Photo Credits: Frances.Whitfield@Flickr, Infrogmation@Wikimedia.Commons, |
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The Barbarin Family |
It's impossible to write about one of the talented Barbarin family members without writing about them all. The Barbarin name has been a mainstay on the New Orleans music scene since the turn of the 20th century, when Isidore was a well-known cornet and alto horn player with bands such as the Onward Brass Band, Excelsior Brass Band and Papa Celestin's Tuxedo Brass Band. Isidore's sons were all professional musicians of note, as well as other family members who followed in his footsteps. Son, Paul, was the most famous of Isidore's sons. He started playing drums professionally as a teenager and played with some of the most famous bands of the 1920's-'30s. Many regard him as one of the best of the pre-Big Band era jazz drummers. He toured and played in New York and Chicago and elsewhere, but he always returned home to New Orleans. By the 1940's, he worked almost exclusively in his hometown, leading and marching in brass bands and playing at Preservation Hall. He died while he was leading the Onward Brass Band in a Mardi Gras parade in 1969. Louis, Paul's younger brother, was, also, a drummer. He didn't travel as much as Paul, spending most of his time playing in New Orleans. He might not have achieved the fame of Paul Barbarin, but was much admired by his fellow musicians. Later in his career, he did tour Europe with the New Orleans All- Star Jazz Band. At home, he played with Armand J. Piron, Papa Celestin, Papa French and at Preservation Hall, to name just a few. He retired in the mid-1980s and passed away in 1997. |
Paul Barbarin |
Two other sons, also, became professional musicians. Lucien Barbarin played drums and William Barbarin played cornet. Isidore's grandson, Danny Barker, was a talented musician, as well. |
Lucien Barbarin, g-nephew of Paul Barbarin, carries on the family tradition. He is a well-known trombone player who has played with Wynton Marsalis, Dr. Michael White and Lionel Hampton. He tours with Harry Connick, Jr. and with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Lucien makes his home in New Orleans. |
Lucien Barbarin signs autographs at the Sydney Opera House after appearing with Harry Connick, Jr. |
Left to right: Paul Barbain, drums; Arnold Metoyer, trumpet; Luis Russel, piano; Willie Santiago, banjo; Albert Nicholas, saxophones & clarinet. Tom Anderson's Cafe on Rampart Street, Storyville, 1919. |
Paul Barbarin, with the Louis Armstrong Orchestra, ca. 1930's. |