Track Listing

1. What Is This Thing Called Love
2. Kurita Sensei
3. XYZ
4. Native Tongue
5. Chief Blackwater
6. Doc Tone's Short Speech
7. Just A Second To Catch My Breath
8. Gendai
9. Standard Of Language I II III

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #60429 in Music
• Released on: 2003-03-11
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Album Description
Critically acclaimed Kenny Garrett, winner of the 2002 Jazz Times Readers' Poll for alto sax, leads his scorching new quartet for the second straight album. 9 tracks. Warner Bros. 2003.

Amazon.com
Deep into this album is the track "Just a Second to Catch My Breath." It could've been the album title as Garrett unleashes a torrid state of the saxophone address with this no-holds-barred, high-energy session, and he doesn't slow down until the aforementioned ballad, track seven. With the exception of the semi world-beat groove of "Native Tongue," this record couldn't be more unlike Garrett's 2002 album, Happy People, if they were recorded a decade apart. Amazingly, most of these tunes were recorded the same time as his prior record, during the week of September 11, 2001. These are the tracks where Garrett's very capable musicians let go and vented their emotions of that time through their instruments. With producer Marcus Miller, Garrett crafted a record to market with Happy People; on Standard of Language, he and Miller make a statement to add to the jazz lexicon. It's very hard not to draw comparisons to the great John Coltrane Quartet here as Garrett seems to be searching spiritually with his horns and his tone on soprano is rapidly approaching the master range of, say, Wayne Shorter. There's also a serious Miles Davis vibe as "Kurita Sensei" rhythmically references Davis's version of "Footprints," and Charnett Moffett does a dead-on Paul Chambers-styled bowed bass solo on "XYZ." This could be one of the best jazz records of the year. --Mark Ruffin

Customer Reviews

Best of 2003.
Standard of Language is a wonderfully made CD and possibly Kenny Garrett's best work. I thought his Coltrane CD was great, but this CD is no doubt full of passionate, creative, and expansive music. After first listen I was thrown back in my chair and immediately concluded, "this is the best jazz cd of 2003". How this CD was overlooked at the Grammys is beyond thought. When you hear the pieces on this set, you automatically can feel KG truly wanting to cement himself as one of the true modern jazz giants of today...and you know what?...he is just that! My favorite tracks are "Gendai" and the perfectly structured "Doc Tone's Short Speech. Put this one in the jazz collections immediately.

NOW you're speaking my language!
It seems so long ago that Kenny Garretts stunning masterpiece "Songbook" established him as the definitive new voice in straight-ahead jazz. It was actually only 8 years ago.
His last few efforts is what made it SEEM so much longer ago. Somehow he found himself mired in the "smooth jazz zone", a place were no self respecting true jazz musician should ever find themselves.

I do realize that people do have to eat and pay the bills so I guess it's understandable to forgive Kenny Garrett for kicking out a few radio-friendly, cookie-cutter, psuedo jazz CD's that will sell in mass quantities. But guess who back?

Standard of Language is not only a return to form to Kenny Garrett, but may perhaps be his finest moments. I originally reserved that title for his "Pursuance" Coltrane tribute CD with support from Pat Methany...but this one is gaining on it fast!

This starts out hard-boping and never lets up...culminating with a stunning 12 minute, 4 movement opus...a minature Love Supreme if you will.

Personally my favorite tracks are 3,5 and particularly 8 where drummer Chris Dave makes you forget that Kenny used to employ Jeff "Tain" Watts...one of the best in the business.

If you enjoyed Songbook and Pursuance...then this is the CD for you. If you, on the other hand, preferred the lite fare of his last couple releases...then you better stay away and just pick up the latest Boney James or Rick Braun.

It lives up to its hype but....
Does this CD live up to its hype? Yes it does, but at this level of playing where Mr Garrett is in complete control, with a working band that really cooks, his strengths are manifest - inventiveness, passion, dexterity, ideas, structure then one really starts to pay attention. Especially to ballads. It's on ballads on the saxophone where, it seems to me, the genius of a great musician, which is to say, the ability to express feelings and ideas most effectively, lies. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn, Mr Charles Parker once famously observed. Mr Garrett makes music bursting with the joy of life and living, one can hear on the album (barely) the verbal grunts and sighs they make as they groove. On ballads though, he's yet to reach that level of beauty of say Mr Charles Parker, or Mr Bernie McGann (Australia) or Mr Johnny Hodges, Mr Paul Desmond et al . STANDARD OF LANGUAGE is also recorded to an exceptionally high standard of fidelity - sounds great on your most expensive high fidelity equipment and on a Walkman. One of the CD's music lovers must own.