Pushing the World Away Kenny Garrett

• 1 A Side Order of Hijiki 03:44
• 2 Hey, Chick 06:05
• 3 Chucho's Mambo 07:46
• 4 Lincoln Center 06:27
• 5 J'ouvert (Homage to Sonny Rollins) 04:55
• 6 That's It 05:00
• 7 I Say a Little Prayer 04:30
• 8 Pushing the World Away 09:12
• 9 Homma San 04:39
• 10 Brother Brown 05:48
• 11 Alpha Man 08:42
• 12 Rotation 05:26
• Total Runtime 01:12:14

Info zu Pushing the World Away

For his third Mack Avenue Records release, Pushing the World Away, alto/soprano saxophonist, composer/bandleader Kenny Garrett literally had to “push away” a steady flow of distractions to get to the inner core of the album, shifting priorities in his schedule and diving deep into the essence of the music.

"On Kenny Garret's third album for Mack Avenue Records he explores many terrains. He uses two different pianists in Vernell Brown and Benito Gonzalez, bassist Corcoran Holt, drummers Marcus Baylor, McClenty Hunter, and Mark Whitfield, Jr., as well as a string quartet on "Brother Brown" (on which Garrett appropriately takes over on piano.) All but one of these 12 tunes offer sophisticated evidence of his own journey through the jazz lineage and his pushing at the margins of post-bop. There is a deep reliance on melody and singing through his horns, even when things get musically complex as they do on the title track in which he explores modal and Eastern musical terrains on his soprano. Quotes from Coltrane's "My Favorite Things" are in his solo, but so are moments of Eastern harmony, underscored by Brown's fat chords, wrangling arpeggios, and open-framed statements. There are also a pair of throaty vocal chants by him and the pianist -- his own Christian, the latter Buddhist -- commingling seamlessly to directly point at the spiritual nature inside the tune. Several other numbers offer overt nods to his forebears, collaborators, and influences. "Hey, Chick," with its Moorish-cum-flamenco vibe, evokes themes that Chick Corea explored potently on My Spanish Heart. "Chucho’s Mambo," with its rumbero and son vibe, is a direct nod to pianist Chucho Valdes and also features trumpeter Ravi Best and percussionist Rudy Bird (in one of several appearances). "J’Ouvert" is subtitled "Homage to Sonny Rollins" and takes its cue from the saxophone colossus' use of calypso rhythms, cadences, and lyric themes. "A Side Order of Hijiki" doesn't refer to the Japanese culinary seaweed of its title, but the manner of his own playing as described by the late Mulgrew Miller. It is a driving post-bop jam, with sharp ostinatos by Gonzalez and a thrumming, furious bassline by Holt. A noticeable surprise is the inclusion of Burt Bacharach's and Hal David's "I Say a Little Prayer for You," with a subtle Latin framework that otherwise follows the arrangement written for Dionne Warwick. This is Garrett at his most songlike, and his most direct attempt on the album at communicating melodically; as in the past, it also reveals the deep, early influence of Junior Walker on his playing. Pushing the World Away is a wildly diverse offering for Garrett. What it doesn't reveal in swing it does in intricacies, shadows, impressive arrangements, and striking musicianship." (Thom Jurek, AMG)

Kenny Garrett, alto saxophone (tracks 1–7, 9, 11, 12), soprano saxophone (track 8), chant (track 8), piano (track 10), arranger
Donald Brown, arranger (track 9)
Benito Gonzalez, piano (tracks 1–3, 5–7, 9, 12)
Corcoran Holt, bass
Marcus Baylor, drums (tracks 1–3, 5, 6, 9, 12)
Rudy Bird, percussion (tracks 3, 5–7, 9), cymbals and gong (track 8)
Ravi Best, trumpet (track 3)
Vernell Brown, piano (tracks 4, 8, 11, 12), chant (track 8)
McClenty Hunter, drums (tracks 4, 7, 10, 12), vocals (track 6)
Mark Whitfield Jr., drums (tracks 8, 11, 12)
Jean Baylor, vocals (track 9)
Carolin Pook, violin (track 10)
Brian Sanders, cello (track 10)
Jen Herman, viola (track 10)
Misha Tarasov, string arrangement (track 10)

Kenny Garrett
Over the course of a stellar career that has spanned more than 30 years, saxophonist Kenny Garrett has become the preeminent alto saxophonist of his generation. From his first gig with the Duke Ellington Orchestra (led by Mercer Ellington) through his time spent with musicians such as Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw, Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers and Miles Davis, Garrett has always brought a vigorous yet melodic, and truly distinctive, alto saxophone sound to each musical situation. As a bandleader for the last two decades, he has also continually grown as a composer. With his latest recording (and second for Mack Avenue Records), Seeds From The Underground, Garrett has given notice that these qualities have not only become more impressive, but have provided him with the platform to expand his horizons and communicate his musical vision clearly. Seeds From The Underground is a powerful return to the straight-ahead, acoustic and propulsive quartet format that showcases Garrett’s extraordinary abilities.

For Garrett, Seeds From The Underground is a special recording. It once again consists of all original compositions, and is truly an homage to those who have inspired and influenced him, both personally and musically. “All of these songs are dedicated to someone,” says Garrett. “And the ‘seeds’ have been planted, directly or indirectly, by people who have been instrumental in my development.”

With Seeds From The Underground Garrett has crafted a project that offers his appreciation while always making the listener aware of his band’s skillful approach to melody, harmony and rhythm. From personal nods such as the opening track “Boogety Boogety,” dedicated to his memory of watching western films with his father (the title refers to the sound of a galloping horse); “Wiggins,” which references his high school band director Bill Wiggins; and “Detroit,” an evocative, reflective composition about his hometown, and a celebration of mentor Marcus Belgrave; to his appreciation of some of his musical heroes on “J Mac” (Jackie McLean); “Haynes Here” (Roy Haynes); and “Do Wo Mo” (Duke Ellington, Woody Shaw and Thelonious Monk).

Melody, as a matter of fact, was a key element for the saxophonist when writing for the recording. “I wanted to focus on the melody,” Garrett reflects. “I want people to remember what the melody is before we start improvising…and on some songs I heard voices, the singing of the melody.” This latter point is in evidence on the selections “Haynes Here,” “Detroit” and “Welcome Earth Song.”

Another notable component compositionally for Garrett on Seeds From The Underground is his approach to rhythm and meter. Over the past few years, one of the most popular and acclaimed groups that he has been a part of is the GRAMMY® award winning Five Peace Band, joining guitarist John McLaughlin, pianist Chick Corea, bassist Christian McBride, and drummers Vinnie Colaiuta and Brian Blade. His participation in that band led him to experiment with writing in different meters. “Some of these songs are in odd meters; in my experience with John, we played some songs in odd meters, so I thought, this is a different way of writing songs,” Garrett states. “So there is some of that approach here.” ....

Dieses Album enthält kein Booklet