Sad to say, I never previously caught up with this debut solo album, even in a previous CD edition. Compared to his playing on the recent duo with Dave Holland (The Art of Conversation, see Jazzwise 192), this is Barron full of youthful vigour and fire, plus a phenomenal accuracy at speed that makes you gulp in admiration. The repertoire is excellent too, including one by Strayhorn (‘Star Crossed Lovers’) and two obvious but not hackneyed Monks, while one of the pianist’s originals is a lightning-fast tribute to Powell called ‘Bud-Like’. If the two D-flat ballads are a shade less compelling, the decoration a la Tatum occasionally sounding on the superficial side, nevertheless their forward momentum is unquestionable, while the CD bonus of a blues in G brings out a very traditional side of Barron. Even those who think of him as a known quantity are liable to find this more impressive than they thought.