Here’s why there’s hope for jazz-Kenny Barron. Not only is he one of the greatest living pianists, but he’s created an impressive catalogue of tunes. Greg Abate agrees, playing saxes and flutes with Barron himself actually in the band along with Dezron Douglas/b and Johnathan Blake/dr. The two disc set is a Balm of Gilead for the ears, with Abate sometimes creating a multi-track of reeds to Supers ax effect.
Flute and alto are elegant on “Cook’s Bay” while a pair of altos glide along Douglas’ rapid run on the bopping “Bud Like”. The moody “Lemuira” includes alto and tenor asserting themselves over Blake’s driving beat, and the over-saxed “Voyage” has Blake opening things up with some nifty stick work. As for Barron, well, there’s elegance with Douglas on “Rain”, a soft touch on the waltzing “Concentric Circles” and sweet tones on “Song For Abdullah”, with the team bopping to a close on “And Then Again”. Who steals the show? Class!