BRITISH jazz legend Chris Barber is celebrating 60 years of performing live in 2009. Barber is a jazz musician, jazz enthusiast and jazz record collector, but started learning music on the violin, learnt bass at the Guildhall School of Music, London, and worked briefly as an actuary.

He is best known as a band leader, playing trombone in his own band for the past 54 years.

His 11-piece band presents a selection drawn from Barber’s New Orleans-style roots, early Duke Ellington and big band classics.

It was the thrill of the live performance that brought him to performing. He said: “The reason I suddenly decided to try and play was my first visit to a Hot Club of London concert by the George Webb Band in 1946.

“As I walked into King George’s Hall and heard the band open up with Fidgety Feet, I realised something that I still believe to this day: third-rate jazz that is live is more important than first-rate recorded jazz.”

Barber played trombone with Humphrey Lyttleton in 1949, and a stream of famous names ever since.

Lonnie Donegan was a bandmate, before finding fame during the skiffle craze of the mid-Fifties.

He introduced Big Bill Broonzy, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee and Muddy Waters to the UK, key influences on Clapton, the Stones and Peter Green. Barber later recorded a Paul McCartney instrumental, Cats Call, which was released as a 1967 single in the UK.

It is not surprising that Barber refuses to be pigeonholed about the band’s repertoire. He said: “When we started out playing skiffle, it was not real jazz, and some people grumbled.

“Then, about 20 years later, they said it was wonderful when we played that skiffle – ‘but this Macedonian music you like playing is rubbish’.

“As I said to them 20 years ago: ‘You said skiffle was rubbish. I wonder what you will dislike in 20 years’ time when you tell me how good the Macedonian stuff used to be’.”

■ Big Chris Barber Band, Friday, July 10, 7.30pm, Gala Theatre, Millennium Place, Durham. Price: £17.50, concessions £16. Box Office: 0191-332-4041.