Lucien Barbarin & The Palm Court Swingsters

Biography

Lucien Barbarin & The Palm Court Swingsters refers to the New Orleans trombonist Lucien Barbarin leading a small traditional jazz ensemble closely associated with the Palm Court Jazz Café on Decatur Street, a key French Quarter venue for classic New Orleans jazz.[1][3] Born on July 17, 1956, in New Orleans, Louisiana, Barbarin came from a storied Crescent City musical dynasty: his great‑uncle was drummer and bandleader Paul Barbarin of the Onward Brass Band, and earlier generations of the family had played with the Tuxedo Brass Band and in bands that featured Louis Armstrong.[1][3][6] Lucien made his public debut at the age of six, playing drums in the Onward Brass Band under his great‑uncle’s guidance, before later switching from drums to brass instruments in school and ultimately settling on trombone in high school.[1][2][3]

During the 1970s Barbarin came of age in New Orleans’ brass‑band and club scene, joining banjoist and bandleader Danny Barker (a second cousin) as a founding member of the Fairview Baptist Church Brass Band and then moving into the Hurricane Brass Band and other working groups on Bourbon Street.[1][3] By the 1980s and 1990s he was touring internationally with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and serving as a featured soloist, comic foil, and long‑time sideman with Harry Connick Jr., appearing on more than a dozen of Connick’s albums and several world tours.[1][2][3][4] At home, Barbarin became a fixture at the Palm Court Jazz Café, where he led his own groups on regular nights; out of this residency came the 2000 album “Little Becomes Much: Jazz at the Palm Court Vol. 3,” issued as Lucien Barbarin & The Palm Court Swingsters on GHB Records, showcasing his exuberant tailgate trombone style, tight front‑line interaction, and a repertoire drawn from trad‑jazz standards and Tin Pan Alley tunes.[1][2][3]

Stylistically, Barbarin was known for a big, braying yet flexible trombone sound rooted in New Orleans street‑parade tradition, especially the growly “tailgate” approach, balanced by a modern sense of timing, humor, and melodic clarity.[1] He continued to work regularly in New Orleans even while touring, performing with his Palm Court band, the Preservation Hall All‑Stars, and other local ensembles, and he devoted time to educational outreach in public schools as “Dr. Jazz,” telling the story of New Orleans music to younger generations.[3] Even after Hurricane Katrina severely damaged his home in Slidell/Lake Pontchartrain area in 2005, he publicly affirmed his commitment to remain in the New Orleans area, underscoring his deep identification with the city’s culture.[2][3] Barbarin died from prostate cancer on January 30, 2020, at age 63, leaving behind a legacy as a bridge between the classic Barbarin family brass‑band heritage and contemporary New Orleans jazz, with the Palm Court Swingsters recordings standing as a vivid snapshot of his leadership in the city’s traditional jazz scene.[1][2][3][6]

Fun Facts

• Lucien Barbarin’s very first public performances were not on trombone but on drums: at age six he played drums in his great‑uncle Paul Barbarin’s Onward Brass Band in New Orleans street parades.[1][2][3]
• As a small child, Barbarin’s great‑uncle Paul once introduced him to Duke Ellington, giving young Lucien a direct brush with one of jazz’s most iconic bandleaders.[1]
• Barbarin adopted the persona “Dr. Jazz” when he visited New Orleans public schools starting in 1988, using colorful stories and demonstrations to teach local children about the city’s jazz heritage.[3]
• After Hurricane Katrina severely damaged his Slidell‑area home in 2005, Barbarin publicly vowed to remain in the New Orleans area, saying, “I’m not running from New Orleans. I’m going to stay because I was born and raised here and I’m going to pass away here.”[2][3]

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Paul Barbarin - Great‑uncle, drummer and bandleader of the Onward Brass Band; introduced Lucien to professional music and even to Duke Ellington; Lucien debuted at age six playing drums in Paul’s band. (Onward Brass Band performances and parades with young Lucien on drums) [Early 1960s until Paul Barbarin’s death in 1966[1][2][3]]
• Danny Barker - Second cousin, banjoist and bandleader; recruited Lucien as a founding member of the Fairview Baptist Church Brass Band, giving him structured early brass‑band experience. (Fairview Baptist Church Brass Band concerts and rehearsals) [From 1971 through the mid‑1970s[1][3]]

Key Collaborators

• Harry Connick Jr. - Bandleader, singer, and pianist; Barbarin was a featured trombonist and comic sidekick in Connick’s big band, touring worldwide and appearing on numerous albums and shows. (Albums including “Blue Light, Red Light,” “When My Heart Finds Christmas,” “Star Turtle,” “Oh, My NOLA,” “Chanson du Vieux Carré,” and others, plus tours and Broadway productions[1][2][3]) [1990s–2010s[1][2][3]]
• Preservation Hall Jazz Band / Preservation Hall All‑Stars - Key New Orleans traditional jazz ensemble with which Barbarin toured internationally and recorded, reinforcing his role as a custodian of classic New Orleans jazz. (Various Preservation Hall Jazz Band recordings and tours (sideman credits across the 1990s–2000s)[2][4]) [Primarily 1990s–2010s[2][4]]
• Leroy Jones - Trumpeter who played alongside Barbarin from the Fairview Baptist Church Brass Band to the Hurricane Brass Band and later as a peer at venues like the Palm Court Jazz Café. (Hurricane Jazz Band (1976) and Jones’s album “Mo’ Cream from the Crop,” on which Barbarin appears[1][2][3]) [Mid‑1970s onward, with recordings in the mid‑1990s[1][2][3]]
• The Palm Court Swingsters / Palm Court Jazz Café ensemble - House‑style traditional jazz group led by Barbarin for his Palm Court residency; documented on the album credited to Lucien Barbarin & The Palm Court Swingsters. (“Little Becomes Much: Jazz at the Palm Court Vol. 3” (Lucien Barbarin & The Palm Court Swingsters, GHB Records, 2000)[1][2][3]) [Regular Palm Court performances and 2000 recording[1][3]]

Artists Influenced

• Younger New Orleans brass‑band and traditional jazz students (various, not individually documented) - Barbarin visited New Orleans public schools as “Dr. Jazz,” teaching the history and practice of New Orleans jazz and inspiring many young players to take up or continue brass‑band and traditional jazz performance. (Educational presentations and workshops in New Orleans public schools under the “Dr. Jazz” persona[3]) [Beginning in 1988 and continuing for many years[3]]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. Ain't She Sweet (Jazz at the Palm Court Vol. 3)
2. Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives to Me (Jazz at the Palm Court Vol. 3)
3. Mama Inez (Jazz at the Palm Court Vol. 3)
4. She Moved (Jazz at the Palm Court Vol. 3)
5. Old Rockin' Chair (Jazz at the Palm Court Vol. 3)
6. Ballin' the Jack (Jazz at the Palm Court Vol. 3)
7. When I Grow Too Old to Dream (Jazz at the Palm Court Vol. 3)
8. Girl of My Dreams (Jazz at the Palm Court Vol. 3)
9. Bourbon Street Parade (Jazz at the Palm Court Vol. 3)
10. I've Found a New Baby (Jazz at the Palm Court Vol. 3)

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia