Biography All Music Guide Wikipedia
All Music Guide:
Barney Bigard was one of the most distinctive clarinetists in jazz and a longtime asset to Duke Ellington's orchestra. Although he took clarinet lessons with Lorenzo Tio, Bigard's initial reputation was made as a tenor saxophonist; in fact, based on a few of his recordings (particularly those with Luis Russell), Bigard was number two behind Coleman Hawkins in the mid-'20s. After working with several groups in New Orleans, Bigard moved to Chicago in 1924 where he played with King Oliver during 1925-1927. He would also record with Jelly Roll Morton, Johnny Dodds, and future boss Louis Armstrong in the 1920s but, after short stints with Charles Elgar and Luis Russell, Bigard found his true home with Duke Ellington's orchestra, with whom he almost exclusively played clarinet. Between 1927-1942, he was well featured on a countless number of recordings with Ellington, who understood Bigard's musical strengths and wrote to showcase him at his best. From "Mood Indigo" (which he co-composed) to "Harlem Air Shaft," Bigard was an important fixture of the Ellington orchestra.
When he quit the band in 1942 (due to tiring of the road), Bigard played with Freddie Slack's big band, Kid Ory's New Orleans group, and appeared in the 1946 film New Orleans. Bigard then joined the Louis Armstrong All-Stars, constantly traveling the world during 1947-1955 and 1960-1961; he spent 1958-1959 with Cozy Cole's band. Bigard became largely semi-retired after 1962, but still played now and then, recording with Art Hodes, Earl Hines, and as a leader. However, Barney Bigard, whose swing style was sometimes out-of-place with Armstrong, really sounded at his best during his Duke Ellington years.
Wikipedia:
Albany Leon Bigard (March 3, 1906 – June 27, 1980), aka Barney Bigard, was an American jazz clarinetist and tenor saxophonist, though primarily known for the clarinet.
Bigard was born in New Orleans and studied music and clarinet with Lorenzo Tio. He moved to Chicago in the early 1920s, where he worked with Joe "King" Oliver and others. During this period, much of his recording with Oliver and others, including clarinetist Johnny Dodds, was on tenor saxophone, an instrument he played often with great lyricism, as on Oliver's hit recording of "Someday Sweetheart".
In 1927 he joined Duke Ellington's band in New York, where he stayed until 1942. With Ellington, he was the featured clarinet soloist, while also doing some section work on tenor.
After leaving Ellington's Orchestra, he moved to Los Angeles, California and did sound track work, including an onscreen featured role with an allstar band led by Louis Armstrong in the 1946 film New Orleans.
He began working with trombonist Kid Ory's band during the late 1940s, and later worked with Louis Armstrong's touring band, the All Stars, and others. He appeared and played in the movie St. Louis Blues in 1958, with Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Pearl Bailey and Eartha Kitt.
He died in Culver City, California.
Bigard wrote an autobiography entitled With Louis and The Duke, and he is credited as composer or co-composer on several numbers, notably the Ellington standard "Mood Indigo".
Barney Bigard and His Jazzopators
The first version of the song Caravan (composed by Juan Tizol and later rearranged by Duke Ellington) was recorded in Hollywood, 18 December 1936, and performed as an instrumental by Barney Bigard and His Jazzopators. Two takes were recorded, of which the first (Variety VA-515-1) was published. The band members were Cootie Williams (trumpet), Juan Tizol (trombone), Barney Bigard (clarinet), Harry Carney (baritone sax), Duke Ellington (piano), Billy Taylor (bass), and Sonny Greer (drums). All of the players were members of the Duke Ellington Orchestra, which would often split into smaller units to record small-band discs. Even though Ellington was present at the recording date, the session leader was Bigard.
In keeping with Ellington's formation of small groups featuring his primary soloists, Bigard continued to be featured under his own name on Variety and subsequently Vocalion and OKeh through 1940. When the entire Ellington organization signed with Victor in 1940, Bigard recorded for Bluebird under his own name.
After WWII, he recorded under his own name for independent labels Signature, Rex, Black & White, Selmer, and Keynote in 1944-45. He also recorded an album for Liberty in 1957 and an album for French Vogue Records as "Barney Bigard-Claude Luter Quintet" in 1966.
