Kenny Barron(born June 9, 1943) is an Americanjazzpianist, who has appeared on hundreds of recordings as leader and sideman and is considered one of the most influential mainstream jazz pianists since thebebopera.[1][2][3]
Kenny Barron | |
|---|---|
 Barron at theOslo Jazzfestival2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | June 9, 1943 Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
| Instrument | Piano |
| Years active | 1960s–present |
| Website | www |
Early life
editBarren was born inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania.He had four siblings; his eldest brother was tenor saxophonistBill 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 saxophonistJimmy Heath.[4]He also played a gig withYusef Lateeftwo months before graduating high school.[4]
Later life and career
editA 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 saxophonistJames Moody's band, and in the same year he was briefly a sideman with bands led byLou Donaldson,Roy Haynes,andLee Morgan.[4]Barron then joinedDizzy Gillespie's band, with which he toured internationally between 1962 and 1966.[4]Barron was briefly a member ofthe Jazztetaround 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 withStanley Turrentinebefore starting a three-year stint withFreddie 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 fromEmpire State College(Metropolitan Center, New York City).
He co-led the groupsSphereand theClassical Jazz Quartet.[1]
Between 1986 and 1991, Barron recorded several albums withStan Getz,most notablyVoyage(1986),Anniversary(1987),Serenity(1987),Bossas & Ballads – The Lost Sessions(1989), andPeople Time: The Complete Recordings(1991), a two-CD set.
He has been nominated nine times forGrammy Awardsand for the American Jazz Hall of Fame. He was elected a Fellow of theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciencesin 2009.[6]
In May 2010, Barron was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music fromBerklee College of Musicalong with African-born singer/songwriterAngelique Kidjo,Spanish guitaristPaco de Lucia,and songwriting duoLeon HuffandKenneth Gamble.[7]
For more than 25 years, Barron taught piano and keyboard harmony atRutgers Universityin New Jersey. He now teaches at theJuilliard School of Music.His piano students have includedEarl MacDonald,[8]Harry Pickens,Jon Regen andAaron Parks.[9]
In 2022, Barron was elected in theDownBeatJazz Hall of Fame.[10]
Discography
edit
- You Had Better Listen(Atlantic,1967) withJimmy Owens
- Sunset to Dawn(Muse,1973)
- Peruvian Blue(Muse, 1974)
- In Tandem(Muse, 1975 [1980]) withTed Dunbar
- Lucifer(Muse, 1975)
- Innocence(Wolf, 1978)
- Together(Denon,1978) withTommy 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]) withRon CarterandMichael Moore
- Landscape(Baystate, 1984)
- Autumn in New York(Uptown,1984) - reissued asNew York Attitude
- Scratch(Enja,1985)
- What If?(Enja, 1986)
- Two as One(Red, 1986) withBuster Williams
- The Red Barron Duo(Storyville, 1986 [1988]) withRed Mitchell
- Live at Fat Tuesdays(Enja, 1988)
- Rhythm-a-Ning(Candid,1989) withJohn 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) withBarry Harris
- Sambao(Verve,1992)
- Other Places(Verve, 1993)
- Wanton Spirit(Verve, 1994) withRoy HaynesandCharlie Haden
- Things Unseen(Verve, 1995 [1997])
- Swamp Sally(Verve, 1995) withMino 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) withRegina 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) withDave Holland
- Book of Intuition(Impulse!, 2016)
- Concentric Circles(Blue Note, 2018)
- Without Deception(Dare2, 2020) withDave Holland
- The Source(Artwork, 2023)
- The Complete Two as One(Red, 2023) withBuster Williams
- Beyond This Place(Artwork, 2024)
Sources:[11]
References
edit- ^abarwulf arwulf."Allmusic biography".AllMusic.RetrievedNovember 22,2014.
- ^Rizzo, Gene (March 5, 2005). "Kenny Barron".50 Greatest Jazz Piano Players of All Time.Hal Leonard Corporation.p. 143.ISBN9780634074165.RetrievedJanuary 18,2013.
- ^Yanow, Scott(2001). "Kenny Barron".All Music Guide: The Definitive Guide to Popular Music.Hal Leonard Corporation.p. 1152.ISBN9780879306274.RetrievedJanuary 18,2013.
- ^abcdefghijkBloom, Steve (June 1980). "Kenny Barron: Pianist's Progress".DownBeat.Vol. 47, no. 6. pp. 26, 27, 62, 64.
- ^Blumenthal, Bob (2004) InThe 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.RetrievedMay 17,2011.
- ^Aubrey Everett (May 15, 2010),"Several Jazz Artists Honored at Berklee Commencement",JazzTimes.ArchivedSeptember 27, 2017, at theWayback Machine.
- ^"Wanton Spirit".Vervemusicgroup.com.RetrievedNovember 22,2014.
- ^Kugiya, Hugo (June 15, 2010)."Jazz pianist Aaron Parks is back on the farm — the James Farm".The Seattle Times.Archived fromthe originalon June 22, 2011.
- ^"DownBeat December 2022 Readers Poll".archive.maherpublications.com.RetrievedMarch 2,2023.
- ^"Kenny Barron Discography".MTV.mtv.com. Archived fromthe originalon January 7, 2015.RetrievedJanuary 19,2017.
External links
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