NEW RELEASES

KENNY BARRON

“Sambao”

EmArcy

* * * 1/2

After many years of focusing on be-bop, leading his own bands and also performing with Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard et al, this dependable pianist switches to a Brazilian groove. He adds his own spark to the music--seven of the eight pieces are his--and to the company he keeps: Toninho Horta (guitar), Nico Assumcao (bass), the eminent Victor Lewis (drums) and Mino Cinelu (percussion). The latter’s tune, “Yalele,” tosses in a few group vocal touches.

The ingratiating beat of “Bacchanal” lives up to its title. The light bossa nova of “Gardenia,” the adventurous pace-changing of “Encounters” and the calypso flavor of “Ritual” attest to Barron’s compositional virtuosity. Horta’s solo and the impassioned rhythmic backing in the concluding “On the Other Side” bring the proceedings to a perfectly designed climax.

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