Kenny Garrett: Sounds From The Ancestors

Kenny Garrett's Jazz career was grounded right out of the gate with early turns accompanying such legends as Miles, Art Blakey, Freddie Hubbard, and Woody Shaw, before starting out on a solo career that has seen 17 albums and countless tours since the mid 1980s. He has explored Jazz interpretations of many styles of music over the years, and on his current release on Mack Avenue, Sounds From The Ancestors, Garrett digs in deep to the music of West Africa, Cuba, Guadaloupe, and Nigeria. Garrett plays alto saxophone and electric piano on the record, which features his core group of Vernell Jones Jr. on keyboards, Corcoran Holt on bass, Ronald Bruner Jr. and Percussionist Rudy Bird. Garrett also enlists additional guest percussionists and vocalists to create a wide ranging series of tastes for your Jazz palate. I'm enjoying the whole record, but probably my favorite is the most melodic and straight ahead of the cuts, called Hargrove in remembrance of Roy Hargrove's vital Jazz sound, tragically cut short by his death at age 49 in 2018. This cut is as joyous as that news was devastating. I'll feature Hargrove from Sounds From The Ancestors Sunday night on Mainstream and Modern, 8pm until 11pm exclusively on Atlanta's Jazz Station 91.9 WCLK.