To celebrate the creative spirit of Claremont in memory of Dick Barnes, the lobby of Big Bridges Auditorium played host to a unique evening of music last Thursday evening. The concert, funded jointly by CCLA, the Alumni House, the North Campus dorms, and the English and Music Departments, was the brainchild of Nicholas Snow ’01. After a successful jazz concert two years ago in front of Big Bridges, and performances by Joel Harrison at the Coop for several years, Snow contacted Harrison and Bobby Bradford with hopes of organizing a night of music to honor the late Professor of English Dick Barnes. Thanks to help from Richard Caperton ’01, Snow was able to assemble a group of three bands, each of which had a connection with the late Barnes.

The first act of the night was Amps for Christ, whose music the party’s flyer described as "organic and improvised folk." Henry Barnes, vocals and lead guitar, formed the band after playing with the legendary hardcore act Man is the Bastard in the ’90s. Though the lineup for Amps for Christ is constantly in flux, Henry Barnes is a permanent fixture in the group. Ruffi Barnes played with his brother Thursday night on bass.

Judging by their performance, there is no doubt that Amps for Christ revolves around Henry Barnes. His vocals and experimental lead guitar dominated the performance, while his band mates did their best to keep up. Amps for Christ played four songs in front of a puzzled, yet encouraging crowd before giving way to the next act.

Next up was a far more traditional jazz performance by The Bobby Bradford Quintet. The group consisted of Bobby Bradford, Los Angeles legend and Pomona Professor of Music, on coronet, Ken Rasser on guitar, Chuck Manning on tenor sax, Roberto Miranda on the stand-up bass, and William Jeffrey behind the drums.

The group began conservatively before finding their groove and losing themselves in their jazz. Bradford illustrated why he garners the respect he does, and his band mates proved that they were worthy of attention on their own. Manning’s sax oozed soul, and the back and forth solos between him and Bradford were a treat. A highlight of the performance was Miranda’s mastery of the bass. He pleased the crowd by deftly alternating between his bare hands and a bow to produce sounds many weren’t aware the instrument could create.

The final group of the evening was the Joel Harrison Trio. Harrison, lead guitar, attended Pomona in the seventies and studied under both Bradford and Barnes. When Barnes would arrange performances in the desert with 60-foot puppets, Harrison and Bradford would often compose music to accompany him.

The Joel Harrison Trio was rounded out with Russ Gold on drums and Paul Hanson on bassoon. Though many in the audience were dubious concerning the presence of a bassoon in the band, they soon realized how dynamic an instrument it can be when handled correctly.

Among the songs played by Harrison were "I Don’t Live Today," by Jimi Hendrix, and "The Hawk," inspired by Bradford. During his performance Harrison offered amusing anecdotes regarding his time at Pomona and his relationships with Barnes and Bradford. His sincerity was evident, and it was clear that the two men had greatly affected the guitarist throughout his life.

Despite the poor acoustics, the shortage of alcohol, and the disturbance of crowd noise, Snow considers the evening a huge success. "The evening didn’t go exactly according to plan, but nights of jazz never do."

He added, "I hope that now people realize that this sort of thing is easy to do, and that more concerts can take place in the future."

Those interested in learning more about Joel Harrison can visit joelharrison.com. His new album, Transience, is available from Spirit Nectar Records.