John Barham on harmonium on an early take of Imagine - Ascot May 1971
John Barham has arranged, produced and composed behind some of the biggest names in music for six decades, from George Harrison and Ravi Shankar to John Lennon.
Trained as a pianist at the Royal College of Music, he moved into Indian classical study, a path that led him to Ravi Shankar. Shankar set him to transcribing his collaborations with Yehudi Menuhin and brought him into the sessions for the BBC’s Alice in Wonderland. It was through Shankar that Barham met George Harrison in 1966, just as Harrison was beginning his own study of Indian music.
Their work together ran from Wonderwall Music through the choral arrangements on The Beatles’ Let It Be to Harrison’s All Things Must Pass, where Barham’s orchestration on “Isn’t It a Pity” has been credited by biographer Simon Leng with capturing the musical understanding between the two men. Barham went on to arrange Living in the Material World, produce Quintessence, score Alejandro Jodorowsky’s El Topo, and rejoin Shankar and Harrison for Chants of India in 1996.
In this interview with Jason Barnard, Barham talks about his formative years with Ravi Shankar, his collaboration with George Harrison, his work on John Lennon’s Imagine, and the piece of music he’s proudest of.
What drew you from classical piano training at the Royal College of Music toward Indian classical studies at SOAS?
While I was a student at the Royal College of Music I met German-Israeli composer Peter Feuchtwanger and I became his composition pupil. He introduced me to what later became called “World Music” and we both attended classes and lectures on Indian music at SOAS.
Your piano interpretations of Indian ragas in the mid 1960s brought you to the attention of London’s Indian cultural community. What was that reception like in practice?
Through attendance of lectures at SOAS I met several people in London’s Indian cultural community. The lecturer on North Indian music was Nazir Jairazbhai.
Peggy Holroyde was a lecturer at a northern university and the author of a book on Indian Music [“Indian Music” pub. George Allen and Unwin]. I contributed some transcriptions [notations] of Indian Music for her book.
Elise Brown Barnet was an Austrian-American pianist and musicologist. Originally from Vienna, she spent World War 2 in India and worked for All India Radio as a producer of programs of Western classical music. She performed some of my compositions on board the ocean liner that she took on her return to the USA.
Krishnan Sondhi was a journalist for All India Times.
All the above individuals were very encouraging of my attempts to compose piano music influenced by Indian classical music.
How did you come to meet Ravi Shankar, and what convinced him to take you on as a student?
The people that I mentioned above [2.] all knew Ravi Shankar. One of them, I can’t remember who, sent him a recording of me playing a piece which was based on Jhalla texture [usually performed towards the end of a classical performance on sitar, sarode etc.]. When we met, I assume he was already thinking about his commission to compose the backing music for the BBC production of Jonathan Miller’s film “Alice In Wonderland”, and could imagine combining the sound of the sitar with that of the piano.
Ravi was very encouraging and played several recordings of my compositions to his friends. Shortly after meeting, Ravi was committed to recording two albums for EMI in London. I was surprised when, on the evening before the recording, he asked me to suggest which ragas he should record. I suggested Raga Natta Bhairav and Raga Lalit. I was very impressed when he actually recorded them at such short notice. Subsequently he suggested to EMI that I write the sleeve notes for the two albums.
At the 1966 Bath Festival you transcribed Shankar’s version of Raga Tilang for Yehudi Menuhin, after an earlier attempt by Peter Feuchtwanger had not satisfied Shankar. What was it like being trusted with that task ahead of such a high profile performance?
Ravi taught me to transcribe Indian music notation into Western notation. He notated Yehudi’s part and gave a copy to me so that I could transcribe for Yehudi.
You wrote the liner notes for West Meets East, explaining Indian musical terms for a Western audience. How did you approach translating that vocabulary?
Ravi asked me to write the liner notes. Elise Brown Barnet was compiling a dictionary of Indian musical terms and helped me with translation.
You served as musical annotator on Shankar’s score for the BBC’s Alice in Wonderland in 1966, directed by Jonathan Miller. What do you remember of that project?
I remember that George dropped in to one of the recording sessions and heard the recording of the track where the sitar is accompanied by my playing Jhalla on the piano.
One of the sequences had Sir John Gielgud singing with a lot of rubato. This made it very difficult for Ravi to accompany his singing. I suggested that Sir John’s singing was so charming that it didn’t need an accompaniment. Jonathan and Ravi agreed and Gielgud’s singing was left unaccompanied in the film.
You met George Harrison in 1966 through Shankar, around the time Harrison began studying sitar with him. What was your first impression of Harrison as a musician?
My first meeting at George’s house was where we listened to a variety of music which included music by Ligeti, Bob Dylan, Muddy Waters and Spector’s production of “Proud Mary”.
The piano playing [Otis Spann] on the Muddy Waters record particularly impressed me.
I heard George playing an exercise on the sitar that Ravi had given him, and I could hear that George’s intonation and his sound on the sitar were excellent.
Harrison based “Blue Jay Way” on a piano piece you had derived from Raga Marwa. When did you realise your raga interpretations were shaping his own songwriting?
