EP75 – Barbara Snow – Honorary Councillor – ”Daylight turns to moonlight, and I’m at my best…” – Paul Weller Fan Podcast : Desperately Seeking Paul
My latest Podcast guest is Honorary Councillor – Barbara Snow – a widely respected and popular vocalist, trumpeter, pianist, composer and arranger, who has also established a significant reputation as an educator of some note. She now teaches the piano at Royal Russell School, Croydon.
Barbara played trumpet in The Style Council for the debut tour in October 1983 – small venues in Europe as warm ups prior to bringing it over to the UK – also playing trumpet on the single version of My Ever Changing Moods and on the Café Bleu LP for four tracks – Me Ship Came In, Dropping Bombs on the Whitehouse, A Gospel and Headstart for Happiness.
Barbara studied at the Royal Academy of Music, and has played in African, reggae and salsa bands; jazz and orchestral styles, and in between tours and recording has built up a teaching reputation with both piano and trumpet. She has also devised a way to teach piano to very young children, which has been described as “revolutionary”. Find out more about Animal Jazz here – http://www.editionhh.co.uk/shop/item.aspx?itemid=648
As Barbara mentions on the podcast she also toured with Jools Holland, Maxi Priest and The Blow Monkeys before forming Chico Chica. Led by Barbara with lyricist Tom Hannah, this four-piece band takes myriad ingredients: tango, chanson, rai, rumba, jazz and cabaret and then stir fry them in the wok of the musicians’ collective subconscious to form an unforgettable evening of song and entertainment.
Formed in 2010, Chico Chica released their first album Mélangerie in 2011 and toured the UK and Ireland several times. The band are regulars at festivals as well as jazz clubs in and around London. Find out more at chico-chica.co.uk