Carlos Garnett

Carlos Garnett is a Panamanian-American jazz saxophonist.

He grew up in Panama, and started playing tenor saxophone in 1957. Early on, he performed calypso and Latin music. In 1962, Garnett moved to New York, working with rock groups and struggling a bit, but listening closely to free jazz saxophonists. He gained some recognition for his work with Freddie Hubbard (1968-1969), Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers (1969-1970), and Charles Mingus, and had an important stint with Miles Davis in 1972. Garnett also worked with Jack McDuff, Andrew Hill, Gary Bartz, and Norman Connors during the era and recorded five albums of his own for Muse during 1974-1977 that ranged from exploratory music to modest attempts at commercialism.

Carlos Garnett was musically inactive during much of the 1980s, and largely seemed to disappear from jazz, but started a comeback in 1991. In 1996, he made one of his finest albums ("Fuego en Mi Alma", for the HighNote label) in a style little changed since the '70s. Some of his most notable appearances include playing tenor saxophone and soprano sax with Norman Connors, Herbie Hancock, and DeeDee Bridgewater on the recording "Love From The Sun" where his improvisations were consistently incisive and daring. His also appeared on his own recording called "Black Love" again playing tenor sax and soprano sax. Another notable appearance is as the only soloist with a hard driving latin group on tenor sax, showing his Coltrane influences, on the recording called "Early Trane-The John Coltrane Songbook" playing an outstanding version of "Giant Steps". Other outstanding Garnett recordings are "Let This Melody Ring On", "Under Nubian Skies", and "Moon Shadow". He sometimes works in Panama on that particular jazz scene, appearing in clubs and at jazz festivals..