Kenny Barron
Kenny Barron | |
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![]() Barron at the Oslo Jazzfestival 2018 | |
Background information | |
Born | (1943-06-09) June 9, 1943 (age 81) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Genres | Jazz |
Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
Instrument | Piano |
Years active | 1960s–present |
Website | www |
Kenny Barron (born June 9, 1943) is an American jazz pianist, who has appeared on hundreds of recordings as leader and sideman and is considered one of the most influential mainstream jazz pianists since the bebop era.[1][2][3]
Early life
Barren was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He had four siblings; his eldest brother was tenor saxophonist Bill Barron (1927–1989).[4] At the age of 15, Barron played briefly with Mel Melvin's orchestra.[4] In 1959, still at school, Barron had local gigs with saxophonist Jimmy Heath.[4] He also played a gig with Yusef Lateef two months before graduating high school.[4]
Later life and career
A few days after graduating, Barron set off on a week-long tour with Lateef.[4] Seeking to further his musical career, Barron moved to New York in 1961.[4] He soon had a regular spot in saxophonist James Moody's band, and in the same year he was briefly a sideman with bands led by Lou Donaldson, Roy Haynes, and Lee Morgan.[4] Barron then joined Dizzy Gillespie's band, with which he toured internationally between 1962 and 1966.[4] Barron was briefly a member of the Jazztet around 1962, but did not record with them.[5] In the 1960s, he also married and moved to Brooklyn.[4]
After leaving Gillespie, Barron briefly performed with Stanley Turrentine before starting a three-year stint with Freddie Hubbard.[4] He was then accompanist and arranger for vocalist Esther Marrow in 1970, after which he returned to Lateef for almost five years.[4]
He graduated in 1978 with a BA degree in arts from Empire State College (Metropolitan Center, New York City).
He co-led the groups Sphere and the Classical Jazz Quartet.[1]
Between 1986 and 1991, Barron recorded several albums with Stan Getz, most notably Voyage (1986), Anniversary (1987), Serenity (1987), Bossas & Ballads – The Lost Sessions (1989), and People Time: The Complete Recordings (1991), a two-CD set.
He has been nominated nine times for Grammy Awards and for the American Jazz Hall of Fame. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2009.[6]
In May 2010, Barron was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music along with African-born singer/songwriter Angelique Kidjo, Spanish guitarist Paco de Lucia, and songwriting duo Leon Huff and Kenneth Gamble.[7]
For more than 25 years, Barron taught piano and keyboard harmony at Rutgers University in New Jersey. He now teaches at the Juilliard School of Music. His piano students have included Earl MacDonald,[8] Harry Pickens, Jon Regen and Aaron Parks.[9]
Discography
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/29/Kenny_Barron.jpg/260px-Kenny_Barron.jpg)
- You Had Better Listen (Atlantic, 1967) with Jimmy Owens
- Sunset to Dawn (Muse, 1973)
- Peruvian Blue (Muse, 1974)
- In Tandem (Muse, 1975 [1980]) with Ted Dunbar
- Lucifer (Muse, 1975)
- Innocence (Wolf, 1978)
- Together (Denon, 1978) with Tommy Flanagan
- Golden Lotus (Muse, 1980 [1982])
- Kenny Barron at the Piano (Xanadu, 1981 [1982])
- Imo Live (Whynot, 1982)
- Spiral (Baybridge, 1982)
- Green Chimneys (Criss Cross Jazz, 1983)
- 1+1+1 (BlackHawk, 1984 [1986]) with Ron Carter and Michael Moore
- Landscape (Baystate, 1984)
- Autumn in New York (Uptown, 1984) - reissued as New York Attitude
- Scratch (Enja, 1985)
- What If? (Enja, 1986)
- Two as One (Red, 1986) with Buster Williams
- The Red Barron Duo (Storyville, 1986 [1988]) with Red Mitchell
- Live at Fat Tuesdays (Enja, 1988)
- Rhythm-a-Ning (Candid, 1989) with John Hicks
- The Only One (Reservoir, 1990)
- Live at Maybeck Recital Hall Volume Ten (Concord Jazz, 1990)
- Invitation (Criss Cross Jazz, 1990)
- Lemuria-Seascape (Candid, 1991)
- Quickstep (Enja, 1991)
- The Moment (Reservoir, 1991 [1994])
- Confirmation (Candid, 1991) with Barry Harris
- Sambao (Verve, 1992)
- Other Places (Verve, 1993)
- Wanton Spirit (Verve, 1994) with Roy Haynes and Charlie Haden
- Things Unseen (Verve, 1995 [1997])
- Swamp Sally (Verve, 1995) with Mino Cinelu
- Live at Bradley's (EmArcy, 1996 [2001])
- Live at Bradley's II (Universal, 1996 [2005])
- Night and the City (Verve, 1996 [1998]) with Charlie Haden
- Spirit Song (Verve, 1999)
- Freefall (Verve, 2000) with Regina Carter
- Canta Brasil (Sunnyside, 2002)
- Images (Sunnyside, 2003)
- Super Standard (Venus, 2004)
- The Traveler (Sunnyside, 2007)
- Minor Blues (Venus, 2009)
- Kenny Barron & the Brazilian Knights (Sunnyside, 2012)
- The Art of Conversation (Impulse!, 2014) with Dave Holland
- Book of Intuition (Impulse!, 2016)
- Concentric Circles (Blue Note, 2018)
- Without Deception (Dare2, 2020) with Dave Holland
- The Source (Artwork, 2023)
- The Complete Two as One (Red, 2023) with Buster Williams
- Beyond This Place (Artwork, 2024)
Sources:[10]
References
- ^ a b arwulf arwulf. "Allmusic biography". AllMusic. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
- ^ Rizzo, Gene (March 5, 2005). "Kenny Barron". 50 Greatest Jazz Piano Players of All Time. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 143. ISBN 9780634074165. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
- ^ Yanow, Scott (2001). "Kenny Barron". All Music Guide: The Definitive Guide to Popular Music. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 1152. ISBN 9780879306274. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Bloom, Steve (June 1980). "Kenny Barron: Pianist's Progress". DownBeat. Vol. 47, no. 6. pp. 26, 27, 62, 64.
- ^ Blumenthal, Bob (2004) In The Complete Argo/Mercury Art Farmer/Benny Golson/Jazztet Sessions (CD liner notes). p. 12. Mosaic.
- ^ "Book of Members, 1780-2010: Chapter B" (PDF). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
- ^ Aubrey Everett (May 15, 2010), "Several Jazz Artists Honored at Berklee Commencement", JazzTimes. Archived September 27, 2017, at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "Wanton Spirit". Vervemusicgroup.com. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
- ^ Kugiya, Hugo (June 15, 2010). "Jazz pianist Aaron Parks is back on the farm — the James Farm". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on June 22, 2011.
- ^ "Kenny Barron Discography". MTV. mtv.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2015. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Official website
- Kenny Barron Discography at www.JazzDiscography.com
- Int'l Jazz Prod.
- Kenny Barron at NPR Music
- I Remember Kenny Barron, by Steve Holt
- Kenny Barron iPhone/iPad application
- v
- t
- e
unless stated otherwise.
as
leader
or
co-leader
- You Had Better Listen (with Jimmy Owens, 1967)
- Sunset to Dawn (1973)
- Peruvian Blue (1974)
- In Tandem (and Ted Dunbar, 1975)
- Lucifer (1975)
- Innocence (1978)
- Together (and Tommy Flanagan, 1978)
- Golden Lotus (1980)
- Kenny Barron at the Piano (1981)
- Imo Live (1982)
- Spiral (1982)
- Green Chimneys (1983–87)
- 1+1+1 (1984)
- Autumn in New York (1984)
- Landscape (1984)
- Scratch (1985)
- The Red Barron Duo (and Red Mitchell, 1986)
- Two as One (and Buster Williams, 1986)
- What If? (1986)
- Live at Fat Tuesdays (1988)
- Rhythm-a-Ning (and John Hicks, 1989)
- Invitation (1990)
- Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Volume Ten (1990)
- The Only One (1990)
- Confirmation (and Barry Harris, 1991)
- Lemuria-Seascape (1991)
- The Moment (1991)
- Quickstep (1991)
- Sambao (1992)
- Other Places (1993)
- Wanton Spirit (1994)
- Swamp Sally (and Mino Cinelu, 1995)
- Things Unseen (1995)
- Live at Bradley's (1996)
- Live at Bradley's II (1996)
- Night and the City (and Charlie Haden, 1996)
- Spirit Song (1999)
- Canta Brasil (2000)
- Freefall (and Regina Carter, 2000)
- Images (2003)
- Super Standard (2004)
- The Traveler (2007)
