Rhythm Station, April 30. City Life

The Manchester-born John Barnes is Humphrey Lyttelton's faithful lieutenant and plays vibrant clarinet and fiery alto saxophone.

The late Bruce Turner had these instruments covered in the classic Lyttelton band (roughly from 1953 to 1993, with time out for good behaviour), which forced Barnes to cultivate the baritone saxophone. He made a virtue out of necessity and his dark tones soon became an essential element in Lyttelton's orchestral palette.

Well-versed in his art after four and some decades, Barnes has thoroughly absorbed the styles of baritone masters Harry Carney (Duke Ellington wrote Sophisticated Lady for Carney) and Gerry Mulligan.

According to his old playmate Turner (who was in a position to know), John Barnes has few equals on the baritone in the country. Capable of Bird-like speed, Barnes makes great play of the baritone's distinctive timbre. The cumbersome instrument acquires poise and elegance under Barnes' control, and he bestows dignity to the Gracie Fields warhorse 'Sally' (a tribute to his Lancastrian roots?) on Lyttelton's One Day I Met An African (Black Lion, 1980).

His consummate authority can be savoured at The Rhythm Station, which is (as I've said before) the best of all jazz clubs. Here, the sympathetic rhythm team of Jimmy Scaife and Simon Horton remember to imbue mainstream jazz with drive and finesse.

Pianist Dennis Freedman is a phenomenon, capable of any technical achievement yet always playing with feeling and passion. Which leaves Tommy Melville himself, a tenor saxophonist whose dolefulness gives way to full-blooded romanticism when he airs one of his beloved ballads.

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