Bob Barnard

One of the great jazz trumpeters of Australia, Bob Barnard has generally favored performing trad and pre-bop jazz. The younger brother of the fine drummer Len Barnard, he started playing jazz with a family band in 1947 and was in Len's group during much of the 1947-55 period. Barnard also led his own band and, after moving to Sydney in 1957, he worked with Graeme Bell and gigged locally. Barnard first came to the U.S. in 1978, where he was a hit at the Bix Beiderbecke festival in Davenport, Iowa, and has since appeared at a variety of American festivals. He debuted on records as a leader as early as 1952, made sets for Swaggie, Calligraph and Sackville (1995), among others, and also recorded with Ralph Sutton. Bob Barnard's excellent technique, solid tone and swinging style have made him a popular attraction in the trad jazz world.