Kenny Barron: The Source album review — shape-shifting modernism

At 19, Kenny Barron was already a noted piano stylist when he left Philadelphia for New York in 1962. A five-year stint with Dizzy Gillespie soon followed, and then sideman gigs with a host of the top names in modern jazz. He released the first of about 50 albums a decade later, by which time he had drawn a range of influences into a strong personal voice.

This release, Barron’s first solo piano album in more than 40 years, conveys his urbane angularities with warmth, elegance and a sensitive touch. Thelonius Monk and Duke Ellington are both referenced twice, the standard “(I’m) Confessin’ (That I Love You)” is unpacked, and four previously recorded originals are made over to complete the set.

The album starts with the discordant bounce of “What If?”, an original first heard on the 1986 quintet release of the same name. Here it is introduced by a dazzling two-handed rumination before settling into an up-tempo romp. As right-hand lines spin speedily into the upper register, the left hand delivers the urgency of a firm ostinato bass. “Phantoms”, from the same album, probes dark corners and brings the set to a close.

The second track, “Isfahan”, is the first of two beautifully conceived Strayhorn/Ellington covers. As Barron pulls the theme this way and that, gripping narrative twists conjure mixed emotions along the way. “Daydreams”, the album’s ballad, is perfectly pitched later in the set.

Barron has long absorbed Monk’s sharp angles into his multi-layered aesthetic. The playful thrust of “Teo” comes three numbers in, “Well You Needn’t” is deconstructed at speed and Barron’s shape-shifting modernism thrills. Elsewhere, the pianist’s originals explore subtler shades of impressionist modal jazz. “Dolores Street, SF” is a waltz, “Sunshower” Latin-inflected and Barron’s fluid drive and grasp of form is exemplary.

★★★★☆

‘The Source’ is released by Artwork Records