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Kenny Garrett

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Kenny Garrett
Background information
Born (1960-10-09) October 9, 1960 (age 64)
Detroit, Michigan, United States
GenresJazz, post-bop, jazz fusion
Occupationssaxophonist, bandleader, flutist
Instrumentsalto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute
Years active1978–present
LabelsAtlantic, Warner Bros, Mack Avenue, Criss Cross Jazz
WebsiteOfficial site

Kenny Garrett (born October 9, 1960)[1] is a Grammy Award-winning American post-bop jazz saxophonist and flautist who gained fame in his youth as a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra and of Miles Davis's band. He has since pursued a successful solo career and has been described as "The most important alto saxophonist of his generation" by the Washington City Paper[2] and "One of the most admired alto saxophonists in jazz after Charlie Parker" by The New York Times.[3]

Biography

Kenny Garrett was born in Detroit, Michigan, on October 9, 1960; he is a 1978 graduate of Mackenzie High School. His father was a carpenter who played tenor saxophone as a hobby. Garrett's own career as a saxophonist took off when he joined the Duke Ellington Orchestra in 1978,[4] then led by Duke's son, Mercer Ellington. Three years later he played in the Mel Lewis Orchestra, playing the music of Thad Jones, and also the Dannie Richmond Quartet, focusing on Charles Mingus's music.

In 1984, he recorded his first album as a bandleader, Introducing Kenny Garrett, on the CrissCross label. He then recorded two albums with Atlantic Records: Prisoner of Love and African Exchange Student. Garrett signed to the Warner Bros. Records label, and beginning with Black Hope, in 1992,[4] he has continued to record with them. Among his recordings on Warner Bros. are Pursuance: The Music of John Coltrane, recorded in 1996, and Songbook, his first album made up entirely of his own compositions, recorded in 1997 and nominated for a Grammy Award. During his career, Garrett has performed and recorded with many jazz greats such as Miles Davis, Art Blakey, Joe Henderson, Brad Mehldau, Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw, McCoy Tyner, Pharoah Sanders, Brian Blade, Marcus Miller, Chick Corea, John McLaughlin, Herbie Hancock, Bobby Hutcherson, Ron Carter, Elvin Jones, and Mulgrew Miller. Garrett's music sometimes exhibits Asian influences, an aspect which is especially prevalent in his 2006 Grammy-nominated recording, Beyond the Wall.[5]

While Garrett is best known in many circles for the five years he spent playing with Miles Davis during Davis's electric period, he states that he has become accustomed to the association:

"I was in Miles' band for about five years. I think that tag will always be there. That is five years of my life. That's the only musical situation that I was there longer than a year. It was a good five years. I have gotten used to that. Some people became aware of me through Miles and then they would come to my concerts. I think that is part of my history and I am proud of that. I am still trying to carve out my own name and my own music. I just look at it as a part of history and it is going to be there. Every time they mention Kenny Garrett, there will probably be some association with Miles Davis, but at the same time, when they mention Herbie Hancock, they always mention Miles Davis, or Wayne Shorter. You get used to it after a while." (allaboutjazz.com)

Christian McBride, John McLaughlin, Vinnie Colaiuta and Kenny Garrett Photo: Pierre Corbucci

Garrett's live album Sketches of MD: Live at the Iridium, featuring Pharoah Sanders, was released on September 23, 2008. On his website, KennyGarrett.com, he stated that his current band at the time consisted of electric bass and organ.

Garrett performed in a world tour in 2008–2009 with Corea, McLaughlin, Christian McBride and Blade/Vinnie Colaiuta as the "Five Peace Band". The CD Five Peace Band – Live won a Grammy Award on January 31, 2010.[6]

On May 7, 2011, Garrett was presented with an Honorary Doctorate in Music from Berklee College of Music, Boston, Massachusetts. Garrett was the Commencement Speaker.[7] There were 908 graduates – the largest graduating class in Berklee history. The commencement ceremony took place at the Agganis Arena (Boston University). Four thousand people attended.

