Didja Feel The Music of...Alan Barnes

Good music and good mysteries are two sweet pleasures of mine. Some of my favorite mysteries are the Sherlock Holmes stories; loved since I was about 12 years old. I’m also a big fan of the talented saxophonist and composer Alan Barnes. Imagine how much fun it was to discover that Mr. Barnes and Mr. Holmes could be enjoyed at the same time—talk about double the pleasure.

 

You see, as well as playing with and leading excellent jazz groups, Alan Barnes composes music. Some of his compositions chronicle jazz through its ages, and others tell of jazz’s unsung heroes. There are songs that showcase poets, or paint musical scenes of a city in Spain.  All are fine listening that I highly recommend. But, for me there is one that stands out among them and makes me feel that a musical-mystery Shangri la has been discovered. That is The Sherlock Holmes Suite.

Yes, you read it right—the great detective and the great saxophonist have crossed paths and the result is a 2 disc set of music that entertains and engages even this ardent Sherlockian and jazz lover.  The music provides mood and movement to the storyboard in my brain. The track entitled “Hound of the Baskervilles” takes me right onto the Moors and I feel the hounds only a breath away in the chase through the darkness.

There are the songs written for Dr. Watson that capture the love and loss of women in his life.  The Baker Street Irregulars and Lestrade get their due and 221B is addressed as well. There is a little narration, but mostly there is music to accompany the pictures in your own mind movie.

I’ve always felt that good musicians are good story tellers, whether the story is one they have written themselves or one they musically retell.  In The Sherlock Holmes Suite we get the best of both.

You can follow this trail to see for yourself https://myspace.com/alanbarnesyeah/music/song/the-hound-of-the-baskervilles-61661009?play=1

Then give us a clue as to how didja feel the music of Alan Barnes.