North Wales Jazz will be hosting a special keynote concert on Tuesday, April 28 when star saxophonist Alan Barnes will be making an appearance at the Royal British Legion at Llay, near Wrexham.

A five times winner of both the alto sax and clarinet sections at the British Jazz Awards, Alan Barnes has won the event’s baritone sax section three times.

He has a string of recordings as leader, with pianists Brian Lemon on the Zephyr label and Dave Newton on Concord Jazz, and with Kenny Baker, Bob Wilber, Stan Tracey, the Tina May Trio and Spike Robinson’s Tenor Madness.

Alan first attracted considerable attention as a player on the UK jazz scene in 1983 when he joined the hard bop band of Tommy Chase and, slightly later, when he joined Humphrey Lyttelton’s band between 1988 and 1993, before concentrating on his freelance career.

As a sideman, he broadcast regularly over a ten-year period with the BBC Big Band, Radio Orchestra and Concert Orchestra and has toured and recorded with big band leaders Dick Walter, Kenny Baker, Bob Wilber, Mike Westbrook, Don Weller, Stan Tracey and John Dankworth, and from 1987 to 1997 led the Pizza Express Modern Jazz Sextet, featuring Gerard Presencer and Dave O’Higgins.

Alan, who appeared regularly for five years as a member of the Laurie Holloway Orchestra on TV’s Michael Parkinson Show was voted BBC Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year in 2001 and 2006, and in 2003 was made a fellow of Leeds College of Music.

The same year saw the inception of his own record label, Woodville Records, which has led to him producing more than 40 CDs, including ones playing with Scott Hamilton, Warren Vache, Ken Peplowski, Harry Allen, David Newton, Bruce Adams and Martin Taylor.

He has also produced recordings of his contemporaries such as Jim Hart, Simon Spillett and Enrico Tomasso.

More recent projects have included The Liquorice-stick All-sorts with Jim Hart on vibes and Paul Clavis on drums, an all-star octet playing the music of Duke Ellington, a duo album Two For The Road with Martin Taylor, which was nominated for a British Jazz Award, an album of Art Pepper’s music, Arnie Somegyi’s Scenes in The City featuring the music of Charles Mingus, new arrangements of Johnny Mandel songs to feature Anita Wardell and a new quintet with Tony Kofi.

Alan also recently featured on the Bryan Ferry Jazz Age recording and Great Gatsby movie soundtrack, and has been touring with Paloma Faith and the Guy Barker Orchestra.

An extremely versatile musician who has become a firm favourite at festivals across the UK, Alan has performed with Selina Jones, Bjork, Van Morrison, Clare Teal, Jamie Cullum and Bryan Ferry and in recent years has toured widely in the USA, South Africa and Europe.

For Tuesday’s concert he will be appearing with the keyboards, guitar, double bass and drums of the North Wales Jazz Quartet.

The performance commences at 8.30pm and admission is £10, concessions £8, school children and Students’ Union members £5. Further information is available from North Wales Jazz on 01745 812260 and at www.northwalesjazz.org.uk .