Our new series of live gigs at Dawkes are designed to let you enjoy leading UK musicians in a comfortable and enjoyable environment. This gig features leading Woodwind Supremo Alan Barnes (Sax & Clarinet).

*PLEASE NOTE: Each ticket-holder will be allocated a seat so please book groups under one booking so that you can be seated together.*

About this event

• Pre-Booking Required
• £25 per person - includes choice of Artisan Pizza*
• Bookings by Table (groups of 2-6)
• Bar service available (soft & alcoholic)
• Doors open 11:45am | Music starts 12pm
• 12pm-1pm First Set
• 1pm-2pm Lunch (choice of Artisan Sourdough Pizza Included - Paid Bar)
• 2pm-3pm Second Set
• Covid-secure precautions in place (full details on email confirmation)

* (Vegan, Vegetarian & Gluten Free pizza options available)

• All sales are non-refundable. If the event is rescheduled, all purchases will be honored for the next event date. If you cannot attend the event, you may transfer your purchase to another person. If the event is cancelled, all purchases will be refunded in full.

"The venue was excellent. The revamped Dawkes shop area adjusted beautifully into a club-like atmosphere. There was a relaxed welcoming attitude from the staff and they were attentive to the needs of the audience."- Live Event Visitor Feedback

The Band :

• Alan Barnes (Saxophones and Clarinet)
• Paul Edis (Piano)
• Andrew Cleyndert (Double Bass)

Alan Barnes

Alan Barnes is a prolific international performer, composer, arranger, bandleader and touring soloist. He is best known for his work on clarinet, alto and baritone sax, where he combines a formidable virtuosity with a musical expression and collaborative spirit that have few peers. His range and brilliance have made him a “first call” for studio and live work since his precocious arrival on the scene more than forty years ago.

His recorded catalogue is immense. He has made over thirty albums as leader and co-leader alone, and the list of his session and side-man work includes Bjork, Bryan Ferry, Michel LeGrande, Clare Teale, Westlife, Jools Holland and Jamie Cullum. He has toured and played residencies with such diverse and demanding figures as Ruby Braff, Freddie Hubbard, Scott Hamilton, Warren Vache, Ken Peplowski, Harry Allen and Conte Candoli.

In British jazz, the young Barnes was recognised – and hired – by the established greats of the time: Stan Tracey, John Dankworth, Kenny Baker, Bob Wilber, and Humphrey Lyttelton. But he is equally respected for his longstanding and fruitful collaborations with contemporaries such as David Newton, Bruce Adams, and Martin Taylor.

He written many compositions and arrangements including “The Sherlock Holmes Suite”, “A Jazz Christmas Carol”, ‘Jazz Portraits” and “Copperfield” as well as collaborations with Alan Plater : “Songs For Unsung Heroes”, ‘The seven Ages of Jazz” and “Looking For Buddy” Alan also runs a successful Jazz record label Woodville Records.

Alan Barnes’s unique musicianship, indefatigable touring, and warm rapport with audiences have made him uniquely popular in British jazz. He has received over 30 British Jazz Awards, most recently in 2019 for alto sax, and has twice been made BBC Jazz Musician of the Year.

"Barnes’ melodic sense bypasses the usual scale-running clichés that pepper the playing of lesser bop disciples." - Peter Marsh, BBC Music Review.

"His stylistic range is quite phenomenal… He has a wonderful capacity for suggesting a given style without actually imitating anyone." = Dave Gelly, Masters Of The Jazz Saxophone

"I was relishing the prospect of Barnes’s casually consummate musicianship, deadpan humour (he could be a comedian, if jazz ever fails him), and indomitable belief in a respected place for the music’s rich history in this eclectic and often forgetful world." - John Fordham - The Guardian

"Barnes plays music that was radical 50 years ago but he infuses it with so much passion and energy you could believe it was minted on the spot, which is always part of the story with jazz." - John L. Walters, The Guardian.