THEY rolled out the red carpet at Eastleigh for jazz royalty.

It was a full house as veteran trombonist Chris Barber marked his 65 th anniversary as a bandleader by returning to The Concorde where he has been a popular headliner since the sixties.

The 84 year-old musician is the sole survivor of the legendary trio called the Three Bs – Barber, Bilk and Ball.

King of the Clarinet Acker Bilk passed away a month ago and Kenny Ball died in March last year.

Among the packed house were members of the Barber family and 84 year-old John Bright from Salisbury whose links with the band go back to the early fifties.

It was in 1953 that John organised a Barber gig at the cathedral city’s Assembly Rooms above what is now Waterstones.

John was taken by surprise when Barber invited him onto the Concorde stage to receive a compilation DVD of the band’s performances over 60 years.

It included London’s Woodgreen Jazz Club where in the fifties John was among jazz fans who packed the dance floor.

Without Chris Barber we might never have heard of The Beatles or Rolling Stones.

The jazz icon laid the tracks for the sixties blues rock explosion which paved the way for the Fab Four and the Stones.

The multi-talented 10 piece Big Chris Barber Band opened the first set with their signature tune and the famous Dixieland song, Bourbon Street Parade.

They put the audience in the festive mood with classic swing numbers from the Duke Ellington song book, including Merry- Go - Round.

Switching from trombone to vocals Barber gave a moving version of the gospel song, Take My Hand, Precious Lord and Goin’ Home by British jazz legend Ken Collyer.

A New Orleans music devotee, Collyer was at one time a Barber bandmate. The second set was heavily influenced by the blues which has become the centrepiece for the band’s history.

And a catchy little number called Cornbread, Peas and Black Molasses – a delicacy eaten by prisoners in Pennsylvania- was the cue for a rousing round of audience handclapping.

The band’s strong brass and reed section includes Richard Exall who gave a masterclass on saxophone and clarinet.

Traditionally the Barber band round off the evening with the American gospel tune and St Mary’s anthem When the Saints Go Marching In.

Calls for an encore were rewarded by the band’s catchy Ice Cream novelty tune which topped off an evening celebrating the musical milestone of a jazz legend.