Bill Barron (1927-1989) was an important and brilliant saxophonist (tenor, mostly), composer, scholar, and educator whose work deserves much wider attention. I’m not sure what the universe had in mind in this regard, but I’ve had the privilege of teaching for years now in the Music Department at Wesleyan University, where he taught from the mid-‘70s until his untimely passing in 1989 at the age of 62. This is cosmic because I moved to Middletown, CT right after completing my 6 years of formal study with Kenny Barron, who in most circles is the more renowned of the two siblings but is best-known here as Bill Barron’s younger brother.  

This fall I’ve begun a series of workshops that will culminate in my November 10 concert of the music of Bill and Kenny thanks, collectively, to Wesleyan’s Concert Committee, Music Department, and the Zack Rosen Fund. Getting to spend hours poring over Bill’s archives at Wesleyan’s library, particularly his handwritten scores and lead sheets, has been a moving and enlightening supplement to all the listening I’ve done to his music through the years. Sadly, most of his albums (and thus much of the music here) is out of print now (items 1, 2, and 4 being notable exceptions) so if you want to hear more of this, drop me a line. Otherwise/in the meantime, here are some of my favorite recorded examples of Bill (specifically him playing his own compositions) presented in chronological order.

1 ) “Interpretation” from Showcase by “Philly” Joe Jones (1959)

When I first heard this tune on Bill’s 1989 Higher Ground album (see item 10 below) I had no idea that it was among the numerous original tunes of his recorded on a “Philly” Joe Jones album. It totally makes sense, though, as it is quintessential next-generation bebop, and this track is also a great feature of Bill’s robust straight-ahead tenor work (and in turn a fascinating contrast to his playing on Cecil Taylor’s Love for Sale record the same year). The all-star band cooks, with additional solos by Blue Mitchell and Sonny Clark as well as Philly himself.  

2 ) “Ode to an Earth Girl” from The Tenor Stylings of Bill Barron (1961)

Bill’s fascination with exotic ideas (including the celestial) is a running thread here and there through the years, never more so than on his debut album as a bandleader. This moody composition also demonstrates his penchant for tunes that evolve in unexpected ways, as it starts off as a harmonically colorful ballad before giving way to an edgy double-time waltz with solos by Bill, Ted Curson on trumpet, and 17 year old kid brother Kenny on piano.

3 ) “Noodlin’” from Modern Windows (1961)

This minor-key blues swings like crazy, but once again defies the expectations that are set up thanks to a quirky bridge section. Bill and Kenny solo authoritatively with the hard-grooving accompaniment of Eddie Khan and Pete LaRoca and the melody and shout chorus are enriched further by Curson’s trumpet and Jay Cameron’s baritone saxophone.

4 ) “7/4 Funny Time” from Tears for Dolphy by Ted Curson (1964)

I’m far from being an historian on this subject, but I long had it in my head that edgy (no offense, Dave Brubeck) modern jazz in 7/4 time signature began with “Nommo” by Bill’s fellow Philadelphian Jymie Merritt, at least until I heard this Barron composition recorded a year prior to “Nommo’s” introduction on a Max Roach album. This performance, in a pianoless quartet with Dick Berk and Herb Bushler, is downright fierce.

5 ) “Hold Back Tomorrow” from Motivation (1972)

In my studies of Bill’s archive, I encountered a number of songs (mostly though not exclusively ballads) with unrecorded lyrics, mostly penned by his former student Janice Jarrett and other lyricists. A couple, though, have his own lyrics, including “Hold Back Tomorrow.” Indeed, it’s rather illuminating to take that into consideration while listening to his tender interpretation of this ballad, already a highlight among his many gorgeous ballad performances.

6 ) “Until Further Notice” from Jazz Caper (1978)

I could get a thesaurus out but I’m just going to use the word “fierce” again to describe the burning, gnarly performance of this modal composition of Bill’s. He’s heard here demonstrating his powerful soprano saxophone playing, and there are also great featured spots for the other bandmembers, Kenny, Jimmy Owens, Buster Williams, and Bill’s beloved Wesleyan colleague Ed Blackwell. His subsequent live recording of the tune (from the album that also produced item #9 below) has him on tenor and contains 5 minutes of tenor blowing that establishes definitively that his wonderful solo here is merely the tip of the iceberg.

7 ) “Jazz Caper” from Swedish-American Adventure (1979)

One of the treasures that Bill’s wife Anna helped bring to wider attention is a series of recordings (spanning almost 20 years) that he made in her native Sweden. If you had told me abstractly that I would hear such a performance of one of his tunes and fall in love with it even more than a version with the musicians cited in #6 above . . . well, no matter, because that’s what happened when I first heard this Latin interpretation of his “Jazz Caper” with a super grooving Swedish rhythm section led by the great pianist Lars Sjosten.

8 ) “Variations in Blue” from Variations in Blue (1983)

Blues, bebop, and more experimental sounds are all part of Bill’s core vocabulary, and this angular bebop blues tune is a great example of the convergence of these things, especially with four full choruses of distinct melodies comprising the “head” of the tune. Kenny and Jimmy Owens return, joined here by the effortlessly swinging Ray Drummond and Ben Riley.

9 ) “This One’s for Monk” from Live at Cobi’s (1988)

Another of Anna’s important unearthings is two volumes of live recordings from the NYC jazz club Cobi’s. This infectious tune (initially recorded a year prior on the Next Plateau album) is perhaps the most obvious example of his deep affection for Thelonious Monk’s music. Alongside Ben Riley and bassist Santi Debriano, we get to hear swinging and creative work by Bill and pianist Fred Simmons, his longtime colleague and my predecessor as Wesleyan’s jazz piano instructor.

10 ) “Time Space Motion” from Higher Ground (1989)

Here we go back to Bill’s affection for the cosmic and esoteric on his last record, cut less than a year before his passing. The tune predominantly swings but the mood shifts built in are powerful, particularly in their effective delivery by Kenny, Ben, Rufus Reid, and Eddie Henderson. Bill himself was already declining in health by this point, but you certainly wouldn’t know it to hear his muscular articulation of his creative and soulful ideas.