Civic Jazz Orchestra gives an opening performance in The Cube prior to the concert
Tickets on sale now at dso.org/jazz
Detroit, (March 14, 2024) – The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) will continue its Paradise Jazz Series with a one-night-only performance by the Kenny Barron Quintet on Friday, April 19 at 8 p.m. at Orchestra Hall. The concert will feature 2010 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Kenny Barron (piano), Riko Sasari (alto saxophone), Mike Rodriquez (trumpet), Kiyoshi Kitagawa (bass), and Johnathan Blake (drums).
Please note: Poncho Sanchez has regretfully had to withdraw from the originally scheduled April 19 Paradise Jazz Series concert. We are pleased to announce that this performance by the acclaimed Kenny Barron Quintet will be presented in place of Sanchez’s Chano y Dizzy program with Terence Blanchard.
Composer, pianist, educator, and NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron is a peerless performer known for timeless classics and innovative improvisations. Barron’s piano skills are a testament to his status as a jazz icon. Inducted into the National Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2009, the American Jazz Hall of Fame in 2005, he has released over 40 albums, received 13 Grammy nominations, and has played with legends including Dizzy Gillespie, Chet Baker, Stan Getz, and Yusef Lateef. Whether playing solo, trio, or quintet, Kenny Barron is recognized worldwide as a master of performance and composition.
Prior to the performance, the Civic Jazz Orchestra, part of the DSO’s Civic Youth Ensembles, will give an opening performance in the Peter D. and Julie F. Cummings Cube (The Cube) directed by Vincent Chandler.
Please note: the DSO does not appear on these performances.
Kenny Barron Quintet will take place on Friday, April 19 at 8 p.m. in Orchestra Hall. Tickets for this performance start at $19. Tickets can be purchased at dso.org or by calling the Box Office at 313.576.5111, open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Subscriptions for the 2023–2024 Paradise Jazz Series can be purchased at dso.org/jazz. Current ticketholders for the Chano y Dizzy program may use their tickets for attendance to this concert.
Currently in its 24th season, the Paradise Jazz Series is named for and honors the legacy of the Paradise Theatre, the historic Detroit jazz venue that was on the site of Orchestra Hall from 1941–1951. The DSO is one of few major American orchestras to present regular jazz programming on its main stage. Acclaimed trumpeter, bandleader, composer, and educator Terence Blanchard has served as the DSO’s Fred A. Erb Jazz Creative Director Chair since 2012. Learn more about the series at dso.org/jazz.
The Paradise Jazz Series is supported by the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation, MGM Grand Detroit, and DownBeat magazine.
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KENNY BARRON QUINTET
Paradise Jazz Series
Friday, April 19 at 8 p.m.
Orchestra Hall
Kenny Barron, piano
Kiyoshi Kitagawa, bass
Johnathan Blake, drums
Mike Rodriquez, trumpet
Riko Sasari, alto saxophone
Composer, pianist, educator, and NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron returns to the Paradise Jazz Series with his quintet. A peerless performer known for timeless classics and innovative improvisations, Barron’s piano skills are a testament to his status as a jazz icon. Inducted into the National Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2009, the American Jazz Hall of Fame in 2005, he has released over 40 albums, received 13 Grammy nominations, and played with legends including Dizzy Gillespie, Chet Baker, Stan Getz, and Yusef Lateef. Whether playing solo, trio, or quintet, Kenny Barron is recognized worldwide as a master of performance and composition.
Please note: the DSO does not appear on this performance.
Related Events:
CIVIC JAZZ LIVE!
Friday, April 19 at 7 p.m.
The Peter D. and Julie F. Cummings Cube
Civic Jazz Orchestra, ensemble
Vincent Chandler, director
Civic Jazz Live! is the opening act for the DSO’s Paradise Jazz Series, featuring student musicians from the Civic Youth Ensembles’ Civic Jazz Orchestra, directed by Vincent Chandler. Join us in The Cube before the show!
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About Kenny Barron
Honored by The National Endowment for the Arts as a 2010 Jazz Master, Kenny Barron has an unmatched ability to mesmerize audiences with his elegant playing, sensitive melodies and infectious rhythms. The Los Angeles Times named him “one of the top jazz pianists in the world,” and Jazz Weekly calls him “The most lyrical piano player of our time.”
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, after the tenor saxophonist heard him play at the Five Spot. Upon Moody’s recommendation, Dizzy Gillespie hired Barron in 1962 without even hearing him play a note. It was in Dizzy’s band that Barron developed an appreciation for Latin and Caribbean rhythms. After five years with Dizzy, Barron played with Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Turrentine, Milt Jackson, and Buddy Rich. The early seventies found Barron working with Yusef Lateef who he credits as a key influence in his art for improvisation. Encouraged by Lateef to pursue a college education, Barron balanced touring with studies and earned a Bachelor in Music from Empire State College. By 1973, Barron 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 Sanchez, Terence Blanchard, and Regina Bell. In 1974 Barron recorded his first album as a leader for the Muse label, entitled Sunset to Dawn. This was to be the first in over 40 recordings as a leader. His duo album with Stan Getz during the late 1980s, People Time, led to the first of 11 Grammy Award nominations received for his recordings. Without Deception, his 2020 follow up with bassist Dave Holland to The Art of Conversation (Impulse) was noted as one of the top releases of the year. The 2016 album, Book of Invention (Impulse) was Barron’s first trio outing in 20 years and marked the first recording ever with his bandmates bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa and drummer Johnathan Blake. In 2018, Barron released Concentric Circles featuring his quintet.
Barron consistently wins the jazz critics and readers polls, including DownBeat, JazzTimes, and Jazziz magazines. The famed Spanish ceramist Lladro honored Barron with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012 and he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from his alma mater SUNY Empire State in 2013 and from Berklee College of Music in 2011. In 2009, he received the Living Legacy Award from Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation. In 2005, he was inducted into the American Jazz Hall of Fame and won a MAC Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a seven-time recipient of “Best Pianist” by the Jazz Journalists Association.
About the DSO
The acclaimed Detroit Symphony Orchestra is known for trailblazing performances, collaborations with the world’s foremost musical artists, and a deep connection to its city. Led by Music Director Jader Bignamini since 2020, the DSO makes its home at historic Orchestra Hall within the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center, offering a performance schedule that features the PVS Classical, PNC Pops, Paradise Jazz, and Young People’s Family Concert series. In addition, the DSO presents the William Davidson Neighborhood Concert Series in metro area venues, as well as eclectic multi-genre performances in its mid-size venue The Cube, constructed and curated with support from Peter D. & Julie F. Cummings. A dedication to broadcast innovation began in 1922, when the DSO became the first orchestra in the world to present a live radio broadcast of a concert and continues today with the groundbreaking Live from Orchestra Hall series of free webcasts.
Since its first school concerts a century ago, and particularly since the founding of the Civic Youth Ensembles in 1970, the DSO has been a national leader in bringing the benefits of music education to students, teachers, and families in Detroit and surrounding communities. The DSO remains committed to expanding its participation in the growth and well-being of Detroit through programs like its Detroit Neighborhood Initiative—cultural events co-created with community partners and residents—and Detroit Harmony, a promise to provide an instrument and instruction to any student in the city who wants to learn. With unwavering support from the people of Detroit, the DSO actively pursues a mission to impact lives through the power of unforgettable musical experiences.