- Minor Blues (2009)
- Kenny Barron & the Brazilian Knights (2012)
- The Art of Conversation (and Dave Holland, 2014)
- Book of Intuition (2015)
- Concentric Circles (2018)
- Without Deception (and Dave Holland, 2020)
- The Source (2023)
Sphere
- Four in One (1982)
- Flight Path (1983)
- Sphere On Tour (1985)
- Pumpkin's Delight (1986)
- Four for All (1987)
- Bird Songs (1988)
Bill
Barron
- Modern Windows (1961)
- The Tenor Stylings of Bill Barron (1961)
- Hot Line (1962)
- West Side Story Bossa Nova (1963)
- Jazz Caper (1978)
- Variations in Blue (1983)
- Live at Cobi's 2 (1985)
- The Next Plateau (1987)
Ron
Carter
- Pastels (1976)
- Yellow & Green (1976)
- Peg Leg (1977)
- Piccolo (1977)
- A Song for You (1978)
- Pick 'Em (1978)
- New York Slick (1979)
- Patrão (1980)
- Super Strings (1981)
- So What? (1998)
Stan
Getz
- Voyage (1986)
- Anniversary! (1987)
- Serenity (1987)
- Bossas & Ballads – The Lost Sessions (1989)
- People Time: The Complete Recordings (1991)
Dizzy
Gillespie
- Dizzy Gillespie and the Double Six of Paris (1963)
- Dizzy Goes Hollywood (1963)
- Something Old, Something New (1963)
- I/We Had a Ball (multiple leaders, 1964)
- Jambo Caribe (1964)
- The Cool World (1964)
- Charlie Parker 10th Memorial Concert (multiple leaders, 1965)
- The Melody Lingers On (1966)
Freddie
Hubbard
- High Blues Pressure (1967)
- A Soul Experiment (1968–69)
- The Black Angel (1969)
- Sing Me a Song of Songmy (İlhan Mimaroğlu, 1970)
- Super Blue (1978)
- Outpost (1981)
- The Rose Tattoo (1983)
Yusef
Lateef
- The Centaur and the Phoenix (arranger, 1960)
- The Gentle Giant (1970–71)
- Part of the Search (1971–73)
- Hush 'N' Thunder (1972)
- 10 Years Hence (1974)
- The Doctor Is In... and Out (1976)
James
Moody
- Another Bag (1962)
- Comin' On Strong (1963)
- Moody and the Brass Figures (1966)
- The Blues and Other Colors (1968–69)
- Feelin' It Together (1973)
Buddy
Rich
- The Last Blues Album Volume 1 (1974)
- Transition (and Lionel Hampton, 1974)
- Very Live at Buddy's Place (1974)
- Speak No Evil (released 1976)
others
- Many a New Day: Karrin Allyson Sings Rodgers & Hammerstein (Karrin Allyson, 2015)
- Live at the Blue Note (Franco Ambrosetti, 1992)
- Mustang (Curtis Amy, 1967)
- Old Bottles - New Wine (Ray Anderson, 1985)
- The Best Thing for You (Chet Baker, 1977)
- You Can't Go Home Again (Chet Baker, 1977)
- Studio Trieste (Chet Baker and Hubert Laws, 1982)
- Bad Benson (George Benson, 1974)
- Code Red (Cindy Blackman, 1990)
- The Oracle (Cindy Blackman, 1995)
- Shining Hour (Larry Coryell, 1989)
- Quicksand (Ted Curson, 1974)
- Continuum (Ray Drummond, 1994)
- Booker 'n' Brass (Booker Ervin, 1967)
- Tex Book Tenor (Booker Ervin, 1968)
- All That Jazz (Ella Fitzgerald, 1989)
- Awakening (Sonny Fortune, 1975)
- Two for the Blues (Frank Foster and Frank Wess, 1983)
- Frankly Speaking (Frank Foster and Frank Wess, 1984)
- Tiger in the Rain (Michael Franks, 1978)
- Man & Woman (George Freeman, 1974)
- Panorama: Live at the Village Vanguard (Jim Hall, 1996)
- Light and Lively (Louis Hayes, 1989)
- Una Max (Louis Hayes, 1989)
- The Gap Sealer (Albert Heath, 1972)
- Kwanza (The First) (Jimmy Heath, 1973)
- Now! (Bobby Hutcherson, 1969)
- In the Vanguard (Bobby Hutcherson, 1986)
- New Agenda (Elvin Jones, 1975)
- Time Capsule (Elvin Jones, 1977)
- The Bassist! (Sam Jones, 1979)
- We're Goin' Up (Eric Kloss, 1967)
- Jazz Nocturne (Lee Konitz, 1992)
- Number Two Express (Christian McBride, 1995)
- Brownie: Homage to Clifford Brown (Helen Merrill, 1995)
- Never Never Land (Jane Monheit, 2000)
- Peace and Rhythm (Idris Muhammad, 1971)
- A Time for Love (Arturo Sandoval, 2010)
- This Bud's for You... (Bud Shank, 1984)
- Solid (Woody Shaw, 1986)
- Kamau (Charles Sullivan, 1995)
- Pure Dynamite (Buddy Terry, 1972)
- A Bluish Bag (Stanley Turrentine, 1967)
- Jazz French Horn (Tom Varner, 1985)
- Listen Here (Roseanna Vitro, 1982)
- Natural Essence (Tyrone Washington, 1967)
- Two at the Top (Frank Wess and Johnny Coles, 1983)
- New York, New Sound (Gerald Wilson, 2003)