Pat Halcox

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Patrick John 'Pat' Halcox is a Jazz trumpet player in England.

[edit] Biography

Patrick has been the trumpet player in the Chris Barber Jazz Band since the band took that name on 31 May 1954. Pat was originally offered the spot earlier, but elected to continue his studies as a research chemist, so Ken Colyer was invited to fill the vacancy in 1953, and the band was known as the Ken Colyer Jazz Band, as Ken had recently returned from New Orleans, and the other members, including Chris Barber, Lonnie Donegan and Monty Sunshine, decided that this New Orleans experience would add credibility.

The band effectively parted company with Ken after a dispute about the direction it should be going, Chris wanting to broaden the music and Ken wanting to limit it to the genuine New Orlean's arrangements and tunes.

Pat took Ken's place, in what then became the Chris Barber Jazz Band as we know it, and even though the original six piece band grew to 7, then 8, and eventually to the current 11, Pat has been an ever present.

Although primarily the trumpet player, Pat also has a fine singing voice and led the band's various renditions of 'Ice Cream', one of their most popular standards. He also played piano on the Lonnie Donegan recording of 'Digging My Potatoes'.

The Pat Halcox Allstars did make a recording of their own during a Chris Barber Band summer break, now re-released on Lake records as a CD.

Pat was born 18 March 1930, in Chelsea, South West London, Chris Barber, April 1930 - Kenny Ball and Acker Bilk were also born 1930... It was a good year for the birth of the British Traditional Jazz boom some 30 or so years later, when they became known as the 3Bs, Barber, Ball and Bilk...

Pat announced his retirement from the Chris Barber Band at the age of 78, effective from July 2008. So ends the longest partnership in jazz history