Will Barnes Quartet

“Outside The Light”

(Cambrian Records CAM033)

Will Barnes – guitar, Jack Gonsalez – piano, Aidan Thorne – bass, James Batten – drums

“Outside The Light” is the latest album from this quartet led by the guitarist and composer Will Barnes.

It follows the acclaimed 2023 release “Source of the Severn” and again sees Barnes drawing compositional inspiration from the landscapes of Mid Wales, the beautiful area that all four band members call home. The “Source of the Severn” recording is reviewed here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/will-barnes-quartet-source-of-the-severn

Other recordings by the quartet include 2022’s “Time Capsule Vol 1”, a digital release exploring a small selection of jazz standards.

In 2024 a second digital release “Live at Pizza Express, Soho” was a concert recording featuring material from “Source of the Severn” plus a smattering of jazz standards and an arrangement of Stevie Wonder’s “Can’t Help It”.

Barnes is a musician who has appeared on The Jazzmann web pages on multiple occasions.  I first saw him perform with the trio Inspector Gadjo, a group that played a mix of Django Reinhardt inspired gypsy jazz and American bebop inspired by the likes of Kenny Burrell and Wes Montgomery.
Inspector Gadjo worked regularly with saxophonist Casey Greene and in 2010 released the album “Samba 48”, which is reviewed here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/inspector-gadjo-trio-featuring-casey-greene-samba-48

Barnes has been a regular visitor to Brecon for both Club and Festival events, appearing alongside such musicians as violinist Sarah Barnwell (once of Inspector Gadjo) and fellow guitarists Deirdre Cartwright and  Jean Guyomarc’h. He appears on Barnwell’s eponymous début album, which was released in 2017 and is reviewed here;
https://www.thejazzmann.com/reviews/review/sarah-barnwell

Other musicians with whom Barnes has performed are saxophonist Alan Barnes (no relation, as far as I know), violinist Dan Cassidy and fellow guitarists Frank Vignola, Gary Potter and John Etheridge.

Barnes worked for a while with the highly successful gypsy jazz / crossover band Gypsy Fire,  has performed with function bands and even turned his hand to reggae and to heavy metal. He remains an avid metal fan and has cited both Black Sabbath and the contemporary Swedish metal group Opeth as sources of inspiration. Opeth likes to take traditional folk melodies and place them in a metallic context, an interesting and innovative niche.

After a while off the scene concentrating on his ‘day job’ as an agronomist Barnes returned to the jazz fold with an exciting new quartet featuring four talented twenty somethings based in his own Mid Wales neighbourhood, pianist Jack Gonsalez, bassist Clovis Phillips and drummer James Batten. This line up appeared on the “Source of the Severn” album and also toured widely, with The Jazzmann covering a series of live shows during 2023 and 2024 in Brecon (twice), Kidderminster and Shrewsbury. The last of these also included live visuals from painter Erin Hughes, who also created the distinctive artwork for the “Sounds of the Severn” album.

“Source of the Severn” brought Barnes to the attention of a national audience, something encouraged by an appearance on BBC Radio 4’s Loose Ends programme when the quartet played at Hay Festival.

“Outside The Light” features a new line up with Barnes, Gonsalez and Batten joined by Aidan Thorne, a vastly experienced bass player and a bandleader in his own right. Thorne is also a musician who was appeared on the Jazzmann web pages on a regular basis, both as a prolific sideman and as the leader of his own band Duski. He has also featured as a member of two different guitar / bass duos alongside the contrasting guitar stylists Jason Ball (electric) and Toby Hay. (acoustic).

The album appears on the Cambrian Records imprint, the label established by Hay, another musician who is based in Mid Wales.

The new album features seven new compositions from Barnes plus one from the pen of Gonsalez. The Cambrian Records Bandcamp page describes “Outside The Light” as  “a bold and expressive new chapter in their artistic journey. Drawing inspiration from local folklore and Celtic mythology, the album explores themes of light, seasons and changing landscapes. This second album deepens the group’s exploration of the interplay between jazz improvisation and the evocative landscapes of Mid Wales and the Welsh Marches.”

In an interview with Bruce Lindsay for UK jazz news Barnes explained;
“I initially set myself a brief to write 8 pieces that reflect the changing seasons in our landscape here in Mid Wales. As the pieces started coming together, the project evolved, and I drew influence from Celtic folklore. The theme of seasons morphed into themes of light and dark, in particular how the change in light throughout the seasons alters our perception of the landscape and how this has influenced folklore. Each piece is written with a particular place/feeling/story in mind. I will endeavour to recite some of the stories behind the pieces at our live shows.”

This time round the group’s sound is less obviously rooted in bebop and is more contemporary in both feel and style. Barnes has cited guitarist Pat Metheny and pianist Brad Mehldau as being particularly significant sources of inspiration for this album and something of Metheny’s gift for both melody and narrative informs Barnes’ writing for this recording.

