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Gerry Gibbs Thrasher Dream Trios: Songs from My Father (Whaling City Sound)

Vibraphonist Terry Gibbs, 97 and finally retired from playing after eight decades, embodies all the fun of the era that created him. Whether as a … Read More “Gerry Gibbs Thrasher Dream Trios: Songs from My Father (Whaling City Sound)”

Greg Abate: Magic Dance: The Music of Kenny Barron (Whaling City Sound)

The success of Magic Dance is fueled by the capable execution of three brainstorms from Rhode Island hard-bop stalwart Greg Abate. The first was deciding … Read More “Greg Abate: Magic Dance: The Music of Kenny Barron (Whaling City Sound)”

Kenny Barron/Dave Holland Trio featuring Johnathan Blake: Without Deception (Dare2)

The strong rapport between pianist Kenny Barron and bassist Dave Holland can be felt all the way through Without Deception. Much like their previous collaboration, … Read More “Kenny Barron/Dave Holland Trio featuring Johnathan Blake: Without Deception (Dare2)”

Kenny Barron & Mulgrew Miller: The Art of the Piano Duo – Live (Groovin’ High)

Kenny Barron teaches by simply playing piano duets with his students. The late Mulgrew Miller, 12 years Barron’s junior, was closer to peer than student (and taught at New Jersey’s William Paterson University while Barron was teaching at Rutgers). Nevertheless, the three summits compiled on the wonderful The Art of Piano Duo – Live add … Read More

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Live Review: 46th Umbria Jazz Festival

When you have made many trips to Perugia, Italy for the Umbria Jazz Festival, you never get a sense of which years are bigger than others. They are all crazy (“pazzo,” in Italian). The main drag of the hill town, Corso Vannucci, is all but impassable every night because of the crush of revelers. The … Read More

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Kenny Barron Quintet: Concentric Circles (Blue Note)

Kenny Barron has never had anything going for himself except excellence. He is neither charismatic nor flamboyant. Perhaps because his mastery of modern mainstream jazz piano is so comprehensive, he has been more admired than loved. He has also transcended the flaws and mannerisms that humanize lesser piano players. While excellence usually prevails, and while … Read More

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Montreal International Jazz Festival

Highlights included Kenny Barron Trio, Roberta Gambarini and more

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Kenny Barron Trio: Book of Intuition

For some strange reason, the trio that Kenny Barron has been leading for the past decade, featuring bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa and drummer Johnathan Blake, had never cut an album until now. We should all thank the deity of our choice that they finally entered a recording studio, because Book of Intuition is a total delight. … Read More

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Kenny Barron: At the Piano

Launched in 1975 by Don Schlitten, Xanadu Records released more than 100 LPs through 1986, including more than 40 reissues of archival material from the ’40s and ’50s. The high quality of the releases likely owed to Schlitten’s intimate involvement with the label, as he often “produced and directed” sessions, designed covers and wrote liner … Read More

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Kenny Barron/Dave Holland: The Art of Conversation

There are conversations meant solely for the ears of those involved, full of jocular camaraderie and inside references. And then there are those designed to be overheard, where the dialogue is meant to engage and enlighten anyone who is listening in as well as the speakers themselves. With a musical relationship dating back nearly three … Read More

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