Jazz is back at St. Cecilia Music Center, and it’s opening the season with a bona fide master.
The Kenny Barron Trio takes the stage tonight, Oct. 8, to launch St. Cecilia’s 2026-27 Spectacular Jazz Series — and tickets are going fast for an evening with one of the most celebrated pianists in jazz history.
Barron, a 2010 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, has spent more than six decades shaping the language of modern jazz. His elegant touch, melodic sensitivity and unmistakable rhythmic feel have earned him the kind of praise that is rarely handed out lightly. The Los Angeles Times has called him “one of the top jazz pianists in the world,” while Jazz Weekly has dubbed him “the most lyrical piano player of our time.”
And his story begins in the thick of New York’s jazz scene.
After starting his professional career as a teenager in Philadelphia, Barron moved to New York City at 19, where he began working with artists including Roy Haynes, Lee Morgan and James Moody. In 1962, on Moody’s recommendation, Dizzy Gillespie hired Barron — without even hearing him play.
Barron spent five years with Gillespie, an experience that helped deepen his appreciation for Latin and Caribbean rhythms. From there, his résumé reads like a who’s who of jazz: Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Turrentine, Milt Jackson and Buddy Rich, among many others.
That remarkable career has never been simply about looking backward. Barron has remained an active and influential force, releasing more than 60 albums as a leader. His work with Stan Getz on the late-1980s album “People Time” earned him the first of what would become 14 Grammy nominations. His more recent releases include “Beyond This Place,” recorded in Paris, and “Songbook,” a collection of original compositions featuring vocalists including Cécile McLorin Salvant, Kurt Elling, Catherine Russell, Ann Hampton Callaway and Jean Baylor. DownBeat named “Songbook” one of its Top 25 Albums of 2025.
For tonight’s performance, Barron brings along two heavyweight collaborators: Grammy-nominated drummer and composer Johnathan Blake and bassist Robert Hurst.
Blake, who began playing drums at age 10 after being trained on violin as a child, has built an impressive career of his own, performing with artists including Roy Hargrove, Tom Harrell, Russell Malone and the Mingus Big Band. Hurst is equally accomplished, having served as the inaugural bassist for “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and performed with Wynton Marsalis, Branford Marsalis, Tony Williams and Dave Brubeck, as well as Sting and Paul McCartney. He also serves as an associate professor of music and director of small jazz ensembles at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance.
For St. Cecilia Music Center Executive and Artistic Director Cathy Holbrook, there’s no better way to open the new jazz season.
“We are honored to have Kenny Barron for our opening concert of the season at St. Cecilia Music Center,” Holbrook said. “A true legend and celebrated jazz pianist, Kenny Barron and his top-notch trio will mesmerize jazz fans and our loyal jazz audience at this opening of our amazing Spectacular Jazz Series.”
The rest of the season
Tonight’s concert is just the beginning. St. Cecilia’s 2026-27 Spectacular Jazz Series continues with an impressive lineup of jazz icons and award-winning artists:
- John Scofield and Dave Holland — Feb. 18, 2027
- Cécile McLorin Salvant with Sullivan Fortner — March 25, 2027
- Branford Marsalis Quartet with Dianne Reeves — April 15, 2027
A four-concert subscription is available for $277, offering a 15%-20% savings compared with individual ticket prices.
Tonight, Oct. 8, at St. Cecilia’s Royce Auditorium
24 Ransom Ave. NE, Grand Rapids
TICKETS
A section: $80
B section: $65
C section: $50
Limited tickets remain for tonight’s performance. Tickets and subscriptions are available through St. Cecilia Music Center at scmcgr.org or by calling 616-459-2224.
