Charlie Haden with Kenny Barron - Night and the City

Except for applause at the end of a couple of tunes and a single quiet cough, you might not be aware you're listening to a club recording, so hushed is the Iridium audience during this quietly intense 1996 musical dialogue between Kenny Barron and Charlie Haden. The ballad conversations are so intimate that it's almost inappropriate to break them up into the constituent players, but Barron is magnificent, opting for single-note lines over Haden's deeply resonant bass, stringing out a continuum of inventive, often double-time phrases that animate the slowest tempos. Even the chromatic fantasia that introduces the luminous "Very Thought of You" is spare. With Haden, less is more; there's never an unnecessary note, never a superfluous phrase. His accompaniments consist of only the barest harmonic substructure and the minimal pulse, while his solos sing as unadorned melody. Each piece is given time to unfold (the seven selections last 70 minutes), and the results are quietly intense, sometimes exalted, music-making. It's fine late-night listening, in the city or anywhere else. --Stuart Broomer Amazon.com

Vivificating recital!

Kenny Barron established a personal landmark as sax player. He was not so sober like Coltrane but in many works, he explored with major amplitude the most diverse ranges of the musical shape, with original sonorities and enraptured mood. And this album with Charlie Haden is a winner.

By far, one of my six aces of the sax.
December 23, 2007

Truly, a Sound Painting

Many of us have been there......you're in a strange city on a business assignment and you've been puting in a lot of hours . You leave the downtown building well after dark, the streets are no longer crowded and while not exactly foggy, there's a heavy mist that seems to muffle the sounds. You don't really look forward to going back to the hotel room and as you walk you spot a sign proclaiming live jazz music. You think to yourself it might be a good idea to have a drink and unwind so you go down the stairs. The place has a nice ambiance and you notice it has a fair sized patronage considering it's the middle of the week and the weather. You sit down at a table and order a Blanton's on the rocks as the musicians, a bass/piano duo, break into a tune that you immediately recognize as one of your personal favorites by Ray Noble, "The Very Thought of You". As you listen to the music, it becomes apparent to you that you will be here until they are finished playing for the evening or the club runs out of good bourbon.

Yes, that may seem like a bit of fantasy and I would certainly not make it as a writer............however, these are the visions that cropped up in my own mind the first time I heard this cd. While not being a particular fan of duos (although my collection has a number of them), this one holds my interest from begining to end because of the lyricism expressed on these ballads by a pianist whom I thought was always under rated and a bassist whom I had only previously known by reputation. What a listening gold mine!! If it doesn't rank as the top piano album, it wouldn't take long to call the roll!

When you want to unwind, listen to this cd. It's jazz and it's beautifully expressed, sensitive and relaxing. October 24, 2007

Beauty of Night well expressed

This album well expresses the romantic aspect of night and my personal favorite track is "Waltz for Ruth" which romantically expresses love combined with sentimental longing I would highly recommend this album to those who want to fully enjoy the feel of night, this is one of them. December 8, 2003

Audiophile and Dinner Excellence

If you are looking for an audiophile piano recording, this one is outstanding. The piano is close miked, and and you can clearly hear the striking of the keys. The sound is beautiful, and is probably as good of a piano recording as I have heard. The bass background resonates in club and there are no wasted notes. The music is best characterized as soft jazz, and one can imagine listening to this in a posh restaurant / night club. This is one outstading recording deserving of 5 stars. March 25, 2003

Kenny Barron and Charlie Haden are Exceptional

Shortly after I bought this CD I saw Sphere Live at the Vanguard, and commented to Kenny That this had to be his best, and probably one of the best Jazz Recordings ever, destined to enter the history books, this is a "must have".

Just buy it, and sit back and listen, as I have time and again. February 17, 2003

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