From the archives
Geoffrey Smith on saxist and bandmaster Charlie Barnet, a powerful presence on Harlem’s jazz scene
Charlie Barnet was that rare thing, a jazz musician who didn’t have to worry about making a living, but could pursue jazz for the love of it.
As a teenager, he dismayed his wealthy banking family by taking up the saxophone and going on the road. Just as remarkable was his total indifference to racial prejudice. He formed his first band in 1933, and in 1934 became the first white band to appear at Harlem’s legendary Apollo Theatre. Passionate about the best music regardless of who was playing it, his closest musical friends and allies were the likes of Duke Ellington and Count Basie.
Barnet made no secret of his desire to incorporate Ellington’s harmonies and Basie’s swing in his own way, and the acclaim for his 1939 band showed how well he’d succeeded. Hit recordings like ‘Cherokee’ proved the group’s pulsating power was no mere imitation, entrancing audiences across the racial divide. As the civil rights activist Malcolm X recalled, Barnet’s was ‘the only white band ever to play at the Roseland Ballroom at a Negro dance... “Cherokee” and “Redskin Rhumba” drove those Negroes wild.’
Both those tracks are featured in a very welcome, well-selected Barnet compilation called The Right Idea (Retrospective RTS 4225), covering his hey-day from 1939-49. Barnet’s rightful place in jazz history has tended to be overshadowed by his status as playboy and serial husband: he was married eleven times, admitting several ‘marital fiascos’. But this two-cd set restores his proper reputation. Barnet’s band is very impressive, laying down swinging charts with well-honed conviction. Its ranks were as inclusive as its audiences, with such black stars and stars-tobe as Roy Eldridge and Lena Horne.
An aversion to bebop finally brought Charlie’s full-time musical career to an end. After 1949, he managed hotels and threw lavish parties where the collective guest of honour was the Duke Ellington band. But this vintage collection demonstrates that this playboy could really play.