Kenny Barron - Live at Bradley's (Sunnyside, 1996)

 

Kenny Barron, piano

Ray Drummond, bass

Ben Riley, drums

Recorded April 3 & 4, 1996

Bradley's

Engineer: Jim Anderson

Live at Bradley's and Live at Bradley's II are a pair of celebrated club dates by Kenny Barron, Ray Drummond, and Ben Riley. The Perfect Set is the subtitle of the sequel, recorded April 6, 1996. I am only reviewing the first CD because it is superior to the "perfect" set recorded later. (Apparently, label hype knows no bounds.) Bradley's II is a good date, to be sure, but its precursor is more deserving of the "perfect set" hyperbole. 

There are only five tunes played on Live at Bradley's, none of them composed by Barron, but each one is "owned" by the trio in performance. As the tray card shows, every selection is long, but there is practically no filler, even during the bass and drum solos. Barron claims the majority of solo space, and his improvisations are all coherent variations that never repeat or "noodle" aimlessly.

Whether at great speed, as on "Solar," or with relaxed balladry, as on the glorious "Blue Moon," Barron is consistently inventive. For example, on "Blue Moon" he plays two statements of the melody, one solo and one with support from Drummond and Riley. His solo breaks into a bluesey swagger toward the end. 

James Williams' "Alter Ego," originally recorded on the composer's album by the same name, is a showcase for Barron's handling of more contemporary material. The original is an arrangement for sextet, but Barron only relies on Drummond's tasty bass solo as a second melody instrument. The closer, "Canadian Sunset," is a delightful reprise of Eddie Heywood's 1957 classic, a song I remember from my youth. 

The closest rival to Live at Bradley's in my collection of Barron's works is Green Chimneys (Criss Cross, 1983). Barron's long solo on "There is No Greater Love" on Green Chimneys is a classic that is matched by each of the solos on Bradley's.

I'm hopeful that Barron's Landscape LP, due for reissue this month by Music on Vinyl, matches the excellence of Bradley's and Green Chimneys. Landscape was recorded in New York in 1984 with Cecil McBee and Al Foster and previously released in Japan, Germany, and The Netherlands.

Obviously, there is no opportunity in a live recording like Live at Bradley's to "fix it in the mix." What you hear is what the musicians played live, which for me is the acid test for jazz piano trios. Jim Anderson's live recording at Bradley's club is absolutely stunning. 

To read my reviews of Green Chimneys and New York Attitude, go to:

Post: Edit Green Chimneys

Post: Edit New York Attitude