Will Barnes Quartet bring Welsh folklore jazz to Calstock

What does the changing light over a Welsh landscape sound like? Guitarist Will Barnes built a whole album around that question. And on a Saturday night later this month, he brings the answer to Calstock.

The Will Barnes Quartet will play Calstock Arts on Saturday 21 November, performing music from their second album, Outside the Light. The record has earned four-star reviews and recognition for an increasingly individual compositional voice, capping what the band describe as a breakthrough year.

Who’s in the band

Led by Will, a guitarist and composer, the quartet blends lyrical improvisation and storytelling with a deep connection to the landscapes and folklore of Mid Wales. The line-up is:

• Will Barnes, guitar and composer
• Aidan Thorne, bass
• Ross Hicks, piano
• Matt Holmes, drums

Seasons, light and Celtic folklore

Outside the Light, released on Cambrian Records, draws on Celtic mythology, seasonal change and the way natural light shifts across the Welsh Marches. It explores how landscape, memory and imagination connect. The music moves between richly melodic passages, contemporary jazz improvisation and moments of cinematic atmosphere.

Will said: “I initially set myself a brief to write eight pieces that reflect the changing seasons in our landscape here in Mid Wales. As the pieces started coming together, the project evolved, and I drew influence from Celtic folklore.

“The theme of seasons morphed into themes of light and dark, in particular how the change in light throughout the seasons alters our perception of the landscape and how this has influenced folklore.”

What the reviewers made of it

The album picked up four and four-and-a-half star reviews. Jazzwise gave it four stars, saying: “It’s sophisticated stuff in the contemporary vein… the playing by all concerned is immaculate throughout.”

The Jazz Mann went further with four and a half stars, calling it “the quartet’s most adventurous recording to date” with “increasingly individual and distinctive writing”.

Jazz Views noted that “all four musicians support each other as they navigate the intricacies of Barnes’s intriguing compositions”, while All About Jazz said “the band is in full creative flow… a soundscape of shimmering textures.”

From gypsy jazz to heavy metal

Will took an unusual route to this sound. His career developed through gypsy jazz, bebop and folk traditions, and he was once a devoted heavy metal listener. His early inspirations were Django Reinhardt and Wes Montgomery, and his writing has since moved towards a more contemporary style shaped by artists such as Pat Metheny and Brad Mehldau.

The quartet has played venues and festivals across the UK, including Upstairs at Ronnie’s, PizzaExpress Jazz Club Soho, Hay Festival and Brecon Jazz Festival, and have appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Loose Ends. Their live shows are known for tight ensemble playing with plenty of room for exploration and spontaneity.

Tickets and times

Doors open at 7pm on Saturday 21 November. Tickets are available through WeGotTickets.

Fans who have followed the band since their earlier album, Source of the Severn, may hear a few stories too. “Each piece is written with a particular place, feeling or story in mind,” Will said, “and I’ll endeavour to share some of those stories at our live shows.”