The Library of Babel & Whatever You Say Will Be from the Tom Barford Live at the Parakeet album stream

In this guest blog composer, saxophonist and winner of the 2017 Kenny Wheeler Prize Tom Barford introduces his new live album to be released in September.

**The Parakeet, Kentish Town, London – formerly the Oxford Tavern – where upcoming September release *Live at the Parakeet* was recorded back in November**

Joe Henderson’s ‘Inner Urge’ is one of the tunes rendered on Live at The Parakeet here in a version recorded less than a half dozen miles distant from Kentish Town down at the Pizza in Soho the previous year. James Copus who is on the upcoming Parakeet recording in the front line is among this differently peopled combination of this dynamic YouTube version.

Barford had debuted with Bloomer and has released two albums with the band AUB that he leads with Alex Hitchcock.

This sizzling new recording for the autumn, captured live at the Parakeet in north London’s Kentish Town recorded by the audio engineer and trumpeter Alex Bonney presents him sharing the frontline with star trumpeter James Copus on a set of his own original material, rounded out with standards. It’s with Ivo Neame on piano and regular rhythm section compadres Oli Hayhurst on bass and Tim Giles on drums who complete the sound.

“I’ve been playing with James in particular for a long time and have been lucky enough to live and practise alongside him. He’s an absolute force of nature and because he takes inspiration from saxophone players it makes him sound totally unique. Oli and Tim have played with each other so much over the years so their hook up is unbelievable. Add Ivo into the mix and you’ve got one of the best rhythm sections anywhere in the world in my opinion.

“Although I have enjoyed co-writing for the band AUB, this is only my second offering as a leader. A lot has happened in my life since Bloomer and I believe my playing is coming from a slightly different place so it’s nice to mark this period of my life with an album. There’s something so exciting about a live recording which seems impossible to replicate in the studio after however many takes. It forces you to not obsess over fixes and to live with what you played in the moment which to me lends itself to jazz more than recording in a studio. It sounds more human.”

*The Library of Babel*, a collection of the great Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges’ that brought together many of his most enjoyed beloved stories including ‘The Garden of Forking Paths’ and ‘Shakespeare’s Memory’, is an inspiration on the Tom Barford piece of the same name found on the saxophonist’s upcoming live album.

“I love to tie in my love for card magic where I can so two of the pieces on the album are influenced by a couple of my favourite magicians – Juan Tamariz and Chan Canasta.”
Tom Barford

“Their risk taking style of magic inspires me immensely and relates directly to jazz improvisation. I’ve tried to replicate this feeling in the tune ‘Whatever You Say Will Be’ – a line of Canasta’s. Tamariz’ love for the art is unmatched which I believe you can feel when he performs. So, I’ve tried to think of that feeling when writing ‘Tamariz’. Other inspirations include short stories by Jorge Borges (The Library of Babel) and the incomparable saxophone playing of Joe Henderson (‘Inner Urge’).”

“I’m so glad we chose to record this gig as I think it turned out to be my favourite of all the gigs we’ve done so far with so many amazing moments captured. I remember welling up while playing the melody at the end of ‘Moonlight in Vermont’ due to the sheer gratitude and luckiness I felt to play with these musicians. I can’t wait to celebrate the release of this album at the Vortex Jazz Club on 3October.”