Kenny Garrett in New York

Kenny Garrett is an American jazz saxophonist and composer, born in Detroit in 1960. Known principally for his alto saxophone playing, he has recorded albums including Pursuance: The Music of John Coltrane, Songbook, Seeds from the Underground and Sounds from the Ancestors; “Sing a Song of Song” and “Happy People” are among his signature compositions. In 1978, he joined the Duke Ellington Orchestra under Mercer Ellington and toured with the ensemble. He later worked in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers before joining Miles Davis’s band in 1987, where he remained for five years. He subsequently took his own groups into jazz clubs, theatres and festivals. His work as a bandleader has reached Jazz à Vienne in France and the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam.