Kenny Barron isn't trying to reinvent the wheel, or the piano trio.
The 72-year-old Philadelphian – who cut his teeth with Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Getz – is as clear and authentic a mainstream jazz voice as you’ll hear, a living link to the classic piano tradition that stretches back through Tommy Flanagan and Hank Jones to Thelonius Monk, Bud Powell and Art Tatum.
Barron's latest trio, with the impeccable rhythm team of bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa and drummer Jonathan Blake, is as assured and authoritative as you would expect, here emphasising the Latin side of the trio tradition with a deeply grooving set of originals (and a couple of Monk tunes) that sparkle like cut glass. kennybarron.com