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Kenny Barron Residency at SFJAZZ Center

Courtesy Rick Swig
SFJAZZ Center
San Francisco
February 1-4, 2024
Popularly dubbed an "elder statesman" of jazz, pianist

Kenny Barron
pianob.1943

Dave Holland
bassb.1946

Dizzy Gillespie
trumpet1917 - 1993

Thelonious Monk
piano1917 - 1982

Sphere
band / ensemble / orchestraFor his second residency, Barron enchanted audiences for three consecutive evenings and one Sunday matinee, presenting four different ensembles at SFJAZZ Center. The first night featured his longtime trio (

Kiyoshi Kitagawa
bass
Johnathan Blake
drums"For Heaven's Sake," a tune Barron penned with the great departed (and greatly missed) bassist

Charlie Haden
bass, acoustic1937 - 2014
"Magic Dance" offered a richly toned piano solo, and the band moved on to the Haden composition "Nightfall," which had Blake using his brushes again. Barron then told us about his attempt to see

Bud Powell
piano1924 - 1966
Barron then explained how he had heard and loved "Aquele Frevo Axé," a tune by

Caetano Veloso
guitarb.1942
The second evening featured the addition of

Mike Rodriguez
trumpetb.1979

Dayna Stephens
saxophone, tenorThe

Lenny White
drumsb.1949
Before commencing the moody and melancholy "In the Dark," Barron reminisced about how it was written for a movie starring Ernest Borgnine. It was his first foray into writing music for film. Barron said: "I was well paid, but it went straight to video. And when I watched it, it had been cut." Barron's lyrical piano was buttressed by bass and brushwork, and Stephens offered a meditative solo.
"Pocono's Delight," a tune by Kitagawa "dedicated to his terrier," followed and featured vibrant sax and trumpet solos followed by bass. The up-tempo bop of "DPW," a tribute to Barron's Brooklyn neighborhood of Ditmas Park West (and also a tune from Concentric Circles) was up next, featuring trumpet and sax solos. A rambunctious drum solo by Blake was met with wild applause.
The beautiful Barron composition "Baile" was followed by the lovely "There Will Never Be Another You," which featured a Barron solo along with a lovely Rodriguez solo on flugelhorn and Stephens on tenor who embarked on a tuneful tandem as it concluded. A propulsive "Blue Waters" ended the set. The band returned for a version of

Thelonious Monk
piano1917 - 1982
Saturday saw "Brazilian Explorations," a mellow mix of Brazilian tunes fronted by the wonderful flutist

Anne Drummond
flute
Nikara Warren
vibraphone
John Patitucci
bassb.1959

Rafael Barata
drumsValtinho Anastacio
percussionThe set included the Barron-penned "Sonia Braga," "Clouds" and "Phantoms," as well as a tune by Brazilian jazz guitarist
Romero Lumbambo
guitar, acousticThe finale on Sunday afternoon saw a completely new crew of musicians on stage. The exception was bassist Patitucci, who switched to acoustic bass for the occasion. Billed as a session of improvised music, Barron aphorized "whatever happens happens" and "it is what it is" before the ensemble set sail into uncharted territories.
Steering the ship with her vocals, ornate hand gestures, and mastery of the qin (an ancient Chinese string instrument similar to a Japanese koto) was

Jen Shyu
vocalsb.1978

Tyshawn Sorey
drumsb.1980
Her bare feet arched with her qin on her lap, Shyu plunged in, as drummer

Lesley Mok
drums
Kalia Vandever
tromboneb.1995
Tags
Live Review
Kenny Barron
Harry S. Pariser
United States
California
san francisco
Thelonious Monk
Sphere
Kenny Barron and Friends Celebrate Monk at SFJAZZ
Kiyoshi Kitagawa
Johnathan Blake
Charlie Haden
Bud Powell
Caetano Veloso
Cezar Medes
MIKE RODRIGUEZ
Dayna Stephens
Lenny White
John Patitucci
Rafael Barata
Valtinho Anastacio
Romero Lumbambo
Jen Shyu
Tyshawn Sorey
Lesley Mok
Kalia Vandever
Anne Drummond
Dave Holland
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