Kenny Barron Sextet
Village Vanguard178 7th Avenue South, New York 10014
Kenny Barron brings a sextet to the Village Vanguard for this Sunday performance. The available information does not name the other players or specify the material planned for the set, so the night is best approached as a chance to hear Barron in a larger small-group setting without presuming a particular lineup. The music takes place in the Vanguard’s triangular basement room, with its red curtain, portraits of jazz legends, and tables fanning out from the stage. The room holds 123 listeners, and the venue asks for silence before the concert, keeping the focus on the band.
A New York pianist, Barron has been described by NPR as “one of New York’s most talented and tasteful keyboard players.” His playing ranges across “driving bebop, delicate ballads, bounding calypso and rhythms from across Brazil,” a breadth that suggests both rhythmic force and careful pacing. His long career includes work with Dizzy Gillespie, Yusef Lateef, and Stan Getz. Reviewing Barron’s quintet album Concentric Circles, The Guardian called his solos “expansive and surprising.” Those accounts concern Barron across other projects, rather than confirming the personnel or repertoire of this particular sextet date.
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.