One of the most influential masters of contemporary jazz – saxophonist and composer Kenny Garrett – returns to Lithuania after a long break. On the evening of 19 July, in the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, he promises to create a small miracle – to bring rich jazz music pulsating with the spirit of different generations and epochs.
The musician has many fans worldwide and is especially loved and welcomed in Lithuania. Here, Kenny Garrett’s concerts are greeted with ovations from the audience.
It is said that the instrument sounds rich, even muscular on his lips. “I would describe Kenny’s tone as thick and wide. It has irritability, but it’s not ear-splitting. Unlike many classical alto saxophonists, his sound is not sweet. Rather, it is bittersweet – spicy and slightly acidic. Reminiscent of a good Belgian beer…”, writes the International Saxophone Forum.
In his latest album, “Sounds From The Ancestors” (2021), he composed fragments of jazz, R&B, and Detroit gospel songs from his childhood. “It’s soul-lifting music inspired by people like John Coltrane, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, as well as church music; I hear the spirit of my ancestors in it,” says Kenny Garrett. He has contributed to dozens of albums as a composer, performer, and arranger during his career.
Born in Detroit in 1960, he rose to fame playing in the Duke Ellington Orchestra and the Miles Davis Band, being only 18 years old. He has spent part of his creative life in New York studios and on stages, where he has played with iconic artists such as Freddie Hubbard, Dannie Richmond, Woody Shaw, and many more.
Kenny Garrett has been nominated for no less than 8 Grammy Awards in his nearly four-decade career as a solo virtuoso and bandleader. He has won a statue for Best Instrumental Jazz Album (“Pushing the World Away”, 2013).
His melodic music, which reminds Coltrane’s works, is easy to listen to and has a depth that opens up wonderful sonic sensations, making you want to enjoy to his works again and again.
