Chris Barber Jazzband and Grosses Rundfunkorchester Berlin, Take Me Back To New Orleans.
Bell Records BLR 89 310, released in October 2011.

Take Me Back To New Orleans is a double-CD re-issue of a previous LP and CDs of the Chris Barber Band in concert with the Grosses Rundfunkorchester Berlin, recorded in 1986, and issued under the title, New Orleans Symphony. It was the outcome of a collaboration between Chris Barber and composer Richard Hill, with the aim of combining a jazz band and a classical music orchestra in a single performance – a collaboration which was remarkably successful, as both the music and playing on this CD are of a very high standard.

The original LP was released on the Jazz Zounds label, which also issued the first CD of the concert. Another re-issue came from Timeless Records, so this Bell Records edition is the third to appear, although the title has been changed for the current release.

Unfortunately, the CD is not listed in the Bell Records on-line catalogue (www.bellmusik.de), but it is readily available from Amazon, and possibly on eBay, so Chris Barber fans should have little trouble acquiring this new release should they wish to do so.

Music: Blues (Largo) || Immigration Blues || Ragtime || South Rampart Street Parade || Stomp

Ed Jackson, November 2011