Kenny Barron
Kenny Barron | |
---|---|
![]() Kenny Barron performing in 2018 | |
Background information | |
Born | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | June 9, 1943
Genres | Jazz |
Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
Instruments | 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]
Biography[]
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Kenny Barron is the younger brother of tenor saxophonist Bill Barron (1927–1989). One of his first gigs was as pianist with the Dizzy Gillespie quartet. Barron was briefly a member of the Jazztet around 1962, but did not record with them.[4]
He graduated in 1978 with a BA in arts from Empire State College (Metropolitan Center, New York City).
He co-led the groups Sphere and the Classical Jazz Quartet.[1]
Between 1987 and 1991, Barron recorded several albums with Stan Getz, most notably Voyage, Bossas & Ballads – The Lost Sessions, Serenity, Anniversary and People Time, 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.[5]
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.[6]
For over 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,[7] Harry Pickens, Jon Regen and Aaron Parks.[8]
Discography[]
- 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
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b arwulf arwulf. "Allmusic biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 November 2014.
- ^ Rizzo, Gene (5 March 2005). "Kenny Barron". 50 Greatest Jazz Piano Players of All Time. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 143. ISBN 9780634074165. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
- ^ Yanow, Scott (2001). "Kenny Barron". All Music Guide: The Definitive Guide to Popular Music. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 1152. ISBN 9780879306274. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
- ^ 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, "Several Jazz Artists Honored at Berklee Commencement" Archived 2017-09-27 at the Wayback Machine, JazzTimes, May 15, 2010.
- ^ "Wanton Spirit". Vervemusicgroup.com. Retrieved 22 November 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. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
- ^ "Kenny Baron catalogue". Jazzdisco. jazzdisco.org. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
External links[]
- American jazz pianists
- American male pianists
- American jazz keyboardists
- Jazz fusion pianists
- Mainstream jazz pianists
- Post-bop pianists
- Hard bop pianists
- Musicians from Philadelphia
- Enja Records artists
- Muse Records artists
- Red Records artists
- Verve Records artists
- Xanadu Records artists
- Criss Cross Jazz artists
- Candid Records artists
- Chesky Records artists
- 1943 births
- Living people
- Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Empire State College alumni
- 20th-century American pianists
- Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania
- 21st-century American keyboardists
- 21st-century American pianists
- 20th-century American male musicians
- 21st-century American male musicians
- American male jazz musicians
- Sphere (American band) members
- The Jazztet members
- Reservoir Records artists
- African-American jazz pianists