Star saxophonist Kenny Garrett's new album 'Seeds from the Underground', is a powerful return to the straight-ahead, acoustic quartet format that showcases his extraordinary abilities. Over the course of a stellar career that has spanned more than 30 years, saxophonist Kenny Garrett has become the preeminent alto saxophonist of his generation. From his first gig with the Duke Ellington Orchestra (led by Mercer Ellington) through his time spent with musicians such as Freddie Hubbard, Woody Shaw, Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers and Miles Davis, Garrett has always brought a vigorous yet melodic, and truly distinctive, alto saxophone sound to each musical situation. As a bandleader for the last two decades, he has also continually grown as a composer. For Garrett, 'Seeds from the Underground' is a special recording. It consists solely of original compositions, and is truly a homage to those who have inspired and influenced him, both personally and musically. "All of these songs are dedicated to someone," says Garrett. "And the 'seeds' have been planted, directly or indirectly, by people who have been instrumental in my development." Among them are Jackie McLean, Roy Haynes, Marcus Belgrave, Keith Jarrett and Christian Laviso. Personnel: Kenny Garrett (alto and soprano saxophone, piano), Benito Gonzalez (piano), Nat Reeves (bass), Ronald Bruner (drums), Rudy Bird (bata, percussion), Nedelka Prescod (vocals)