New York Attitude

by Ken DrydenPianist Kenny Barron's star began to rise in the 1980 as he recorded more frequently as a leader. Uptown releases such as this one have been hard to find because of erratic distribution, but this trio date with bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Frederick Waites (in one of his last record dates prior to his death in 1989) is worth the effort to acquire it. The title track, a driving post-bop Barron original, captures the hustle and bustle as well as the cockiness of a stereotypical New York City resident. "Joanne Julia" is a shimmering samba dedicated to the pianist's wife. "Lemuria" is an earlier Barron work written while he was playing with Yusef Lateef, and this adventurous up-tempo piece, reminiscent in some ways of McCoy Tyner's aggressive style of writing, features the trio's best playing on the date. As a charter member of the group Sphere, it is only appropriate for Barron to include a Thelonious Monk composition; his unusual bassline within the introduction to "Bemsha Swing" is worth the purchase price of this CD. This Kenny Barron CD was previously issued by Uptown as an LP entitled Autumn in New York, but this re-release adds an alternate take of "Embraceable You" and a dazzling solo rendition of "You Don't Know What Love Is." The pristine sound achieved by legendary engineer Rudy van Gelder is an added bonus. Highly recommended.