Carlos Garnett

Panamanian American jazz tenor saxophonist, flutist, composer, arranger and singer. Born on December 1, 1938 in Red Tank, Panama Canal Zone. Died on March 3, 2023.

While in Panama, he was very influenced by Panamanian latin music and jazz scene as well as his West Indian heritage and calypso music. He was then heavily influenced by James Moody, Paul Desmond, Zoot Sims among other saxophonists.

Garnett moved to New York from Panama in 1962, where he played at jam sessions with upcoming icons such as Rashied Ali and Roland Alexander as well as in jazz organ trios and rock groups. He would go on to play and record with Freddie Hubbard (1968-1969), Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers (1969-1970), Andrew Hill (1969-1970), Charles Mingus (1970), Miles Davis (1972), Pharaoh Sanders (1972) and others. From 1970 he led a number of large ensembles combining jazz with samba, Afro-Cuban, calypso and rock. His group The Universal Black Force was a pioneering presence in the Afrocentric and Afrofuturist movements of the early 1970s.

In the mid 1970s Garnett released 5 albums on Muse, starting with possibly his best known album Black Love (featuring Mother Of The Future and Banks Of The Nile), which opened the path for musicians like Dee Dee Bridgewater. He also collaborated on several of Norman Connors albums of the 1970's providing arranging and some of his compositions. Other collaborations include: Milt Ward, James Mtume, Robin Kenyatta and Charles Earland. In the 1980s he only did a few scarce recordings, but in the 1990s he returned with new music for his albums Resurgence, Fuego En Mi Alma, Under Nubian Skies and Moon Shadow on Highnote among other recordings.

His autobiography Mango Tree Musician (written with Jaime J. Ortiz) was published by McFarland Press Publishing in 2024-09 (ISBN 9781476690247).