Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Kenny Garrett: Sketches of MD: Live At The Iridium

458

Kenny Garrett: Sketches of MD: Live At The Iridium

By

Sign in to view read count
Kenny Garrett: Sketches of MD: Live At The Iridium
Alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett gives listeners a kaleidoscopic view of his music in this fun live recording. A post-bop saxophonist who performed with Miles Davis during the trumpeter's later fusion/funk years, Garrett has since gone on to make his own name as one of the fiercest players around. In spite of what labels/critics may have desired, he's paving his own multi-colored-brick road. This has included African Exchange Student (Atlantic, 1990), the contemporary jazz friendly Happy People (Warner Brothers, 2002), and Beyond the Wall (Nonesuch, 2006), inspired by a trip to China.

This debut on Mack Avenue was recorded live at New York's Iridium jazz club with Garrett, a top notch quartet (Benito Gonzales (piano), Nat Reeves (bass), Jamire Williams (drums) and special guest, tenor sax patriarch Pharaoh Sanders. While a more relaxed tone is heard here, compared to Garrett's burning playing on Jeff "Tain" Watts' Detained at the Blue Note (Half Note Records, 2004), Garrett's flame still burns hot, albeit more congenially on this date for an appreciative audience.

The many sides of Garrett are on display. A Coltrane-convert, heard on "The Ring" with its familiar modality and spiritualism. Some inspiration from African American church music on "Intro to Africa" where a simple repeating phrase contains its own undeniable spirit (Benito Gonzales' organ/piano playing and Sanders' hymn-like moans) that resonates deep within the marrow or more simply stated, "music that can be felt down to the bone."

A modern day Soul Brother surfaces on the title track complete with synthesizers and electronics as the crowd gets into the simple laid back groove, a nod to Herbie Hancock and Grover Washington's tunes of the 1970s. Regardless of the deep cerebral bend of some jazz music, Garrett and the group knows how to please a crowd as proven on "Wayne's Thing" and "Happy People." The latter creates a party atmosphere with hip danceable music, hand claps, and audience involvement that sums up the title's sentiments—happy people responding to engaging music.

Track Listing

The Ring; Intro To Africa; Sketches Of MD; Wayne's Thang; Happy People.

Personnel

Kenny Garrett
saxophone, alto

Kenny Garrett: alto saxophone; Benito Gonzales: piano; Nat Reeves: bass; Jamire Williams: drums; Pharaoh Sanders: tenor saxophone.

Album information

Title: Sketches of MD: Live At The Iridium | Year Released: 2008 | Record Label: Mack Avenue Records

Comments

Tags

Concerts


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.