Pushing the World Away

Alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett has had a fruitful career that balances post-bop jazz with some more exploratory fusions. This time, Garrett goes in a lot of directions over the course of a single album, often tipping his cap (by way of subtle or not-so-subtle tribute) as he goes. While he locks into a fiery Latin groove on “Chucho’s Mambo,” he moves into calypso-jazz fusion on “J’auvert (Homage to Sonny Rollins)” that would bring a smile to its parenthetical honoree. Garrett channels his inner Coltrane on the surging title track, which features him on soprano as he blasts into the stratosphere. Things are considerably more contained on his straight version of Burt Bacharach’s “I’ll Say a Little Prayer” (the lone cover here) and the lovely “Homma San,” which shows his strong ear for melody. Working with more than a dozen players in various configurations (including a string quartet on “Brother Brown”), Garrett seems intent on showing the breadth of his interests and talent. Any way you look at it, he succeeds.