Kenny Garrett

Schooled in the jazz traditions and inspired by boundless, post-be bop ambitions, saxophonist Kenny Garrett crafted his own signature sound in the 1980s and '90s and continues to experiment with Asian, Middle Eastern and Turkish music. Born in Detroit, he picked up his saxophone skills from his father who played as a hobby and was mentored by the great trumpet player Marcus Belgrave, before joining the Duke Ellington Orchestra (then run by Duke's son Mercer) at just 17. When the orchestra went to perform on Broadway, he stayed in New York and learned his trade playing with Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw and Art Blakey, until releasing his debut as a band leader in 1984. He also played and recorded three albums with Miles Davis during the last five years of the jazz legend's life, and signed to Atlantic Records for his own breakthrough albums 'Prisoner of Love' and 'African Exchange Student'. Well established in the jazz world, he received wider recognition when he was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1997 for the album 'Songbook' and again in 2006 for 'Beyond The Wall', before finally winning 'Best Instrumental Jazz Album' in 2010 for the live recording 'Five Peace Band'. Known for his raucous, exuberant style of playing, Garrett was influenced by jazz greats like John Coltrane and Dizzy Gillespie but also soaked in the spirit of James Brown and Prince, and has gone on to work with fellow saxophonist Pharaoh Sanders and make fusion records with multi-instrumentalist Marcus Miller.

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