Kenny Barron Trio

The Philadelphia native started playing professionally as a teenager with Mel Melvin’s orchestra and Philly Joe Jones. He moved to New York City at 19 and freelanced with Roy Haynes, Lee Morgan, and James Moody. It was in Dizzy Gillespie’s band that Barron developed an appreciation for Latin and Caribbean rhythms. In the early 1970s, Barron began working with Yusef Lateef, whom Barron credits as a key influence on his art for improvisation. By 1973, Barron had joined the faculty at Rutgers University as a professor of music. He held this tenure until 2000, mentoring many of today’s young talents, including David Sánchez, Terence Blanchard, and Regina Belle. In 2009, he received the Living Legacy Jazz Award from Mid Atlantic Arts and was inducted into the American Jazz Hall of Fame. Barron was awarded the Jazz Journalists Association’s Best Pianist distinction for the eighth time in 2024. Barron’s latest album features his quintet with Steve Nelson, Immanuel Wilkins, Kiyoshi Kitagawa, and Johnathan Blake.

Soon after moving to New York City from Osaka, Japan, Kitagawa joined the Harper Brothers, recording Remembrance: Live at the Village Vanguard. Kitagawa has toured and recorded Triology with the alto great Kenny Garrett and drummer Brian Blade and has gone on to work with many of the leading names in jazz including Tommy Flanagan, Jimmy Heath, Andy Bey, and Maria Schneider, among others. In 1996, he formed The Trio with the versatile Japanese pianist Makoto Ozone, and they have since released four albums. As a band leader, Kitagawa has released five albums in Japan on the Atelier Sawano label, including Ancestry and Prayer. His latest release, I’m Still Here, features Danny Grissett and Brian Blade. As a sideman, Kitagawa has recorded with Pete Minger, Jimmy Heath, Terell Stafford, Andy Bey, Jon Faddis, Kenny Barron, Dayna Stephens, and many others.

A Grammy-nominated drummer and composer, Johnathan Blake was introduced to the world of jazz music by his father, world-renowned violinist John Blake, Jr. Blake began violin at three, drums at 10, and performing in the Philadelphia area during his teen years. While at William Paterson University, Blake started working professionally with the Oliver Lake Big Band, Roy Hargrove, and David Sánchez. He turned down an offer to join McCoy Tyner's band in order to complete his bachelor’s degree and then went on to earn a master’s degree from Rutgers University in 2007. He was awarded an ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Award in 2006. Blake is currently a member of the Tom Harrell Quintet, and Kenny Barron Trio. He also performs regularly with Donny McCaslin, Jaleel Shaw, Avishai Cohen, and Omer Avital, among others. He released his debut album in 2009 and has recorded with Tom Harrell, Jaleel Shaw, Joe Locke, Oliver Lake, Russell Malone, Mingus Big Band, and many others. He has been leading his own quartet in venues worldwide including Brazil, Europe, and the US.