On October 15, 2012, Garrett received a Soul Train Award nomination for his 2012 studio album Seeds from the Underground in the Best Traditional Jazz Artist/Group category.[8] On December 5, 2012, two Grammy nominations for Seeds from the Underground followed in the Best Jazz Instrumental Album and Best Improvised Jazz Solo categories.[9] On December 11, 2012, Seeds From The Underground received a NAACP Image Award nomination in the Outstanding Jazz Album category.[10] On April 5, 2013, Mack Avenue Records announced that Garrett won an Echo Award in the Saxophonist of the Year category.[11]

On September 17, 2013, Garrett released his second studio album for Mack Avenue Records, Pushing the World Away. The album received a Grammy nomination in the Best Jazz Instrumental Album category[12] in December of the same year. Garrett also won the 2013 DownBeat Readers Poll for the second consecutive year, which brought his total number of wins in the Alto Saxophone category to 8.

Garrett plays a mouthpiece by Fred Rast.[13]

Discography

As leader

  • Introducing Kenny Garrett, 1984 (Criss Cross)
  • 5 Paddle Wheel, 1988
  • Prisoner of Love, 1989 (Atlantic)
  • African Exchange Student, 1990 (Atlantic)
  • Black Hope, 1992 (Warner Bros.)
  • Triology, 1995 (Warner Bros.)
  • Stars & Stripes Live, 1995
  • Pursuance: The Music of John Coltrane, 1996 (Warner Bros.)
  • Songbook, 1997 (Warner Bros.) — GRAMMY Nomination
  • Simply Said, 1999 (Warner Bros.)
  • Old Folks, 2001
  • Birds of a Feather: A Tribute to Charlie Parker, 2001
  • Happy People, 2002 (Warner Bros.)
  • Standard of Language, 2003 (Warner Bros.)
  • Beyond the Wall, 2006 (Nonesuch) — GRAMMY Nomination
  • Sketches of MD – Live at the Iridium, 2008 (Mack Avenue)
  • Seeds from the Underground, 2012 (Mack Avenue) — 2 GRAMMY Nominations
  • Pushing the World Away, 2013 (Mack Avenue) - 1 GRAMMY Nomination

As sideman

With Geri Allen

With Art Blakey

With Miles Davis

With Marcus Miller

With Woody Shaw

With Mulgrew Miller

  • Hand in Hand (1993)

With other artists (selected)

Awards and nominations

Year Result Award Category Work
1996 Won DownBeat Readers Poll Alto Saxophone[14]
1997 Won DownBeat Readers Poll Alto Saxophone[15]
1997 Won DownBeat Readers Poll Jazz Album of the Year[15] Pursuance: The Music of John Coltrane
1997 Nominated Grammy Award Best Jazz Instrumental Performance[16] Songbook
1998 Won DownBeat Readers Poll Alto Saxophone[17]
1999 Won DownBeat Readers Poll Alto Saxophone[18]
2006 Nominated Grammy Award Best Jazz Instrumental Album[19] Beyond the Wall
2009 Won DownBeat Readers Poll Alto Saxophone[20]
2010 Won DownBeat Readers Poll Alto Saxophone[21]
2010 Won Grammy Award Best Jazz Instrumental Album Five Peace Band - Live
2012 Nominated Grammy Award Best Jazz Instrumental Album Seeds from the Underground
2012 Nominated Grammy Award Best Improvised Jazz Solo "J. Mac"
2012 Nominated NAACP Image Award Outstanding Jazz Album Seeds from the Underground
2012 Nominated Soul Train Award Best Traditional Jazz Artist/Group Seeds from the Underground
2012 Nominated Jazz Awards Alto Saxophonist of the Year
2012 Won Echo Award Saxophonist of the Year[22]
2012 Won DownBeat Readers Poll Alto Saxophone[23]
2013 Won DownBeat Readers Poll Alto Saxophone[24]
2013 Nominated Grammy Award Best Jazz Instrumental Album Pushing the World Away