The album commences with “Annwn”, an excellent example of the quartet’s current style with its emphasis on flowing melodies and a strong sense of narrative. Ushered in by Batten at the drums there’s a sense of being taken on a journey as the music progresses in unhurried fashion with the leader’s guitar taking centre stage in the early passages, underpinned by a recurring piano motif and the economical rhythmic accompaniment of Thorne and Batten. Barnes’ agile but tasteful guitar solo is followed by a flowing passage of piano from Gonsalez and a concise but melodic doable bass solo from Thorne. Meanwhile Batten exhibits an impressive maturity behind the kit as he provides sensitive and economical accompaniment infused with subtle colour and detail.

Drawing inspiration from both landscape and legend “Devil’s Bridge” exhibits similar qualities with the interplay between guitar and piano a particularly distinctive component in the music. Barnes also introduces something of a flamenco / North African / Middle Eastern aspect to his playing, his guitar sounding almost oud like at times. It’s very much a ‘tune of two halves’ the second and final section featuring hypnotic piano and guitar motifs and the distant sound of Thorne’s bow on the bass strings.

“Bloom” is closer to the quartet’s bebop roots with Barnes’ nimble guitar melodies and subsequent soloing urged on by the bustle of Batten’s drums – he’s a busy presence behind the kit. Gonsalez follows at the piano, more gently at first before gathering momentum and building up a real head of steam. There’s a relative pause for breath with Thorne’s double bass solo before Barnes returns to resume the lead. Batten is featured towards the close with a series of vigorous drum breaks.

“The Longest Day” sees a return to the narrative style of the opening two tracks, ushered in by the combination of guitar and piano, with double bass and brushed drums subsequently added. The track continues to progress in leisurely fashion via a flowingly lyrical piano solo from Gonsalez before Thorne’s double bass solo takes the music into more loosely structured territory, indicative perhaps of the bassist’s interest in wholly improvised music. Barnes himself maintains a relatively low profile after stating and expounding upon on the initial melodic theme.

“Never Done” is a return to the bebop virtues with its tricky unison ‘head’ shared by guitar and piano as Thorne’s springy bass and Batten’s rapidly brushed drums provide spirited support. The theme provides the launch pad for an exuberant,  fleet fingered Barnes guitar solo, followed by the similarly flamboyant Gonsalez at the piano. Then it’s the turn of both Batten and Thorne to join in the fun, the drummer seizing his chance with considerable gusto before Barnes and Gonsalez return for a spirited reprise of that complex bebop inspired ‘head’.

Presumably inspired by Bannau Brycheiniog “Light of the Beacons” adds a country-ish tinge to the proceedings on a piece that is sometimes reminiscent of the Americana of Metheny or Bill Frisell. The emphasis here is on beauty and melody and the delicate interplay of guitar, piano and double bass, with Batten taking a back seat in the early stages before eventually entering with brushes in hand. There are concise but lyrical solos from Barnes and Gonsalez during the course of an atmospheric piece that passes through several distinct phases, reminiscent perhaps of the changing meteorological moods of the Welsh landscape.

Gonsalez’s piece “Lleuad Fedi”, introduced by the composer at the piano, is similarly evocative and evolves into a dialogue between piano and guitar before bass and brushed drums are subsequently added. The pianist shows considerable ability as a composer with a piece that is both melodic and atmospheric and which features evocative solos from both Barnes and the composer. It’s one of the most beautiful pieces on the album.

The album concludes with the celebratory,  fast moving “Otherworld”, which combines the quartet’s bebop leanings with a more contemporary episodic approach that is suggestive of that acknowledged Metheny influence. Barnes and Gonsalez both deliver sparkling solos and there are also features for Thorne and Batten. It’s a piece that showcases the full range of the quartet’s capabilities.

“Outside The Light” builds on the success of “Source of the Severn” and is the quartet’s most adventurous recording to date.  Barnes’ writing is increasingly individual and distinctive, displaying a growing maturity and a genuine melodic and narrative awareness. The experienced Thorne is an excellent addition to a very well balanced group and “Outside The Light” looks set to receive similar critical plaudits to its predecessor.

It’s also music that resonates with the jazz public and audiences will have the opportunity of seeing this music played live as the quartet tour the album in Wales and England between November 2025 and February 2026. Dates below;

07/11/2025 Oriel Davies, Newtown
12/11/2025 Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Aberystwyth
14/11/2025 SpArC Theatre, Bishops Castle
15/11/2025 Llanbedr Village Hall, Crickhowell
05/12/2025 Upfront Arts Venue, Penrith
09/01/2026 Corn Exchange Jazz, Ross-On-Wye
10/01/2026 Jazz @ St Giles, Oxford
23/01/2026 Barmouth Music, Barmouth
24/01/2025 Hay Castle, Hay-On-Wye
25/01/2025 The Hub @ St Mary’s, Litchfield
29/012026 Davenham Jazz, Davenham
30/01/2026 Norwegian Church, Cardiff
07/02/2026 Isbourne Arts, Winchcombe, Cheltenham
08/02/2026 (lunchtime) The Stables, Milton Keynes
08/02/2026 Pizza Express, London

Ticket links at;
https://www.willbarnesmusic.co.uk/live-dates

“Outside The Light” will be released on November 7th 2025. This and other recordings by the Will Barnes Quartet can be purchased here;
https://willbarnesmusic.bandcamp.com/music

 

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