“Blue Jay Way” was the first time when I thought that something of mine had in influenced his composing. The second time was his piano playing on the “Wonderwall” track “On The Bed” on which George played piano and I played Paul McCartney’s flugel Horn.
You attended the “Within You Without You” session in March 1967. What stands out from that recording?
The session was on a Sunday. When I arrived, Paul was recording his vocal for “She’s Leaving Home”.
John was coming down from a trip and sitting very quietly by himself. George introduced me to Paul and John.
When Paul had finished his vocal recording George began setting up for the recording of “Within You Without You” and was concentrating on getting the correct phrasing from the Dilruba player.
Your work on Wonderwall Music in 1968 spanned Abbey Road sessions and recording in Bombay. What was your role in preparing material for the Indian musicians there?
I didn’t accompany George to India. My work on “Wonderwall” was all done in London.
You wrote the choral arrangements for “The Long and Winding Road” and “Across the Universe” on Let It Be, produced by Phil Spector. What was that experience like?
I have very hazy memories about this production, but I do have a copy of a Supplementary Payment slip from EMI which states that I was paid £10 for ” Notating top lines and harmony for 3 Beatle songs for Beatles “Let It Be” LP.” The slip was dated 9 JUN 1970.
The titles of the 3 Beatle songs were not given on the pay slip, and I can’t remember them.
I checked Wikipedia for information and credits. See below:
“Additional musicians:
Richard Anthony Hewson – string and brass arrangements on “I Me Mine” and “The Long and Winding Road”
John Barham – choral arrangements on “Across the Universe”, “I Me Mine” and “The Long and Winding Road”
George Martin – shaker on “Dig It”, string and brass arrangements on “Let It Be”, production
Linda McCartney – backing vocals on “Let It Be”
Billy Preston – electric piano on “Dig a Pony”, “I’ve Got a Feeling”, “One After 909”, “The Long and Winding Road” and “Get Back”, Hammond organ on “Dig It” and “Let It Be”
Brian Rogers – string and brass arrangements on “Across the Universe” “.
This above credits me with the choral arrangements, and Richard Hewson and Brian Rogers with the string and brass arrangements.There were a lot of problems connected with the production of this album, and apart from George recomending me to Spector to do some arranging, I can’t remember the transcribing of the three songs referred to above and I can’t remember anything to do with the choral arrangements.
At Friar Park you prepared the orchestrations for All Things Must Pass directly with Harrison. How would he typically get an idea across to you, by guitar, piano or voice?
George would sing or play guitar, never the piano.
You’ve said Spector left you complete freedom during preparation but intervened once the orchestra was in the room. Looking back, how did you handle that shift?
Spector thought that my conducting was too laided back. He stood in front of the string players and demonstrated how he would have conducted it.
“Isn’t It a Pity” exists in two versions, with an orchestral and choral arrangement on the first and a woodwind arrangement on the second. What led to that change in approach?
The change in approach was to create a distinctive contrast between the two versions.
How did you first come into contact with Quintessence, and what made you want to produce their debut album?
I was introduced to Quintessence by their manager Stanley Barr who was a friend of mine.
Stan and I had spent some time writing songs together.
I hadn’t worked as a record producer at that time and I was pleased to be asked by them to produce their first album, particularly as we shared a common interest in Indian culture.
Your production with Quintessence moved from the fuller orchestral colour of In Blissful Company toward a leaner sound by Dive Deep. How deliberate was that shift?
The shift from the fuller orchestral colour of In Blissful Company toward a leaner sound in Dive Deep, was something that originated with the playing of the band.
How did the invitation to score El Topo for Alejandro Jodorowsky come about, and how different was that from your rock work?
I was contacted by telephone by Al Steckler of ABKCO in the USA.
John Lennon had liked the film and suggested to Allen Klein that he get the rights to release the music soundtrack. The original recording, which was recorded in South America, was considered unsuitable for a release as it was in mono and not hi-fi.
John Lennon recommended me to do the job of transcribing and recording in London.
I was flown over to see the film in New York and asked to notate and record the whole score in London the following week. Most of my work with Rock music didn’t involve lengthy transcribing.
So the music released was not the original South American recording but a new recording by English musicians.
During the recording sessions I played back some of the original tracks to give the musicians the feel and the sound that the director Alejandro Jodorowsky wanted. This was particularly necessary for the brass players.
You also contributed to Lennon’s Imagine and Gary Wright’s Footprint albums around this period. How did those sessions compare with your work with George?
My work on Imagine was playing rather than arranging. Gary Wright gave me basic direction but left most of the arranging to me. George wanted to know everything that I had arranged. He didn’t want any surprises at the recording sessions.
For Imagine, on the first day that I attended a Rolls Royce picked me up from home and drove to Titanhurst. I was also driven home afterwards.
On the second day that I attended, a large white Mercedes picked up most of the musicians that John had booked.
Titanhurst was very impressive, particularly the trees and the spaciousness. It was a very strong contrast to Trident studio in London’s West End. John had rented recording studio gear from EMI and had it installed it in a room on the ground floor. The room looked like a typical recording studio with seating for several musicians to listen to playback.
