Kenny Barron Quintet - Concentric Circles – infinite ingenuity

The Guardian 80

(Blue Note)

The style is modern mainstream jazz, a combination of post-bop, modal and Latin elements, of which Kenny Barron is among today’s reigning masters. In fact, he helped invent it, 40-odd years ago, by simply absorbing the sounds in the air at the time. Now, a pianist, composer and bandleader of apparently infinite resource and ingenuity, he records albums as close to perfection as anyone could wish. Lately they have tended to be piano trios, but this sleek new quintet sounds full of promise.

There’s no such thing as a typical Barron composition. All but three of these 11 pieces are his, and they vary from the deceptively simple waltz-time of the title track to a jagged and disconcerting number called Von Hangman. But what they do all have in common is a rhythmic and harmonic structure that invites imaginative improvisation. Trumpeter Mike Rodriguez and saxophonist Dayna Stephens respond impressively, and Barron’s own solos are as expansive and surprising as ever. The final track is a wonderfully discursive solo piano version of Thelonious Monk’s Reflections. This album came out a few weeks ago, but it was just too good to let pass. Dave Gelly