Kenny Barron Sextet
Village Vanguard178 7th Avenue South, New York 10014
Kenny Barron Sextet is billed at the Village Vanguard for the club’s later evening performance, presenting Barron in a six-piece format. No individual members or guest artists are listed, and the available event information gives no repertoire, release, tribute, or other special theme for the set. The night is centered on the sextet’s appearance in the Vanguard’s triangular basement room, with its red curtain and stage at the point.
The bill identifies the act as the Kenny Barron Sextet, but provides no further background on Barron, the group’s personnel, its history, collaborators, or critical reception. What is specified is the setting: an audience of 123 sits at tables radiating from the stage, surrounded by portraits of jazz legends. The club requests silence before the performance, and its excellent acoustics put the attention on the players rather than on food service, since only drinks are available at the bar.
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.