Kenny Barron Sextet
Village Vanguard178 7th Avenue South, New York 10014
Kenny Barron brings a sextet to the Village Vanguard for the 8 p.m. set. The billing identifies the group as the Kenny Barron Sextet, though no individual personnel are listed for this date. The music unfolds in the Vanguard’s triangular basement room, with the stage at its point and the audience gathered at tables radiating outward. It is a room built for close listening: the house asks for silence before the concert, and its acoustics put the focus squarely on the players.
A Philadelphia native, Barron is an acclaimed jazz pianist whose long career includes work with Dizzy Gillespie, Yusef Lateef and Stan Getz. NPR calls him “one of New York’s most talented and tasteful keyboard players,” and describes a musical palette that moves through “driving bebop, delicate ballads, bounding calypso and rhythms from across Brazil.” Jazz in Europe hears an “elegant” player of “sensitive melodies and infectious rhythms,” adding that he is “considered an institution among musicians.” Those descriptions suggest the breadth behind this sextet date, from rhythmic lift to carefully shaped ballad playing.
A narrow basement staircase leads to a triangular room with a red curtain and a stage at the point, where musicians play for a small audience of 123. Tables open like spokes from the stage, and the walls hold portraits of jazz legends. The acoustics are excellent, and the only sound before the music begins is the hum of the room. No food is served, only drinks at a bar. Shows start at 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., with seating beginning at 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. respectively. The atmosphere is focused entirely on the music, with silence requested before the concert begins.