CiTR

These two extremely fine players like our Jazz feature artists for the month of March and again into April seemed to operate under the radar. Many devoted Jazz people are unaware of many of these very talented and near-great players. Tenor saxophonist Bill Barron and trumpeter Ted Curson were from Philadelphia and they had been playing together since their teen years. In the early 1960s, they decided to form a working group and did a fine series of albums for various labels. One of their finest was this one called "Now Hear This!" The quintet members along with Barron and Curson were Barron's younger brother, Kenny Barron on piano. Ronnie Boykins was the bassist and the fiery Dick Berk was on drums. This fine album on one of their finest statements. Three tunes by Bill Barron and two by Ted Curson and three rarely played standards make up this 1962 date. Curson went on to a fine career mostly in Europe and Barron became a professor of music in various colleges. They both never stopped playing until their deaths. Barron lived to only 62 and Curson lived until 77. Now Hear This! is a fine document of these two leaders and worth your ears and time.