Barry Guy

Britain's Barry Guy is a highly regarded bassist and composer known for his work in avant-garde jazz. Classically trained, Guy is both a skilled craftsman and gifted soloist, whose music straddles the line between free-form improvisation and contemporary classical composition. Along with teaching at London's Guildhall School of Music, Guy has issued a prolific number of albums including 1972's Ode with <a href="spotify:artist:3dcT1IGcNuw7m5Op5KcvX4">the London Jazz Composers Orchestra</a>, 1984's Supersession with longtime associate <a href="spotify:artist:42WVIJPKijZYsOWhNqnAke">Evan Parker</a>, and 2016's The Blue Shroud.

Born in London in 1947, Guy first came to prominence in the '60s as a member of pianist <a href="spotify:artist:2yZHdIII7AD1EwUCpKyN80">Howard Riley</a>'s trio alongside drummer <a href="spotify:artist:38hAXjCbg6MlaUqFpdNB03">Tony Oxley</a>, appearing on albums like 1967's Discussions, 1969's Angle, and 1971's Flight. In the early '70s, Guy formed the innovative <a href="spotify:artist:3dcT1IGcNuw7m5Op5KcvX4">London Jazz Composers Orchestra</a>, a collection of like-minded artists that included such luminaries of the British avant-garde jazz scene as <a href="spotify:artist:42WVIJPKijZYsOWhNqnAke">Evan Parker</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:65ereZNAA830y6chIVd3xg">Paul Lytton</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0NiVnzdZVyaHThgTofobW2">Derek Bailey</a>, Paul Rutherford, <a href="spotify:artist:1q1wfzh2xtpj27TnIAqIvd">Karl Jenkins</a>, and many more. The group debuted with a recording of Guy's long-form composition Ode in 1972. Also during this period, he appeared on albums with <a href="spotify:artist:7DnLQaXsqcYkgm0nyDrB3r">Riley</a>, John Stevens, <a href="spotify:artist:5ncloNhU2nniyKec3novGn">Bob Downes</a>, and others.

Guy's second album with <a href="spotify:artist:3dcT1IGcNuw7m5Op5KcvX4">the London Jazz Composers Orchestra</a>, Stringer, appeared in 1984. Harmos followed in 1989. The '80s also found him working regularly with fellow <a href="spotify:artist:3dcT1IGcNuw7m5Op5KcvX4">LJCO</a> members saxophonist <a href="spotify:artist:42WVIJPKijZYsOWhNqnAke">Parker</a> and drummer <a href="spotify:artist:65ereZNAA830y6chIVd3xg">Lytton</a>. Together they released such albums as Pisa 1980: Improvisor's Symposium and 1986's Atlanta.

The '90s were a prolific decade for the bassist, who appeared on numerous albums with <a href="spotify:artist:3dcT1IGcNuw7m5Op5KcvX4">the London Jazz Composers Orchestra</a>, including 1990's Double Trouble, 1991's Theoria, 1993's Portraits, and 1995's Double Trouble Two. He also delivered a handful of well-received solo efforts: 1991's Fizzles, 1993's After the Rain, 1995's Sensology (with <a href="spotify:artist:0gpBLj8scpUxYjDWMJok7L">Paul Plimley</a>), and 1997's Gudira. His contributions to other artists' albums also increased, with appearances on albums by <a href="spotify:artist:5jtGuhEEDh07yaFfm8qHg7">Cecil Taylor</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4hs4QcruAuaZtBZ99qw6G2">Bill Dixon</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1tUlbEU51dXfNmTmj9fPoH">Mario Schiano</a>, and others.

Guy's output continued to increase over the next several years, showcasing more collaborations with <a href="spotify:artist:42WVIJPKijZYsOWhNqnAke">Parker</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:7DnLQaXsqcYkgm0nyDrB3r">Riley</a>, as well as with pianist <a href="spotify:artist:0w4mLSXg39n1UuyK7eNLTD">Marilyn Crispell</a>, saxophonist <a href="spotify:artist:76w5atatALEaxzKTmZbefS">Mats Gustafsson</a>, pianist <a href="spotify:artist:4jAi71HGjA6y9uiSvokTbW">Sten Sandell</a>, and others. In 2006, he reconvened <a href="spotify:artist:3dcT1IGcNuw7m5Op5KcvX4">the London Jazz Composers Orchestra</a> for Dance for Human Folks. Also that year, he released the solo album Folio, followed a year later by Zafiro. In 2010, he paired with trumpeter <a href="spotify:artist:3js0AfR1xKDKNWyCMi1FM3">Peter Evans</a> on Scenes in the House of Music. Two years later, he joined <a href="spotify:artist:7GYdSOyUNp70L6kXepVAzJ">Ian Whitcomb</a> for Songs Without Words and in 2014 he collaborated with <a href="spotify:artist:4KMt98IljgbTUeeU9KAu7y">Fred Frith</a> for Backscatter Bright Blue. In 2016, Guy appeared on several albums including Deep Memory with <a href="spotify:artist:0w4mLSXg39n1UuyK7eNLTD">Crispell</a>, as well as his own The Blue Shroud, featuring his Blue Shroud Band. He then paired with trumpeter <a href="spotify:artist:3js0AfR1xKDKNWyCMi1FM3">Peter Evans</a> for 2018's Syllogistic Moments. ~ Matt Collar, Rovi