Barbara Thompson - Live at the BBC / 14CD set

“Barbara Thompson writes and performs for the saxophone like no other. With love and unwavering respect, she cherishes the instrument when needed, challenges and pushes it beyond boundaries and shows us that in the right hands, the saxophone really is truly magnificent.”
Fiona Ross, Jazz in Europe

    *14 CD set containing 27 complete radio programmes constituting 14 hours of music
    *Over 100 remastered and restored tracks from 1969-1990 together for the first time on one release
    *Featuring contributions from many legends of British jazz including Jack Bruce, Jon Hiseman, Don Rendell, Harry Beckett, Kenny Wheeler, Henry Lowther, Ian Carr, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Gary Husband, Frank Ricotti and Chris Spedding
    *Liner notes by celebrated jazz critic, broadcaster and saxophonist Dave Gelly MBE

This previously hidden treasure trove of Barbara Thompson recordings amounts to 14 CDs containing 27 complete radio programmes recorded and broadcast by the BBC over a period of 21 years. Many come from Barbara’s own, tapes, preserved by her husband, legendary drummer Jon Hiseman, in their archive at Temple Music, while others have been gathered from private collections across Britain and Europe. The material ranges from a live concert by the New Jazz Orchestra, introduced by Humphrey Lyttelton, in February 1969 to a set by Paraphernalia, featuring Jon Hiseman and keyboard player Peter Lemer, dating from June 1990.

Along the way are such rarities as: a set of compositions by Mike Taylor, broadcast in 1969 as a tribute following his then-recent death; Improvisations for Octet and Strings (1970); Five Movements for Jazz Ensemble (1971), conducted by Neil Ardley and introduced by Ian Carr; several broadcasts from the mid-1970s by Jubiaba; and many sets by Paraphernalia in its various forms including a complete concert broadcast live from Holland Park, mastered to the highest level, with extensive liner notes by celebrated jazz critic, broadcaster and saxophonist Dave Gelly MBE.