff also ran a band called the Jazz Wizards, because his other undying love was 1920s jazz by Louis Armstrong, and the vocals of Bing Crosby. So in that group he mainly played trumpet and sang. … He was a lovely man, and while I was in Canada playing with his band we made a record. During the recording I pushed myself forward slightly to have my own blues „Going Up The River“ included, but I’m glad we did it because whenever I hear it, I have a way of remembering Jeff Healey“.
On August 22 and 23, 2005, Barber and Healey, accompanied by The Jazz Wizards, played two sold-out shows at Hugh’s Room in Toronto. Nine tracks from these performances were selected for the album Jeff Healey & The Jazz Wizards with Special Guest Chris Barber: It’s Tight Like That [Stony Plain Records SPCD 1314], released in 2006. The album captures the exuberant energy of traditional jazz, with Barber’s vocals on „Basin Street Blues“ standing out as a highlight. The chemistry between Barber and Healey is evident throughout the recordings, which are filled with passion and joy. This is especially true in view of the fact that only the tunes with Chris‘ vocals were pre-chosen, as were one or two of Jeff’s trumpet / vocal features – everything else was decided spontaneously on stage.
The CD also contains two tracks without Chris Barber, which were recorded live during the Montreal International Jazz Festival in July 2006.
Additionally, their rendition of „Sweet Georgia Brown“, recorded on August 22, 2005, was initially included as a previously unreleased track in the compilation 30 Years of Stony Plain – Canada’s Roots, Rock, Folk, Country and Blues Label [Stony Plain Records SPCD 1317] in 2006. On this fine recording everyone got to solo, with strong runs from young violinist Drew Jurecka and saxophone player Chris Plock.
In 2015, „Sweet Georgia Brown“, referred to as promo only release with Chris Barber, was included in Jeff Healey – The Best of The Stony Plain Years [Stony Plain Records SPCD 1380].
Outlook
The collaborations documented on One of Your Smiles and It’s Tight Like That reflect Chris Barber’s boundless curiosity and willingness to explore diverse musical settings. With Sweet Papa Lowdown, he played in an unconventional lineup featuring trombone, guitar, vocals, slide guitar, mandolin, clarinet, soprano sax, bass horn, and flugabone, reviving early jazz and blues in a unique way. With Jeff Healey & The Jazz Wizards, he engaged in a more traditional yet equally spirited interpretation of 1920s and 1930s jazz.
These collaborations serve as further testament to Barber’s lifelong dedication to the music he loved and his remarkable ability to connect with musicians across generations and genres, ensuring that the spirit of early jazz would continue to thrive.
Dr. Peter Brennecke, March 27, 2025