Bob Barnard AM (1933-2022), jazz cornettist, grew up in a Melbourne musical family and started on cornet with a local brass band at the age of 12. Introduced to jazz by his father, he became a founder member of his brother Len's South City Stompers in 1948. Apart from a brief period in the early 1950s, he played almost exclusively with Len's band until a disastrous tour finished prematurely in Brisbane in August 1955. In 1957 he was invited to Sydney to play with the Ray Price Trio at the Macquarie Hotel in Woolloomooloo and the Port Jackson Jazz Band. After four more years in Melbourne, he moved to Sydney permanently in June 1962 as a member of the Graeme Bell All Stars. Over five years with the All Stars he made a number of recordings for EMI and Swaggie. After forming his own band in 1974 he became a fixture at some of Sydney's hotels, particularly the Orient in the Rocks, and toured throughout Australia and in Asia, Europe and the USA. Ranked amongst the world's top cornettists, Barnard is a regularly featured guest at festivals and concerts in the US, Britain and Europe and has recorded with top American, European and English jazzmen. Since 1999 he has coordinated Bob Barnard's Jazz Party, a jamfest of international trad-jazz stars, held annually in April in Melbourne.
