The British trumpet maestro Guy Barker was born in Chiswick, West London. He took up the trumpet at the tender age of 12 and played in his school brass band before joining Bill Ashton's National Youth Jazz Orchestra at 13. At the age of 17, he sat in with Clark Terry and took a few lessons with the veteran brassman. He also played with Dizzy Gillespie and became a friend of the bebop master.

In 1986 he was nominated for an All Music Award and played two concerts with the London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican as trumpet soloist.

Guy was also enlisted by Georgie Fame and has continued working with him on various projects since.

Guy was signed by Verve in the UK as the label's first new British artist of the Nineties. His widely-acclaimed debut for the label, 'Into The Blue', was recorded in December 1994 and February 1995, and it makes forceful evidence for Guy's claim that "I think that jazz has a definite tradition that should be respected at the same time it should never be allowed to stop".

Nominated for the 1995 Mercury Music Prize, the album competed with over 130 other albums across the whole music spectrum to be one of the 10 nominees, a reflection of the popularity and respect Guy and his work have achieved in the UK. He has gone on to win the British Jazz Award for Best Trumpeter in 1996.

May 1998 saw the release of the third Barker album, titled What Love Is, which also features a guest appearance by Sting who sings the classic 'You Don't Know What Love Is'.

After hearing this latest album, the great film director Anthony Mingella ('The English Patient') invited Guy to arrange six jazz standards for his next feature film titled 'The Talented Mr Riply' which is scheduled for release in 1999. Guy also appears in the film with this quintet, and is joined in a performance of 'My Funny Valentine' by the acclaimed young actor Matt Damon ('Good Will Hunting', 'Saving Private Ryan').