Frankie Bluesy Pfeiffer (BLUES MAGAZINE) - FRENCH

Keep Your Distance – The Barcodes- Note Records – NCD 1008-2

Superbe entrée en matière avec I Got News, qui permet une fois de plus au trio des Barcodes de démontrer ce talent qu’il a de jongler perpétuellement entre blues et jazz, soutenu en cela pour un admirable Nick Newall au sax ténor et à la flûte. Dino Coccia aux fûts est tout en finesse et en doigté, assurant sur des titres comme Thick Cut ou Crazy Life un tempo d’une richesse sonore telle que Alan Glen à l’harmo et à la six cordes, et Bob Haddrell aux claviers n’ont plus qu’à tricoter leur blues façon Club intimiste. Même les morceaux plus swingants, comme Keep Your Distance, sont ciselés et travaillés dans le coton le plus doux, les soli de gratte ou de clavier venant remplir l’espace en faisant frémir le cocon, sans jamais le bousculer : intimiste, terriblement intimiste, vous dis-je ; un album que vous prendrez plaisir à écouter tard le soir, seul ou avec des amis, pour faire durer la nuit le plus longtemps possible.

A souligner, une très belle version du Eyesight To The Blind, signé Williamson, et deux titres signés Alan Glen : A Little Bit More, qui vous offre plus de six minutes d’un blues chaloupé où les belles envolées de Alan à la six cordes alternent avec celles de Bob aux claviers, et Tell Me The Truth, un blues racé et à l’efficacité redoutable.

 Frankie Bluesy Pfeiffer (BLUES MAGAZINE)

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English Translation by Babelfish

The Barcodes Keep Your Outdistances - Note Records - NCD 1008-2 - www.note-music.co.uk Note: 3 CD Superb introduction with I Got News, which once more makes it possible the trio of Barcodes to show this talent that it has to perpetually juggle between blues and jazz, constant in that for admirable Nick Newall with the sax tenor and the flute. Dino Coccia with the barrels is all in smoothness and tact, ensuring on titles like Thick Cut or Crazy Life a tempo of a sound richness such as Alan Glen the harmo and the six cords, and Bob Haddrell with the keyboards do not have any more but to knit their blues way Club intimist. Even the pieces more swingants, like Keep Your Outdistances, is engraved and worked in the softest cotton, the soli of scrapes or keyboard coming to fill space while making quiver the cocoon, without never hustling it: intimist, terribly intimist, I say to you; an album that you will take pleasure to listen to the evening late, only or with friends, to make last the night longest possible. To underline, a very beautiful version of Eyesight To The Blind, signed signed Williamson, and two titles Alan Glen: In Little Bit More, which offer to you more than six minutes of a swaying blues where the beautiful flights of Alan to the six cords alternate with those of Bob to the keyboards, and Tell Me The Truth, a blues racé and with the frightening effectiveness. Frankie Bluesy Pfeiffer (BLUES MAGAZINE)

The Barcodes latest offering on the excellent British blues, soul and jazz label Note Records raises the standard for blues tinged jazz for those who choose to follow. This opens with I Got News, which is played in a nightclub blues/jazz style. Alan Glen manages to get his guitar to sound like a Steely Dan track and the saxophone from Nick Newall is very slinky. Thick Cut is the first of the instrumentals and whilst the organ flurries from Bob Haddrell are excellent, they fall into second place after Alan Glen excels on guitar and harmonica.

Crazy Life is smooth blues tinged jazz and Glen's harmonica is on top again. The Barcodes Theme is mainly a showcase for the saxophone Nick Newall but the others get a look in too. This is a well-played jazz instrumental. Things take a turn on A Little Bit More, a jazz track on the rock side, which has Alan Glen's guitar singing. The title track is jazzy blues, pretty much akin to the rest of that ilk on the album and they get a little funky on the blues groover, Tell Me The Truth.

The wonderfully named Splanky is an organ-led instrumental. Jazz, of course, that gives the main protagonists a chance to show off again and Dino Coccia's drums are the perfect foil for the rich guitar and organ sounds. We finally get a real blues on That's Alright. The slow guitar intro added to the harmonica fills, organ and electric piano makes this a favourite. The blues theme is continued on the final track, the Sonny Boy Williamson classic, Eyesight To The Blind.

David Blue

http://www.netrhythms.co.uk

The Barcodes - Keep Your Distance

Blues In THe South - Review August 2005

Well, the boys have done it again. This is a wonderful. relaxing record that really makes you want to lie back in your armchair and let the music waft over you. It's that kind of diminished chord, jazz based blues that makes you think (if you don't know different) how easy it is. But to swing like this takes years of practice and dedication. Dino Coccia (d). Alan Glen (V1 g. h) and Bob Haddrell (v, k) are ably assisted by Nick Newall on sax and together they produce some of the coolest laid-back jazz) blues I've heard in a long time. Six of the 10 tracks are origin compositions by the band, and these are sequenced with music by Sonny Boy Williamson ('Eyesight To The Blind'), Ray Charles ('I Got News) and others. Get it!!

Ian McKenzie - Blues In Britain - www.bluesinthesouth.com/