Search - Kenny Garrett :: Beyond the Wall

Beyond the Wall

Matthew Miller | New York, New York | 08/31/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have been a fan of Kenny Garrett for a while now, but he has come to a new high. "Beyond the Wall" is an amazing new albulm which demonstrates the a new muscial sense that i had not seen in Garrett before. That is not to say that he didnt have musical sense in his earlier albulms, he certainly did, but this is something newer to him: a larger band orchestrating more complex music, which is at times sweet and others harsh. A perfect blend.



The central group (i say central because there are numerous extra musicians that vary from track to track) consists of Kenny (of course), jazz legend Pharaoh Sanders on tenor saxophone, Mulgrew Miller on piano, Robert Hurst on bass, Brian Blade on drums and Bobby hutcherson on vibes. Even without the extra musicians I mentioned, this already a larger group than he tends to work with (if past albulms are anything to judge by) and it couldnt suit him better. Sanders, who I know best for his work with the "new" Coltrane Quartet, ive never really liked; his work always seems brash and lacking melodic sense. He is not like that here. Both he and Kenny share a keen sense of solo and harmony, in a few places improving at the same time. On this Albulm Sanders is a perfect complement to Garrett. This albulm is dedicated to my personal idol, McCoy Tyner, and this dedication is apparent Miller's piano. While few can rival Tyner's distinct, inventive playing, Miller clearly has taken a lot from him, and produces some excellent solo work. Both Brian Blade (drums) and Bobby Hutcherson (vibes) i have liked in the past, and i can only say they live up to their past work. Robert Hurst (bass), however, i havent payed much attention to in the past, and i was pleasantly surprised when i started listening. The first comparative person i thought of was Jimmy Garrison (A piller, along with Tyner and Elvin jones, of the classic Coltrane Quartet).



The music is varied and interesting. Garret conceived this Albulm after a trip to China (hence the Great wall of China being on the cover) which gave him an asian inspiration to work with. Dont misunderstand though, this is certainly a work of jazz, not of traditional Chinese music; the influence is not necessarily apparent on every track. In some tracks whatever asian influence is not necessarily readily apparent, whereas in others it is. This leads to an albulm that doesnt sound the same from track to track. It reamins fresh and innovative from start to finish, with some help from a number of extra musicians on a few songs. Garrett even brought in a traditional instrument on one song.



With such influence and excellent musicians to back him, Kenny succeeds in making every song interesting in its own right, even if the song is eleven minutes long, it does not get boring, an issue that ive seen in many jazz musicians. Well orchestrated heads lead into well improved solos which lead into well orchestrated codas, it all flows so well. It Culminates in the last track, "May Peace Be Upon Them", which is just Kenny and the Rythm section. Here Garrett best demonstrates what a musician he is; It is a beautiful and powerful testament to his inspiration.



I decided to buy this albulm because i liked much of Garrets previous work, and i can say that i am more than happy that i got it. I finish this review only a few hours after having bought it, impressed enough to listen through it a few times and write review, in the hope that i might impress upon you the quality of this cd. If you are a fan of Garrett, this is a must have."

Excellent mixed Bag

M. Murphy | birmingham, alabama United States | 09/27/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As a big fan of Garrett I looked forward to Kenny's latest after the excellent cd Standard of Language. What I got was a very excellent spiritual[think Love Supreme like]group of tunes in addition to a couple of annoying chant songs. Garrett plays wonderfully[as always] and is surrounded by the best supporting cast he's ever assembled. Mulgrew Miller on piano is wonderful and Pharoah Sanders is restrained in a good way. The real problem becomes the voices. As either backround harmonizing or outright "chanting" they don't work. I appreciate Kenny's recent spiritual awakening inspired by his trip to China. In fact both Calling[the opener] and May Peace Be Upon Them are darn near "Train-like". Five stars without the vocal Four stars with. But at over 70 minutes there's alot to like. Plus it's Kenny after all. Bold and an "almost classic"."

The Ghost of Coltrane walks all through here.

Louis Alemayehu | Minneapolis/Saint Paul, MN USA | 09/20/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Magical, holy, tears-of-joy sacred music here with bottom and soul to spare. At first listen, I felt like I was in some kind of time wharp. There is a classic Blue Note Records aura about this music, like Coltrane's Bluetrane blew in the night of 1957, heralding the black fire of the 1960's: soul jazz, hard bop, post bop, modal jazz, free jazz, the context of the world that unfolded and beyond.



The best of it had a central message that was deeply spiritual, beyond catagory, articulating that music was "the healing force of the universe" and illuminated the unity of all things for all ears to hear, all hearts to see. Yusef Lateef, Don Cherry, Gato Barbieri, Abdullah Ibrahim along with Coltrane and others, brought in instruments, rhythms and themes from the world's cultures and demonstated how it could and did "all fit together" harmoniously. Somehow in the music the "Holy Land beomes all the Earth" energzied, alive, vivid, singing, swinging, and full of wonder. Somehow rage is transformed into a vulnerable yearning for life still ...somehow indestructable reaching for the sun!



This music makes me feel hopeful.



Kenny Garrett has pulled together an incredible circle of musicians, masterful all! Pharoah Sanders, Bobboy Hutcherson, Mulgrew Miller, Ruggerio Boccato, Nedelka Echols, Brian Blade, Robert Hurst and an occassional host of singers.



Holy Ghost showed up and showed out!!"