Search - Kenny Barron :: Other Places

This is what the night sounds like

08/13/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"With 'Other Places,' Kenny Barron has given us a record which documents the sounds of solitude, of the night, and of life's mystery. The title track may very well be a masterpiece - - not since 'Blue in Green' has there been a moody reverie-maker like this one. If you're looking for some really smart, quietly simmering tone poems, you've come to the right place. The tracks on the disc hold together like a suite, though they are separately titled and seem intended as discrete entries. I should admit that this is one of my favorite records of the last ten years. The recording is superb, and the playing top-notch, but it's the quality of the songs and Barron's masterful arrangements which put this disc in the realm of the classics. Most have a minor-key tonality, and several are deliberate, but all share a simmering fire which bursts into swing in various places. Make no mistake, there's not much raucous swinging here, and even less indiscrete or gratuitous blowing. This one has no place in your changer at a party, but couldn't be better for a moment of quiet solitude. - - George McCoy"