Guy Barker is a trumpet player, bandleader, composer and one of the most sought-after arrangers of today – he's also an Associate Artist with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.
Guy will conduct the RTÉ CO in A Night in Soho on Friday 15th August at the National Concert Hall. The concert will feature the Irish premiere of Guy's own Soho Symphony, with narrator Don Wycherley, as well as Soho-inspired music including a Ronnie Scott’s medley, music by Georgie Fame, Gil Evans and the Rolling Stones, and songs by Northern Irish blues queen Ottilie Patterson.
We asked Guy for his choice cultural picks...
FILM
My mum was an actress and my dad was a stuntman so the world of film has always been close to my heart. My main poison though is film noir... I love everything about that genre. I have too many favourites, but if I was to pick a few to recommend for a weekend noir binge they would be Double Indemnity (of course - one of the greatest of all noirs); Detour, an amazing film that was shot in just one week and has possibly the nastiest femme fatale in this genre - a real 'just when you thought things couldn't get any worse' type movie; The Big Heat with the amazing Gloria Grahame; and Pitfall with another great noir actress, Lizabeth Scott.
As far as recent films are concerned, I thoroughly enjoyed the Korean film Parasite. It's full of twists and surprises and some incredibly dark humour and it won best picture at the Oscars which was a huge achievement for a foreign language film.
I want to mention one more as just recently I have properly discovered Japanese cinema. I just happened to see Floating Weeds (1959) by Yasujiro Ozu and then was recommended to watch Ozu's Tokyo Story (1953). It was one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. A very simple family story and hardly anything really happens and yet you’re just glued to those images.
GIG (AND AN OPERA)
Music is in my life always, and so I go and see as much as I have time for.... Most recently, though, the performances that have just blown me away:
I saw Giacomo Smith (clarinet) and Joe Webb (piano) play a duo gig at the wonderful intimate venue in London, Crazy Coqs. They played a programme of rags and every moment was full of joy, heart and soul and swinging like you can't believe... If you ever get a chance to hear these two guys grab a ticket.
Another stand-out performance for me was Festen, the new opera from Mark-Anthony Turnage at the Royal Opera house, Thomas Vinterberg's cult film transformed into an incredible and very dark opera. The music was phenomenal, totally original and I must say brilliantly played by the Royal Opera House orchestra.
BOOK
Most of the books I have read have always had a music connection – biographies of great musicians, etc. However, a couple of years ago I met a really great lady who is a scientist and an author who has received awards for her work in her home country of Italy . Her name is Valeria Ricotti and I discovered a short story by her called A Stroll through Pompeii which I loved, especially the surprising twist towards the end.
I then found out that she has completed a new novel that has just been released in Italy called The Vermilion Bridge (Shironeko). It is in the process of being translated into English right now, but as soon as that happens I will definitely purchase a copy.
TV
I've not often been into binging on box sets, etc. I mainly watch TV for films and the news. However, I do have to admit that I have recently become another one of the millions who got totally sucked into the weird and wonderful world of Squid Game. I had no intention of watching it, then I thought 'I wonder what this is all about...' Watched the first series and that was it - locked in, with no escape. It’s a survival story, but it plays on so many aspects of the human condition. But in the end, it’s a piece of entertainment that really works. The main thing for me, however, is that it's a totally Korean-created series and it seems to have gone global in a huge way, which is a massive achievement. Special mention must go to the composer, Jung Jae-il, who also wrote the music for Parasite. Really brilliant music that plays games with your mind throughout.
MUSIC
There is a really great young Jazz musician called Tom Smith who plays saxophone and is also a really great and enthusiastic composer. He has released an album of his own big band compositions called A Year in the Life (Fey Moose Records). I would highly recommend this album – brilliant new jazz compositions performed by a group of fantastic musicians. Also the most recent album by the amazing pianist Joe Webb, Hamstrings & Hurricanes, is an absolute must.
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PLAY
Not exactly a play but one of the most incredible performances I have ever seen in a theatre was at an evening in the Soho Theatre by Julia Masli. She is often referred to as a clown but she is so much more than that. In the show I saw she just wanted to solve people’s problems and during the show she picked out (very nervous) members of the audience and got them to open up to her. What follows is a barrage of mesmerising physical comedy like you have never seen before. It is just too much to explain here.
Just find out when she is next performing and go... You won't believe it!
THE NEXT BIG THING...
I'm so lucky to get to work with some amazing artists, and every so often someone comes along that you just know is going to be a star. Recently, two have grabbed me. A great new young vocalist in New York called Tyreek McDole, 25 years old and has already won many awards and accolades. A glorious rich soulful voice whose music is at the very core centre of jazz music. His first album (of many I'm sure) is called Open Up Your Senses.
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Then there is Naomi Banks. An incredibly talented singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose voice and creativity are infectious. She will be a special guest at our Soho concert with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra on 15 August at the NCH... Don’t miss her! She’s amazing!
Guy Barker conducts the RTÉ CO in A Night in Soho on Friday 15th August at the National Concert Hall - find out more here
