Yet another master pianist on the North Sea Jazz program: Kenny Barron (1943). Barron is without doubt a first-class jazz pianist. In 1959, when he was still at school, he played with legendary drummer Philly Joe Jones. Later he worked with Roy Haynes, Lee Morgan and Dizzy Gillespie, among others. The latter noted Barron's feel for Latin and Caribbean rhythms. After adventures with greats like Freddie Hubbard, Milt Jackson, Buddy Rich andYusef Lateef, the meticulous Barron began to combine his position as a music teacher with exciting artistic collaborations, like his work with Stan Getz in the eighties. Barron proved himself not only a brilliant performer, but also a sublime accompanist, for example when backing saxophonist Charlie Rouse in the group Sphere, which played the music of Thelonious Monk. Kenny Barron has more than forty albums to his name and has been nominated for a Grammy Award nine times.
