Charlie Barnet I Like to Riff

Charles Daly Barnet was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. His major recordings were Skyliner, Cherokee, The Wrong Idea, Scotch and Soda, In a Mizz and Southland Shuffle. Known for a unique sound and hard-swinging style on tenor saxophone, Barnet in the late 1930s added the alto saxophone to his arsenal, followed by the soprano saxophone, an instrument that had fallen out of favor after the 1920s and was not generally used in the big band era. Charlie Barnet was married eleven times and in his 1984 autobiography says, 'I went through several more marital fiascos, but they were mostly Mexican marriages and quickly annulled, because they weren't legal in the first place. His final marriage to Betty Thompson was for 33 years. He had one son, Charles D. Barnet, Jr, from an earlier marriage. During retirement, Barnet resided at homes in Palm Springs and San Diego, California. He kept a 46-foot boat in San Diego. The recordings on this CD are from AFRS One Night Stands chronologically some time apart. The first notably features Dodo Marmarosa and Barney Kessel with Kay Starr providing the vocals. The second features arrangements by Stan Kenton's luminarie Bill Holman and Lyn Franklin is the featured vocalist.