I’m super excited to attend a concert by a jazz giant, pianist Kenny Barron, at the historic Dunbar Hotel on Central Avenue in L.A.
Th
e event is being staged by the Da Camera Society’s “Music in Historic Places” run by the Society since 1980 – a series of concerts matching world-class ensembles with historically and architecturally significant buildings.
From the 1920’s to the mid-50s, Central Avenue served as the heart of the African-American community in Los Angeles. Join us for a tribute to Central Avenue’s Golden Age of Jazz in the lobby that once hosted Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington.
Barron, 69, is an acclaimed jazz musician. He began studying classical piano, age 12; played with Philly Joe Jones’ band, 1959, and with Yusef Lateef, 1960; moved to New York City where he performed on his brother’s album, 1961; performed with Dizzy Gillespie, 1962-66; Stanley Turrentine, 1966; Freddie Hubbard 1967-70; Yusef Lateef, 1971-75; and Ron Carter, 1976-80; cofounded Thelonius Monk tribute band Sphere, 1980; performed with Stan Getz, 1986-91; released duet CD with Getz, People Time, 1991; led trios and quintets, performed solos and in duets with Charlie Haden and Regina Carter throughout the 1990s; cofounded Joken Records, 1998; was also an instructor at Rutgers University, New Jersey, 1973-99, and at the Manhattan School of Music. Read more.
In 1974, the Dunbar was designated as a Historic-Cultural Landmark (no. 131) by the city’s Cultural Heritage Commission. The plaque called the hotel “an edifice dedicated to the memory and dignity of black achievement.” It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
Kenny Baron at the Dunbar Hotel | April 13, 2 pm, 4 pm