The 12th Annual Central Brooklyn Jazz Festival welcomes the return to Brooklyn of jazz great, tenor saxophonist Carlos Garnett. The Carlos Garnett Quintet will perform at the Gala Concert on Saturday, April 2, 2011 in Boys And Girls High School Auditorium, 1700 Fulton St. in the Bedford Stuyvesant section.
Doors open at 6:00 p.m. with the opening performance by Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium All Stars beginning at 7:00 p.m. All ticket holders are welcome to attend an on site post concert reception with the artists and CBJC’s newly elected chairman Clarence Mosley, Jr.
Garnett grew up in Panama, came to America in 1962, and moved directly to Brooklyn. Soon after he became a regular performer at Brooklyn’s Baby Grand club. He joined the Freddie Hubbard Quintet from 1968-69 with fellow Brooklynites Kenny Barron and Louis Hayes.
Later Brooklyn resident Art Blakey gave Garnett the saxophone position with the Jazz Messengers. He was an integral part of Miles Davis’ sound from 1972-74 while recording, touring and doing venue performances with the jazz legend. Carlos was now a first call musician in the jazz world. The demand for his sound and style of playing, encouraged club owners at Birdland, Blue Note, The Five Spot, and The Village Vanguard to hire the soulful, Coltranish sax man.
Carlos did not forget his adopted hometown and was a mainstay in the late 1970s at Brooklyn’s jazz shrine The East with his band Universal Black Force. The members included Norman Connors, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Olu Dara, Kiane Zawadi, Alex Blake, Allan Onaje Gumbs, and others.
After a spiritual hiatus in the ‘80s Garnett returned to the stage in the ‘90s and helped establish Brooklyn’s Up Over Jazz Cafe as a respected music venue. He has performed and recorded with jazz giants such as Charles Mingus, Herbie Hancock, Mario Bauza, Roy Haynes, Jack McDuff, and Pharaoh Sanders just to name some.
This concert with tenor sax player Garnett includes Carlton Holmes (piano), Brad Jones (bass), Taru Alexander (drum), and Charles Pulliam (percussion). The heavy swinging Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium All Stars will open the show with Carolyn Harding (vocals), Dwayne Eubanks (trumpet), Craig Harris (trombone), Richard Cummings (piano), Stanley Banks (bass), George Grey (drums), Sabor (percussion), and band leader Jeff King (tenor saxophone).
This year the 12th Annual Central Brooklyn Jazz Festival-It’s All Jazz will run from April 1 – 30. Presented by the Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium at venues from Coney Island to Williamsburg in Brooklyn.
The festival offers more than 30 events on 23 days with nearly 100 artists performing in clubs, community organizations,colleges, faith based, and cultural institutions throughout the borough. New York City’s longest continually running grass roots festival dedicated to Jazz, will feature internationally known and home grown artists. Brooklyn Jazz has a rich past and its legacy is celebrated every April, nationally known as Jazz Appreciation Month. For more festival information go to www.cbjcjazz.org
Founded in 1999, the Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium is an amalgam of patrons, entertainment venues, musicians, faith based institutions, and community organizations.
Over the past 11 years CBJC has presented an annual spring festival, established a Brooklyn Jazz Hall of Fame & Museum, and produced yearly programs that feature local jazz talent. CBJC is a nonprofit corporation committed to preserving, promoting and supporting live music within the under served communities of Brooklyn.
