Search - Kenny Barron :: Wanton Spirit

6-Star Recording

John Russon | Toronto, ON Canada | 12/27/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I wish I could rate this album at 6 stars. These are three of the most mature jazz players (Kenny Barron on piano, Charlie Haden on bass and Roy Haynes on drums), and that maturity shows in the careful and distinctive way each approaches the playing of each tune. The opening track, "Take the Coltrane," shows the power and the beauty of the piano trio; these guys can make as much out of this tune as one might usually expect from a quintet; it is strong, full and lyrical. The third track, "Be-bop" by Dizzy Gillespie, will make your heart stop, first in the opening bass solo by Charlie Haden, then in the slower-paced-than-normal but emotionally-packed playing of the head (especially the bridge), and then in the incredible solos. (Listen especially to the way Charlie Haden starts with a pedal-point on the solo and then starts descending.) "Wanton Spirit"--a Barron, Haynes duet--is piano madness. These great players are all playing at their best on this album, and their styles really suit each other very well. A great album."

Three pros

N. Dorward | Toronto, ON Canada | 02/01/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Kenny Barron is a pro's pro in part because while he always sounds in command of what he's doing, he doesn't like to take it easy either. This disc features him visiting a carefully picked set of tunes by other composers (only "Madness" is by Barron, & it's actually a fierce themeless modal exploration)--everything from Ellington to Tom Harrell to Hancock, all freshly reconceived. He's accompanied by another couple of pros, Charlie Haden and Roy Haynes. The results are satisfying, often memorable jazz. The album's standout tracks are probably the opening "Take the Coltrane", which, after a fine Haden solo that kicks things off, has an absolutely brilliant piano solo--labyrinthine but precise, with a bright polytonality that catches the ear; & the fine reading of "Bebop", the old bop staple, here cooled down to a medium groove. Not all of the album is up to those tracks--I find "Madness" too static, for instance, for all of Barron's nimbleness--but this is basically impeccable modern piano-trio jazz."

Awesome piano trio jazz

James J. Phillips | Tampa, FL United States | 08/30/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"On this disc Kenny teams up with two other heavyweights, Charlie Haden and Roy Haynes. These fellows are no strangers to piano trios and this disc illustrates why. There are a variety of cuts from the lyrical Billy Strayhorn Passion Flower to some very aggressive modal jazz such as Madman. You hear some wonderful improvisation and the interplay between these gentlemen is wonderful to listen to. I have to say that their reading of Passion Flower ranks at the top of my list. Kenny really shows his dexterity in a very lyrical way. In the end it is the Bop influences that make this such interesting music to listen to. This disc is trio jazz at its finest."