Legendary Jazz Pianist Kenny Barron’s Trio includes GRAMMY® Award Nominated Bassist KIYOSHO KITAGAWA and GRAMMY® Award Nominated Drummer JOHNATHAN BLAKE. Kenny Barron and his Acclaimed Trio perform at Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on Saturday May 5 at 7:30 P.M. Tickets for the KENNY BARRON TRIO at Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club., as well as the current list of 2023 shows, can be found on Ticketmaster.com and Jimmy’s Online Event Calendar at: http://www.jimmysoncongress.com/events.
PORTSMOUTH, N.H., April 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club Features NEA Jazz Master & 12x-GRAMMY® Award Nominated Jazz Pianist & Composer KENNY BARRON and his Acclaimed Trio on Saturday May 5 at 7:30 P.M. Kenny Barron, whether he is playing solo, trio or quintet, is recognized the world over as a master of performance and composition. Barron has an unmatched ability to mesmerize audiences with his elegant playing, sensitive melodies and infectious rhythms. With over 40 recordings as a leader, Kenny Barron is one of the most influential mainstream jazz pianists since the bebop era.
“One of the top jazz pianists in the world,” says the LOS ANGELES TIMES about NEA Jazz Master KENNY BARRON.
“The most lyrical piano player of our time.”
— JAZZ WEEKLY
“More than half a century later, Barron is still writing original music that touches listeners’ soul.”
— DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE
“One of the iconic pianists of our time.”
— GLIDE MAGAZINE
KENNY BARRON’s recordings have earned him 12 GRAMMY® Award Nominations beginning in 1992 with the song “Soul Eyes”, which was an outstanding duet with Stan Getz from their album People Time. More recently, Barron’s 2016 critically acclaimed album Book of Intuition was Nominated for a GRAMMY® Award for “Best Jazz Instrumental Album”. Barron is also 6x-Jazz Journalist Association “Pianist of the Year” Award-Winner.
In 2021, Barron was Nominated for a GRAMMY® Award for “Best Improvised Jazz Solo” for the song “Kick Those Feet”. Barron’s GRAMMY® Award Nominations include: 5x-“Best Jazz Instrumental Solo”, 3x-“Best Jazz Instrumental Performance” and 2x-“Best Jazz Instrumental Album”.
Kenny was born in 1943 and while a teenager, started playing professionally with Mel Melvin’s orchestra. This local band also featured Barron’s brother Bill, the late tenor saxophonist. While still in high school. Kenny worked with drummer Philly Joe Jones and at age 19, he moved to New York City and freelanced with Roy Haynes, Lee Morgan and James Moody, after the tenor saxophonist heard him play at the Five Spot.
Upon Moody’s recommendation, Dizzy Gillespie hired Barron in 1962 without even hearing him play a note. It was in Dizzy’s band where Kenny developed an appreciation for Latin and Caribbean rhythms. After five years with Dizzy, Barron played with Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Turrentine, Milt Jackson, and Buddy Rich.
The early seventies found Kenny working with Yusef Lateef who Kenny credits as a key influence in his art for improvisation. Encouraged by Lateef, to pursue a college education, Barron balanced touring with studies and earned his B.A. in Music from Empire State College. By 1973, Kenny joined the faculty at Rutgers University as professor of music. He held this tenure until 2000, mentoring many of today’s young talents including David Sanchez, Terence Blanchard and Regina Bell.
In 1974, Kenny recorded his first album as a leader for the Muse label, entitled Sunset To Dawn. This was to be the first in over 40 recordings (and still counting!) as a leader. Following stints with renowned bassist Ron Carter in the late seventies, Kenny formed a trio with Buster Williams and Ben Riley which also worked alongside of Eddie Lockjaw” Davis, Eddie Harris, Sonny Stitt and Harry “Sweets” Edison.
Throughout the 80’s, Barron collaborated with the great tenor saxophonist Stan Getz, touring with his quartet and recording several legendary albums including Anniversary (1987), Serenity (1989) and the GRAMMY® Award Nominated People Time (1991). Also during the 80’s, he co-founded the quartet “Sphere,” along with Buster Williams, Ben Riley and Charlie Rouse. This band focused on the music of Thelonious Monk and original compositions inspired by him. Sphere recorded several outstanding albums for the Polygram label, among them Four For All and the album Bird Songs.
In 2008, Barron released The Traveler (Universal France), an intoxicating mix of favorite Barron tunes set to lyrics and newly penned compositions. For his first vocal based recording, Barron invited Grady Tate (who sheds his drumsticks for this special appearance), Tony Award-Winner Ann Hampton Calloway and the young phenom and GRAMMY® Award Nominated Vocalist Gretchen Parlato, Winner of the Thelonious Monk International Competition for Jazz.
After a successful musical meeting of the minds with GRAMMY® Award-Winning Bassist Dave Holland, the two masters decided to collaborate on a duet project released in 2014 entitled The Art of Conversation. In 2020, Barron and Holland would release a second acclaimed album, Without Deception.
In 2010, Kenny Barron was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Jazz Masters Fellowship, the highest honor that our nation bestows on jazz artists. Each year since 1982, the program has elevated to its ranks a select number of living legends who have made exceptional contributions to the advancement of jazz.
KENNY BARRON Tickets & Current Schedule of Shows
Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club‘s 2023 Schedule of Shows included 7 NEA Jazz Masters, 37 GRAMMY® Award-Winning Artists, 30 Blues Music Award-Winners, and a comprehensive list of talented musicians with 350+ GRAMMY® Award Nominations amongst them. Tickets for the KENNY BARRON TRIO at Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club on Saturday May 5 at 7:30 P.M., as well as the current list of 2023 shows, can be found on Ticketmaster and Jimmy’s Online Event Calendar at: http://www.jimmysoncongress.com/events.
ABOUT JIMMY’S JAZZ & BLUES CLUB
The mission of Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club is to provide guests a one-of-a-kind, world-class experience featuring serious jazz and blues music served with exceptional cuisine. Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club features a spectacular and visually breathtaking environment engineered to deliver the highest quality acoustics while utilizing state-of-the-art production, sound and lighting technologies. Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club is located within a beautifully restored 1905 building at 135 Congress Street in the heart of historic downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire. For more information visit www.jimmysoncongress.com or follow us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/JimmysJazzBlues and on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/jimmysjazzblues/. Sign-up for Jimmy’s Email Newsletter to stay informed on Upcoming Shows, New Artist Announcements, Promotional Offers, Ticket On-Sale Dates, Special Performances, and Jimmy’s Sunday Jazz Brunch.
PRIVATE EVENTS AT JIMMY’S
An architecturally breathtaking center of arts and culture in the heart of historic Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club offers a rare and spectacular venue to host important corporate functions, weddings, intimate or large-scale social gatherings, private parties, and memorable celebrations. The team at Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club put heart and soul into creating a stunning full-service event space with new state-of-the-art production, sound & lighting technologies delivered with outstanding next-level culinary experiences. Our high-touch approach with professional and experienced event staff ensures that everything is tailored to exceed your expectations. To start a conversation about hosting your event at Jimmy’s Jazz and Blues Club, please call us at 888-603-5299, or fill out Jimmy’s Private Event Request Form.
