On Tour
Kenny Barron
Jazz
The next Kenny Barron concert is scheduled for Tuesday, August 5, 2025 at Birdland in New York, NY, United States. See all 5 upcoming concerts
More albums from Kenny Barron
About Kenny Barron
Hometown
Philadelphia, PA, United States
Born
June 9, 1943
Genre
Jazz
After establishing himself as one of post-bop’s most erudite, reliable, and versatile sidemen during the 1960s and 1970s, pianist Kenny Barron finally began to assert himself as a leader during the next decade and has remained a model of grace, exploration, and tradition of mainstream jazz ever since. Born in Philadelphia in 1943 (16 years behind his saxophone-playing brother, Bill), he became a fixture on the scene from 1961, adapting to the demands of veterans like trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie—his first employer—and post-bop saxophonists like Booker Ervin, Yusef Lateef, and Joe Henderson. From the beginning, Barron has deftly internalized hard-bop fundamentals while retaining a sense of curiosity, a practice that blossomed after extended stints with Stan Getz and as co-leader of the Thelonious Monk repertory quartet Sphere. Barron has complemented his harmonically sophisticated, effortlessly swinging brand of small-group jazz with regular excursions into bossa nova jazz projects. Between 1974 and 2000 he served as a music professor at Rutgers University. He continues to perform and record with the poise and elegance of a veteran but the wonder of a young lion.
Kenny Barron has also released music as a member of Sphere, The Jazztet, Freddie Hubbard Quintet, Classical Jazz Quartet, The Kenny Barron Quintet, Joe Henderson Sextet, Kenny Barron Quartet, Kenny Barron Trio, and The Super Premium Band.
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