Miami-based tenor player Arthur Barron and piano ace Hilton Ruiz dance along the avant edge on this cooking live jazz recording. Barron and Ruiz, who have been creative partners on a number of recordings, really get a chance to stretch out on the four long numbers. Standouts include “It’s Strange,” a crackling blues penned by Barron and the title track “Footprints,” a powerful version of Wayne Shorter’s jazz classic.
Arthur Barron is an accomplished saxophonist and flutist with a sound of his own, known for his intensely passionate playing and eclectic flair for styles. He is a seasoned musician who has performed and recorded with an array of stellar jazz and Latin jazz artists in a career that has spanned over three decades of eventful music. Barron has played with Hilton Ruiz, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Mike Gerber, Delmar Brown, Dave Liebman, Melton Mustafa, Mac Gollehon, Mario Riviera, Jerry Gonzalez, Steve Berrios, Carlos “Patato” Valdez and Mongo Santamaria, among others. His main recordings to date have been Impressions with the Afro Blue Band on Milestone Records, along with Arthur Barron and Hilton Ruiz From The Archives, and his own Soul Messenger and Late Nite Time on the Dragon Rose Records label.
Hilton Ruiz is considered to be one of the greatest pianists in Latin and Straight Ahead jazz. He has played with Freddie Hubbard, Pharoah Sanders, George Coleman, Joe Henderson, Frank Foster, Clark Terry, Charles Mingus, Betty Carter and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Ruiz has mostly led his own groups since the early 80’s and has recorded prolifically throughout his career. His compositions appear on the soundtracks of the academy award winning “American Beauty” and Woody Allen’s, “Crimes and Misdemeanors.” Ruiz was awarded the Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition for outstanding and invaluable service to the music community.
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