Kenny Barron
*Kenny Barron was born on this date in 1943. He is a Black jazz pianist and music professor.
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Kenny Barron is the younger brother of tenor saxophonist Bill Barron. One of his first performances was as a pianist with the Dizzy Gillespie quartet. Following stretches with Ron Carter in the late seventies, Kenny formed a trio with Buster Williams and Ben Riley, which also worked alongside Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis, Eddie Harris, Sonny Stitt, and Harry “Sweets” Edison. He graduated in 1978 with a BA in Arts from Empire State College (Metropolitan Center, New York City). He also co-led the group Sphere and the Classical Jazz Quartet. Between 1987 and 1991, Barron recorded several albums with Stan Getz,
He has been nominated for Grammy Awards and the American Jazz Hall of Fame nine times. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2009. He is a six-time recipient of Best Pianist by the Jazz Journalists Association. In 2010, Barron was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Music from Berklee College of Music. He has appeared on hundreds of recordings as a leader and sideman and is considered one of the most influential mainstream jazz pianists since the bebop era.
For over 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.
