In 2015, Barnaby moved from Melbourne, Australia to New Orleans, USA. In New Orleans, he plays regularly with trumpet great Leroy Jones (OffBeat Award’s Best Trumpeter and Best Jazz Album 2017), and in a short time has been fortunate to work with many of the city’s finest musicians, including Lucien Barbarin, Kevin Louis, Greg Stafford, Wendell Brunious, Jamil Sharif, Robert Harris, Daniel Farrow, Richard Moten, Topsy Chapman, Lars Edergren and the Palm Court All Stars, Tim Laughlin, Tommy Sancton, Tom Fischer, Jason Stewart (Ellis Marsalis), Kerry Lewis, Nobu Ozaki (John Boutte), Seva Venet, Don Vappie, Mitchell Player, Mari Watanabe, Meghan Swartz, David Harris, Bruce Brackman, James Evans, Sammy Rimington, Mark Brooks, Les Colonello, Eric Robinson, Raphael Bas, Leon ‘Kid Chocolate’ Brown, Thaddeus Richard, Roderick Paulin, Glenn David Andrews, Smoking Time Jazz Club, Secret Six, Brett Gardner, Carolyn Broussard, The Dirty Rain Revelers, Andrew Duhon, and George (Gio) Blackmon.

Barnaby performs with Leroy Jones at Preservation Hall, Palm Court, Jazzfest, French Quarter Fest, Satchmo Fest, The Danny Barker Festival, The Jazz Playhouse, and The Ellis Marsalis Center for Music.

At 19, Barnaby won Australia’s only national drumming title (Australia’s Best Up & Coming Drummer Competition) before completing a bachelor of music performance degree at the Victorian College of the Arts. 

As a freelance drummer, Barnaby has performed with some of Australia’s best-known musicians, including James Morrison, Kate Ceberano, and Wally De Backer (Gotye). In addition to his work in Australia and the United States, he has toured in Brazil, Japan, Thailand, and Hong Kong. 

Barnaby taught in secondary and tertiary institutions for 15 years, including all of Melbourne’s major universities, and has given specialist workshops in snare drum technique and New Orleans drumming.  He has written for Drum Scene and Musician magazines and edited two successful instructional texts by Darryn Farrugia: Groove Perspectives (2003) and Groove Perspectives Play Along (2012).

In 2000, Barnaby travelled to the United States to study with masters of New Orleans and New York drumming styles, including Johnny Vidacovich, Shannon Powell, Jason Marsalis, John Riley, Leon Parker, Sam Ulano, and Joe Morello. During this study tour, he played with Eddie Bo, Leroy Jones, John Boutte, Jonathan Lefcoski, Leon Brown, Mike Pellera, and Leon Parker.

Several companies have endorsed Barnaby over the years, including Premier and Ludwig drums, Sabian cymbals, and Vater drum sticks. He currently plays a C&C mahogany drum set and Portland-based Cymbal & Gong cymbals.

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