Selected as a 2026 Mellon Jazz Legacy Fellow, Kenny Barron has an unmatched ability to mesmerize audiences with his elegant musical style. The Los Angeles Times named him “one of the top jazz pianists in the world” and Jazz Weekly called him “the most lyrical piano player of our time.” His latest release, Songbook, is Barron’s first album to feature vocals throughout, a culmination of his long history of piano-voice collaborations.

The Philadelphia native started playing professionally as a teenager with Mel Melvin’s orchestra and later freelancing with Roy Haynes, Lee Morgan, and James Moody. Upon Moody’s recommendation, Dizzy Gillespie hired Barron in 1962 without even hearing him play a note. Since his first album as a leader in 1974, Barron has recorded over 50 others and garnered 14 Grammy nominations.  He was honored by the National Endowment for the Arts as a 2010 Jazz Master.

Supported in part by