Search - Kenny Barron :: Peruvian Blue

Excellent bargain

Tyler Smith | Denver, CO United States | 03/24/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Joel Dorn and 32 Records score again with the re-release of "Peruvian Blue," a fine 1974 Muse recording by Barron, then a young keyboard lion. The bargain price makes this a particularly fine acquisition if you're dipping into the surprisingly rich repository of '70s jazz releases."Peruvian Blue" finds Barron teamed with the underrated guitarist Ted Dunbar. The two produce an excellent collaboration on "Blue Monk"; there's also some fine exchanges between the two going on on "Peruvian."Barron takes a fine solo on acoustic piano on the standard "Here's That Rainy Day"; he was already displaying the confident, almost imperious tone that makes him such a well-respected and sought-after pianist a quarter of a century later.If you're not a fan of electric piano, "Peruvian Blue" might not be your cup of tea. Both "Peruvian" and "Two Arias" rely on a heavily layered electric keyboard approach. Electrified keyboards have never consistently delivered, for me, the emotional goods, no matter how skillfully they are played (and Barron is never trite in his use of them on this album). This alone keeps "Peruvian Blue" in four-star territory."