Kenny Barron - Other Places (Verve, 1993)

Kenny Barron, piano
Ralph Moore, tenor & soprano sax
Bobby Hutcherson, vibes
Rufus Reid, bass 

Victor Lewis, drums
Mino Cinelu, percussion

Recorded February 1 & 2, 1993

East Side Sound, NYC

Engineer: Jim Anderson

Other Places feels like an album that was recorded just for me. It features several of my favorite musicians, regardless of instrument; it includes mostly original compositions by pianist Kenny Barron; and it's a first-rate recording by Jim Anderson. I'm grateful for Joanne Klein's production and Verve for the release. Top-shelf albums like this do not come along every day in the jazz world. 

Ralph Moore is still cooking as he approaches his 70th birthday. I've enjoyed his playing since his recording debut in 1983. His album Who It Is You Are (Savoy, 1994) will be included in this blog as a continuation of a strong period in Moore's career. His contributions to Other Places fit perfectly with the group, and the sound of piano, vibes, and tenor is delightful. 

Bobby Hutcherson sounds terrific on Other Places, whether comping or soloing. His touch on the metal bars is as distinctive as ever, harkening back 30 years when he first signed with Blue Note. I've enjoyed everything he has recorded except for a brief period in the early 1970s. I remember seeing him perform at the Atlanta Jazz Festival in the late 1990s. He died in 2016 at age 74.

The rhythm section completes a dream line up. Rufus Reid and Victor Lewis appear on many 1990s releases and always distinguish themselves. It's no wonder they're never out of work. Reid is now 81 and Lewis 75. Percussionist Mino Cinelu adds tasteful touches, like a dash of seasoning to a gourmet recipe.  

I normally use all my own words in blog entries, but I can't add anything better than The Penguin Guide's entry for Other Places:

Moore is in firm, probing voice, the rhythm section are wonderfully sharp and swinging, but it's the magnificent interplay between Hutcherson - still in absolutely prime shape - and Barron that marks this one down as a classic. The pianist saved some excellent writing for the date: "Anywhere", "Other places" and "Ambrosia" are deft, lyrical, unfussy themes that blossom into fine vehicles for improvising, and the chiming chord structures set up by both piano and vibes ring long and loud in the memory. The duet between Hutcherson and Barron on "For Heaven's Sake" is simply one of the most gorgeous ballad performances of recent times. Unmissable. 

 

Richard Cook & Brian Morton, The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD, 5th ed. Penguin Books, 2000: p. 100.

For my reviews of two Kenny Barron albums from the 1980s, go to:

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