Sounds From the Ancestors

On his 20th album, the saxophonist and his ensemble explore the West African roots in soul, gospel, Afro-Cuban jazz, and more. — AllMusic, August 2021, 4 and a half out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 27th Aug 2021
Catalogue No: MAC1180LP
Label: Mack Avenue

Jazzwise

Editor's Choice

September 2021
AllMusic

Editor's Choice

August 2021
Presto Recording of the Week

3rd September 2021
Presto Recordings of the Year

Finalist 2021

Sounds From the Ancestors

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Recording of the Week, Kenny Garrett, 'Sounds from the Ancestors'

3rd September 2021

An amalgam of modern jazz sensibilities, African diasporic sounds and reverence for the elders, Sounds from the Ancestors is a confident release from the saxophonist who once shared the bandstand with Miles Davis and Art Blakey.

Composer/saxophonist Kenny Garrett emerged as a distinctive voice on the national scene in 1978 with an undisputed aptitude for emotive melodic phrasing that led him to collaborations with Woody Shaw, Freddie Hubbard, Art Blakey and Miles Davis. With Sounds from the Ancestors, Garrett remembers the spirit of the sounds of African ancestors from church services, recited prayers, songs from the work fields, Yoruban chants and African drums, alongside tributes to Roy Hargrove and two drum pioneers - Art Blakey and Tony Allen - who all looked into the past to influence the future sound and evolution of jazz.

Reviews

August 2021

On his 20th album, the saxophonist and his ensemble explore the West African roots in soul, gospel, Afro-Cuban jazz, and more.

September 2021

This is the fifth album by Garrett on Mack Avenue and it's impressive in its lines of input, ranging from Aretha Franklin to Marvin Gaye, from Afro-Cuban jazz to gospel and from R&B to hip hop. These elements tellingly influence each composition's direction of travel.

October 2021

...this is a rare artwork that has a clear conceit yet doesn’t sound contrived. In addition, Garrett succeeds at combining deep, joyous grooves like “When The Days Were Different,” introspective solo piano explorations, and the ecstasy of his freer improvisations without making the album seem like a pastiche of styles.

3rd September 2021

Now on his fifth release with the label, Sounds from the Ancestors pays homage to the sounds of past American jazz greats, much like how Sketches of MD acted as a tribute to his old bandleader Miles Davis, with the added flavours from the music of the African diaspora. In a similar vein to some of the new London sounds, Garrett manages to subtly weave Afro-Cuban rhythms into his modern jazz sound.

Sounds From the Ancestors

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Recording of the Week, Kenny Garrett, 'Sounds from the Ancestors'

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Sounds From the Ancestors

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