Chart positions

Chart Peak
position 		Work
Billboard Top Jazz Albums (1989)[25] 20 Prisoner of Love
Billboard Top Jazz Albums (1990)[26] 5 African Exchange Student
Billboard Top Jazz Albums (1992)[27] 6 Black Hope
Billboard Top Jazz Albums (1995)[28] 22 Triology
Billboard Top Jazz Albums (1996)[29] 10 Pursuance: The Music of John Coltrane
Billboard Top Jazz Albums (1997)[30] 7 Songbook
Billboard Top Jazz Albums (1999)[31] 20 Simply Said
Billboard Top Jazz Albums (2002)[32] 19 Happy People
Billboard Top Jazz Albums (2003)[33] 11 Standard of Language
Billboard Top Jazz Albums (2006)[34] 13 Beyond the Wall
Billboard Top Jazz Albums (2008)[35] 11 Sketches of MD
Billboard Top Jazz Albums (2012)[36] 10 Seeds from the Underground
Billboard Top Jazz Albums (2013)[37] 6 Pushing the World Away

References

  1. ^ Gilbert, Mark; Kennedy, Gary (2002). "Garrett, Kenny". In Barry Kernfeld (ed.). The new Grove dictionary of jazz, vol. 2 (2nd ed.). New York: Grove's Dictionaries Inc. pp. 16–17. ISBN 1-56159-284-6.
  2. ^ "Kenny Garrett, Washington City Paper, May. 31, 2012".
  3. ^ "Kenny Garrett, New York Times, August 25, 2013".
  4. ^ a b Skelly, Richard. "Kenny Garrett: Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-03-21.
  5. ^ "Kenny Garrett 2006 Grammy Award Nomination".
  6. ^ "Kenny Garrett 2009 Grammy Award".
  7. ^ "Kenny Garrett Honorary Doctorate/Commencement Speech at Berklee".
  8. ^ "Kenny Garrett Soul Train Award Nomination".
  9. ^ "Kenny Garrett 2012 Grammy Award Nomination".
  10. ^ "Kenny Garrett NAACP Image Award Nomination" (PDF).
  11. ^ "Kenny Garrett Echo Award Win".
  12. ^ "Kenny Garrett 2013 Grammy Award Nomination".
  13. ^ Rast, Fred. "Biography". Rast Music.
  14. ^ "Kenny Garrett 1996 DownBeat Readers Poll Win".
  15. ^ a b "Kenny Garrett 1997 DownBeat Readers Poll Win".
  16. ^ "Kenny Garrett 1997 Grammy Nomination".
  17. ^ "Kenny Garrett 1998 DownBeat Readers Poll Win".
  18. ^ "Kenny Garrett 1999 DownBeat Readers Poll Win".
  19. ^ "Kenny Garrett 2006 Grammy Nomination".
  20. ^ "Kenny Garrett 2009 DownBeat Readers Poll Win".
  21. ^ "Kenny Garrett 2010 DownBeat Readers Poll Win".
  22. ^ "Kenny Garrett Jazz Award Nomination".
  23. ^ "Kenny Garrett 2012 DownBeat Readers Poll Win".
  24. ^ "Kenny Garrett 2013 DownBeat Readers Poll Win".
  25. ^ "Billboard Jazz Albums, 1989". Billboard Magazine. 1989. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  26. ^ "Billboard Jazz Albums, 1990". Billboard Magazine. 1990. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  27. ^ "Billboard Jazz Albums, 1992". Billboard Magazine. 1992. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  28. ^ "Billboard Jazz Albums, 1995". Billboard Magazine. 1995. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  29. ^ "Billboard Jazz Albums, 1996". Billboard Magazine. 1996. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  30. ^ "Billboard Jazz Albums, 1997". Billboard Magazine. 1997. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  31. ^ "Billboard Jazz Albums, 1999". Billboard Magazine. 1999. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  32. ^ "Billboard Jazz Albums, 2002". Billboard Magazine. 2002. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  33. ^ "Billboard Jazz Albums, 2003". Billboard Magazine. 2003. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  34. ^ "Billboard Jazz Albums, 2006". Billboard Magazine. 2006. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  35. ^ "Billboard Jazz Albums, 2008". Billboard Magazine. 2008. Retrieved November 7, 2013.
  36. ^ "Billboard Jazz Albums, June 25, 2012". Billboard.com. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  37. ^ "Billboard Jazz Albums, October 5, 2013". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
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