Bill Barron | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | William Barron, Jr. |
| Born | March 27, 1927 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US |
| Died | September 21, 1989 (aged 62) Middletown, Connecticut, US |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, educator |
| Instrument(s) | Saxophone, clarinet |
| Formerly of | Ted Curson, Cecil Taylor, Kenny Barron |
William Barron, Jr. (March 27, 1927 – September 21, 1989)[1] was an American jazz tenor and soprano saxophonist.[1]
Barron was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[1] He began studying the piano when he was nine years old and later switched to the saxophone. He toured with the Carolina Cotton Pickers when he was 17.[2] He first appeared on a Cecil Taylor recording in 1959, and he later recorded extensively with Philly Joe Jones and co-led a post-bop quartet with Ted Curson. His younger brother, pianist Kenny Barron, appeared on all of the sessions that the elder Barron led.[1][3] Other musicians he recorded with included Charles Mingus and Ollie Shearer.
Barron also directed a jazz workshop at the Children's Museum in Brooklyn, taught at City College of New York, and became the chairman of the music department at Wesleyan University.[1] He recorded for Savoy, recording that label's last jazz record in 1972,[1] and Muse. The Bill Barron Collection is housed at the Institute of Jazz Studies of the Rutgers University libraries.[4]
Barron died of cancer on September 21, 1989 in Middletown, Connecticut. [1]