SAXOPHONE & ELECTRONICS
“… Barba blends classic jazz improvisational stylings with ambient electronic effects to create rich, meditative soundscapes.”
– The Isthmus
Bio
Tony Barba is an award winning saxophonist/educator/producer whose career has spanned the last twenty-five years. With a passion for a broad range of genres, Tony has cultivated a diverse resume of musical experiences that continues to occupy him as an in-demand sideman as well as a bandleader. Originally hailing from Acton, Massachusetts, Tony started studying music at a young age beginning with piano lessons and then moving on to clarinet, guitar and finally settling on tenor saxophone, which in turn became his main instrument. A love of improvising developed after participating in the 1997 Massachusetts all-state jazz band (directed by Rufus Reid), which led to his decision to dedicate his life to the study of music in all its forms. Tony attended NYU from 1997-2001 to study jazz performance (B.A.) with such notable teachers as George Garzone, Frank Kimbrough, and Ralph Lalama. After graduating, he continued to reside in NYC to play and teach professionally for the next decade. Over the course of the next 14 years, Barba lived and worked in the midwest (Chicago/Madison, WI) and now resides with his family in Southern California. In 2022 he joined the touring band of major label artist Father John Misty and completed several tours throughout the US and South America, plus a performance featuring his playing on the tv show Jimmy Kimmel Live. Notable venues on 2022 tours included Radio City Music Hall, Red Rocks amphitheater, the Hyde Park festival in London, and the primavera festivals in Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Santiago and Mexico City. Tony has also had the pleasure of performing and recording throughout his career as a sideman with such notable and diverse artists as Makaya McCraven, Bon Iver, David Murray, Josh Ritter, Pete Yorn, Glen David Andrews, the Mountain Goats, the Youngblood Brass Band, the Glenn Miller Orchestra, and the Temptations. Additionally Tony leads Blood Moon, a quartet which released its self-titled debut recording on Shifting Paradigm records in 2020, and a trio which self-released the album Blue Plate Special in 2021. Other recording credits as a leader and composer include two from his former NYC based band The Barbarians in 2003 (self-titled) and 2007 (Your Pleasure is Our Business), the saxophone trio record entitled Facetime (2012) on Layered Records, and two self released solo albums featuring saxophone and electronic manipulation entitled Winter’s Arms (2016) and Ether (2019).
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THE ISTHMUS
BY ALLISON GEYER ON AUGUST 10, 2016
As a jazz musician, Tony Barba is familiar with the art of improvisation. But his latest project takes free-form music in new — and often unexpected — directions with the addition of electronic effects to his solo saxophone stylings.
“For the most part, whenever I’m playing, I’m in complete control,” says Barba, 36, who moved to Madison from Chicago in 2013 and plays in a number of jazz outfits around town. “But when I use this sound-processing equipment, it’s almost like I’m interacting with something else entirely.”
Is it like playing a duet with a robot? Not quite, Barba says with a laugh. But sometimes, when he presses a button or turns a knob, the resulting musical effect is a total surprise. Then, in the moment, the unexpected sounds can lead Barba to new ideas.
“They’re like happy accidents,” Barba says. “It’s inspiring for me.”
Barba debuts his new music Thursday, Aug. 11, night at Gates of Heaven, where he’s splitting the bill with New York-based contemporary folk musician Sam Amidon, who’s stopping by on his way to Eaux Claires festival. The concert is part of the GateSound series put on by Tone Madison.
Barba is also working on an album showcasing his new solo work, titled Winter’s Arms, which he recorded over a period of several months earlier this year at Williamson Magnetic Recording Company. He began work on the project last winter after a bout of “seasonal depression” inspired him to translate the feeling into a series of dark, calming, meditative soundscapes. It’s experimental and perhaps a little avant garde, but Barba says the music is accessible to general audiences.
“There’s definitely an introspective quality to it,” he says. “It’s emotional music.”
Barba is also a member of the Youngblood Brass Band, fronts a jazz trio called Big Pinky and recently formed a new group called Barbacoa, which he describes as a “funky organ quartet.” But he’s looking forward to slowly releasing his solo recordings as he works on them, and he hopes to do some touring as a solo artist.
“My goal is to just try to grow [this project] and make more music,” Barba says. “Now that I’m a little older, I just want to keep playing.”
TONE MADISON
BY SCOTT GORDON ON AUGUST 08, 2016
What stikes me when Barba plays with this setup is that he’s always sensitive to blending the looped, effected layers with the continuing presence and warmth of the live, non-effected sax in the room. No matter how it’s manipulated by electronics, the varied textures of the sax itself—from rich, mid-range drones to abrasive squawks—are what really drive Barba’s improvised solo explorations.
THE ISTHMUS
AUGUST 02, 2016
Madison-based saxophonist Tony Barba blends classic jazz improvisational stylings with ambient electronic effects to create rich, meditative soundscapes.
TIMEOUT NY
JULY 01, 2012
Saxist Tony Barba heads up a butt-kicking trio with bassist Patrick Mulcahy and drummer Conor Elmes. As heard on the new Facetime full-length, the band welds free-jazzy abandon to a massive (and massively funky) rock-inspired low end. Three sophisticated local groove purveyors set the stage.
THE NEW YORK TIMES
BY NATE CHINEN ON JANUARY 29, 2009
The tenor saxophonist Tony Barba emanates an amiable extroversion in his music, drawing on a world of sources.