Kenny Garrett
Kenny Garrett, Grammy Award-winning American post bop jazz saxophonist and flautist has been making a splash in the jazz world since his youth. Being a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra and of Miles Davis's band, he made sure he was going to succeed when it came to Jazz.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, on October 9, 1960, Kenny felt that Jazz sound running through his veins from his father who was a carpenter and played tenor saxophone as a hobby. Growing up and joining Duke Ellington Orchestra and the Miles David Band at the age of 18, it really helped shape his love for instruments and helped him make his solo debut with his first jazz album, Introducing Kenny Garrett, on the Crisscross label in 1984. After this debut, he would be on to experiment his craft on numerous labels such as Atlantic Records and Warner Brothers label through the years 1992-1997. Beginning with Black Hope, in 1992, among his notable 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.
Over the years, Garrett's music has sometimes been heard to exhibit an Asian influence, an aspect which is especially prevalent in his 2006 recording, Beyond the Wall, which has made his music so much more diverse and appealing to the mass audience of Jazz. For the most part, he has made a critically acclaimed solo career; however, most recently he joined a super group of jazz musicians, the Five Peace Band that consists of electric bass and organ. In 2010, The CD "Five Peace Band - Live" won a GRAMMY Award. Also, most recently in May 2011 Kenny Garrett was presented an Honorary Doctorate in Music Degree from Berklee College of Music, Boston, Massachusetts and was also the commencement speaker.
As a composer himself, his full potential may still lie ahead, with more bright moments in the recording studio and on-stage for this talented arranger, composer, musician, and bandleader.
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