Kenny Barron

Recently on reddit a jazz listener recommended a Kenny Barron album I was unfamiliar with. I sought it out and eventually tracked it down. Looking at the pianists discography, I noticed there were a few albums from the 70s I was unfamiliar with. We'll take a look at a small snippet from the beginning of Kenny's vast career, starting with the 1973 debut release on Muse Records, Sunset to Dawn. 

Joining Kenny here we have bassist Bob Cranshaw, percussionists Richard Landrum and Warren Smith, and drummer Freddie Waits. Barron mostly employs the Rhodes on this album but he plays acoustic piano on a few tunes. A mostly laid-back vibe on this one with "Sunset, "Swamp Demon" and "Dawn" being my favorites. 

The following year in 1974 and again on Muse, Kenny released his sophomore album, Peruvian Blue. This time joining Kenny we have guitarist Ted Dunbar and bassist David Williams. On percussion we again have Richard Landrum, along with Sonny Morgan. On drums we have Albert Heath. Again Kenny plays a little Rhodes and acoustic, both; also working in some clav.

The title track here opens things up quite nicely. I also really dig "Two Areas" and the excellent, closing tune "In The Meantime."

Next up, in 1975, Kenny released one of my favorites of the bunch in Lucifer. Joining Kenny we have James Spaulding on alto sax and bass flute, Kenny's older brother Bill Barron on soprano sax, Charles Sullivan on trumpet, Carlos Alomar on acoustic and electric guitar with Chris White on bass. On drums we have the legend Billy Hart. 

Hard to pick favorites on this one. The opening tune "Spirits" is a bit more funky than we've heard so far. I really dig the bass flute and Kenny's playing on "Firefly" and the longest tune on the album, "Hellbound." 

It was 3 years later for Barron's next album. This is the album I'm grateful to have seen recommended on reddit. Innocence is a fantastic album through and through, and is also Kenny's first release on Wolf Records. I'm guessing this one was recorded in multiple sessions because we have some overlap in the personnel. On saxophone we have Sonny Fortune and on trumpet we have Jimmy Owens. On bass we have Buster Williams and Gary King. On percussion we have Rafael Cruz and Billy Hart. And on drums we have Brian Brake and Ben Riley.

Excellent vibes and great playing throughout on this one. Fortune plays beautifully on "Sunshower", as does Kenny. I also really dig the title track. I tend to prefer the tunes where Barron employs the Rhodes. This one closes with "Nothing To Fear"; the only cover on the album. Great tempo on trumpeter Jimmy Owens tune. Great album all around. 

Final note - I try to stick to flac when available or 320kbps mp3s if flac isn't available. The only copy I could find of Peruvian Blue was on my ancient external hd from years ago. It is 192kbps MP3. Still a great album. I'll keep an eye out for a better copy. 

Enjoy!