Barry Martyn audiocassette interviews with Barney Bigard

Born Albany Leon Bigard on March 3, 1906, in New Orleans, Louisiana, Barney Bigard was raised in a Creole family alongside his two brothers. During his formative years, he attended local music schools and studied under renowned clarinetist Lorenzo Tio. Interestingly, although Bigard would become one of the most celebrated jazz clarinetists of his generation, he first established himself as a tenor saxophonist. After performing with several groups in New Orleans, he moved to Chicago in 1924, continuing to play with a number of bands before finding a home with Duke Ellington's orchestra. From 1927 to 1942, Bigard was featured on countless Ellington recordings, almost exclusively on clarinet, helping shape the orchestra's distinctive sound. He left Ellington's band in 1942 and later joined the Louis Armstrong All-Stars, touring globally from 1947 to 1955 and again from 1960 to 1961. Following these years of international performance, Bigard gradually stepped away from full-time music and semi-retired after 1962. Following his death on June 27, 1980, Bigard’s autobiography was published posthumously in 1988, preserving the story of his remarkable career and lasting contributions to jazz.