Kenny Garrett: Sounds from the Ancestors

One of modern jazz’s most influential living masters recently released an album titled Sounds from the Ancestors. “The concept initially was about trying to get some of the musical sounds that I remembered as a kid growing up – sounds that lift your spirit from people like John Coltrane, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, and the spiritual side of the church,” says Garrett. “When I started to think about them, I realised it was the spirit from my ancestors.”

The result is clearly based in the rich jazz, R&B, and gospel history of his hometown of Detroit, but also reflects a modern cosmopolitan vibe – notably music from France, Cuba, Nigeria and Guadeloupe. Miles Davis’ On The Corner is cited as an influence, but mostly for its inventive approach towards extending the jazz vocabulary; Garrett is offering music that is much more melodic and sits comfortably within the modern jazz tradition.

Should be a good evening.