Don Barnes, tenor sax

Don Barnes grew up in Seattle and began playing clarinet at age 10. Music education was by way of Renton Public Schools, clarinet lessons with James Young and saxophone lessons with Gerald Brashear. While in high school, he attended summer music camps at the University of Washington and Washington State and played in the all state orchestra. While in college at the University of Washington, Don worked at Sherman Clay Music store in downtown Seattle and played in local R&B bands "The Knightmen" and "Purple Haze". After graduating from the UW with a BA in English, Don learned to refurbish and repair Hammond Organs and Leslie speakers. After doing this for nearly ten years he returned to the UW and graduated with a BS in Electrical Engineering. By now the clarinet and sax was on the back burner (and stayed there for too long: over 30 years) . Three years ago music again came forth to the front burner. In addition to playing tenor in The Bureau of Standards Big Band, Don enjoys playing clarinet in the Beaverton Chamber Symphony and the Lake Oswego Millenium Concert Band, and bass clarinet in the quartet "Clarinets Abatutta". He is recently retired from the heavy truck business after a 28 years in engineering and management.