The overall feeling was relaxed, but John was conscious of the hiring cost and let the musicians know that time was money. The performance space was quite small, the vibes that I played were setup in a toilet. Everybody was casually dressed except for Phil Spector who was smartly dressed in a suit
and tie. He didn’t say much to the musicians on the days that I attended.
On both days Yoko had prepared a large table full of food for the musicians . The food was excellent. Yoko also allowed us to see her video-photographic studio on the first floor.
The songs that I played on were:
- * “Jealous Guy” [harmonium]
- * “How?” [vibes]
- * “I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die” [piano]
- * “Gimme Some Truth” [piano]
- * “Imagine” [out take 1] [harmonium]
- * “Tittenhurst Park” [Evolution Mix] [piano]
With Harrison producing Living in the Material World himself, how did the working dynamic differ from All Things Must Pass?
George wanted me to attend the backing track recordings of All Things Must Pass which took place in Abbey Road large studio. Phil Spector was present in the control room and the recording of multiple guitars and reverb contributed to his famous wall of sound.
The recording of Living in the Material World took place at the Apple Studio in Savile Row.
Apple Studio was much smaller than the Abbey Road large studio. George was the sole producer on this album and he obviously didn’t want the wall of sound.
After Phil ‘Shiva’ Jones left Quintessence you produced his new band’s album Kala. What kept you working together outside the Quintessence name?
I rated Shiva as a powerful and creative singer and I could relate to his interest in Indian philosophy and music. I had always enjoyed working with Shiva.
In 1973 you released Jugalbandi with sarod player Aashish Khan. What made you want to record within the Indian classical tradition yourself rather than only arranging for others?
The idea of recording with Aashish came about when we met subsequent to the Wonderwall recordings. Aashish was enthusiastic about the idea, so I presented the idea to Ian Samwell of Kinney Records who gave us the go ahead.
Aashish and I decided together to record a duet [Jugalbandi] in a basically Indian Classical Style. I added some simple harmonies and counterpoint but kept basically to the spirit of the raga [Sindhi Bhairav]. Aashish recorded his string quartet and Zakir recorded a tabla solo accompanied by the brother of Aashish playing Santoor.
The album Jugalbandi was the first time that I had released my own compositions and performances.
You taught Schenkerian analysis at Trinity College of Music. What took you toward teaching, and what did that experience give you back?
I was invited to teach Schenkerian analysis by John Bingham, the head of the Keyboard department of Trinity College. John and I had studied Schenkerian analysis privately with Dr Hans Heimler, who was a pupil of Schenker. We attended Dr Heimler’s classes while we were still teenagers and I have had an interest in analysis ever since. The idea to study with Dr Heimler came from composer Peter Feuchtwanger who also attended the classes.
Teaching classes of young adults gradually helped to develop my self confidence in public speaking.
In 1996 you rejoined Shankar and Harrison for Chants of India. How had your working relationship with them changed since the 1960s?
In 1996 I hadn’t worked with Ravi or George for over fifteen years. Our working relationship was very similar to how it had previously been, although this was the first time that I had worked with Ravi and George at the same time.
In August 2000 you and Harrison met again at a performance of a choral work by Jon Lord, and he asked you to arrange a new song. What was that reunion like?
The reunion was a happy event. Olivia was very appreciative of my conducting Jon Lord’s choral piece and George was very friendly and asked me if I wanted to work on one of his recent songs. George wrote his new phone number on a piece of paper and jokingly asked me to memorise it and then swallow it.
Across everything you arranged for Harrison, what would you say he relied on you for that he couldn’t get from anyone else?
That’s a difficult question.
The voicing of my string writing for George was classical and based on contrapuntal laws. I am sure that there are many other string arrangers who are are equally purist. Indian music creates its own sonorities and I like to introduce Indian-like sonorities into some of my work where possible.
In 2007 you formed Inscribe Music with Simon Leng and Bob Purvis, including a charity single with Newcastle College for Cancer Research UK. What drew you to that project – did you work with Bob when he was active with Splinter?
Simon Leng contacted me and told me that he was writing a biography of George Harrison. The book would include detailed discussion of George’s guitar playing. Simon asked me if I would be willing to contribute to his book. I agreed to this and he proceeded to send questions by email which I would answer.
His book “The Music Of George Harrison” – “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” [Firefly Publishing] is extremely detailed and considered to be the definitive biography of George.
Later, Simon approached me with his plan to record a charitable single for Newcastle College for Cancer Research UK, I was pleased to be asked to collaborate with him and Bob Purvis on this project.
I hadn’t worked with Bob when he was active with Splinter.
In 2010 you reunited with Quintessence for their fortieth anniversary Glastonbury performance. What was it like revisiting that material four decades on?
I found the old material very nostalgic. Raja Ram’s replacement, flautist Jon Taylor was an important input to the band’s sound at the time. Dave and Shiva gave me the freedom to do a creative compilation-production which I found very enjoyable. Most of my work was done down in London with a few days staying up north with Dave, and it was great to meet up with Shiva again.
Of everything you’ve arranged, produced and composed, what are you proudest of?
I’m proudest of a piano piece which I call “Transitions”.
