Looking back on 2019… and forward to 2020!

Hello good people. As 2019 draws to a close I thought I’d reflect upon the past year. It’s been a bit of a rough year for me personally, and for the world in general it seems; but it was also a very productive year for me from a creative standpoint.

In March I released a new original concept album I’m very proud of, called “The Species That Knew Too Much“, with songs about timely topics such as climate change, human conflict, and our tendency to remain in denial about these and other important issues. Here’s a Spotify link to the album:

Also around that project I released a video of one of the songs with my esteemed collaborators Mark Schleunes and Margaret Boehm, entitled “Apocalypso”, which seems as timely as ever in light of the current political situation in the U.S. and U.K.:

In 2019 I also released a jazz record through my independent label, with my musical collaborator Robert Pfeiffer, co-leader of our jazz quartet called “The Reliables“… the record is entitled “Fuzzy Math” – here’s a link to that album:

The Reliables have gigs coming up in early 2020, including Feb. 13 at the Hampstead Jazz Club. Hope to see you there.

I also did a lot of gigs on alto with The Spanner Big Band, which has been great for my playing and general musicianship. We’ve got a gig coming up Jan. 15 at the Gunners pub in Finsbury Park.

Also toward the end of the year I’ve started working in an engineer/producer capacity with a young singer/songwriter called Honey Ryder, who I think shows great promise. Here’s a song where she recorded the vocals in my home studio; she’s got other songs I’m helping her produce.

I did a few gigs as a saxophone sideman this year with singer/songwriter Drew Jam.

And I’m proud to be a part of the new album from Tim Jackson, “Better Late Than Never” –

I’ve also continued my study of the saxophone and trying to be a better saxophone player; I’ve nearly finished learning a tricky Charlie Parker solo on “Cherokee”, as well as having played with a classical saxophone quartet, played some Brazilian choro music, and sat in on a few jam sessions here and there.

Finally I’ve continued my work toward developing a solo act with a laptop; whilst this seems eternally a “work-in-progress” I actually made good strides this year, and hope to finally bring it out and do some local London gigs in the new year.

Thanks, love and best wishes to all my friends, family and fans for your continued love and support. Happy 2020 to you!

– Dave Barrows