Kenny Barron

Kenneth Barron (born June 9, 1943) is an American jazz pianist and composer who has appeared on hundreds of recordings as leader and sideman and is considered one of the most influential mainstream jazz pianists since the bebop era.

Early life Barron was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He had four siblings; his eldest brother was tenor saxophonist Bill Barron (1927–1989). Kenny Barron started playing piano at the age of 6 at his mother's insistence. "I hated it," he has said. "I wanted to be outside playing with the other kids. Eventually I did grow to love it." He studied with Vera Bryant, the sister of noted jazz pianist Ray Bryant and the mother of jazz guitarist Kevin Eubanks and jazz trombonist Robin Eubanks. At the age of 15, Barron played briefly with Mel Melvin's orchestra.

Later life and career A few days after graduating, Barron set off on a week-long tour with Lateef. In the 1960s, he also married and moved to Brooklyn.

Barron has composed more than 50 works, Some other of his signature compositions that he and sometimes others have recorded multiple times include "Dolores Street SF" (1973), "Sunshower" (1975), "Spiral" (1982), "And Then Again" (1982), "Joanne Julia" (1984), "Phantoms" (1986), "What If?" (1986), "The Only One" (1990), and "Twilight Song" (1993). Although Barron is best known for interpretations of jazz standards, modern jazz classics, and originals, he has occasionally also recorded pop/rock material, including various Stevie Wonder songs and Sting's "Fragile".

Barron is also known as "a remarkably sensitive accompanist," recording with notable singers such as Ann Hampton Callaway, Abbey Lincoln, Kevin Mahogany, Helen Merrill, Jane Monheit, Judy Niemack, Dianne Reeves, and Carol Sloane. In addition, Barron contributed to the scores of several Spike Lee films, including Do the Right Thing (1989) and Malcolm X (1992).

Barron has been nominated 14 times for Grammy Awards and was inducted into the American Jazz Hall of Fame in 2005. He was also elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2009. In May 2010, Barron was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music along with African-born singer/songwriter Angelique Kidjo, Spanish guitarist Paco de Lucia, and songwriting duo Leon Huff and Kenneth Gamble.

For more than 25 years, Barron taught piano and keyboard harmony at Rutgers University in New Jersey. He now teaches at the Juilliard School of Music. His piano students have included Earl MacDonald, Harry Pickens, Jon Regen, and Aaron Parks. In 2022, Barron was elected to the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame.

The Los Angeles Times called Barron "one of the top jazz pianists in the world," and Jazz Weekly named him the "most lyrical piano player of our time."