Cosmos Nucleus

Tenor and soprano saxophonist Carlos Garnett crafted one of the funkiest big-band jazz albums of his era with 1976s Cosmos Nucleus. Born in Panama, Garnett grew up surrounded by a diverse blend of indigenous, as well as African and Latin musical sounds. He was also exposed to jazz from a young age and played with soldiers at a local U.S. Army base. All these influences came together after his move to New York in the 60s where he worked with luminaries like Freddie Hubbard, Art Blakey, and Charles Mingus. His fourth solo album for the Muse label, Cosmos Nucleus, found Garnett building upon the organic space jazz he had been exploring since his 1974 debut as leader, Journey to Enlightenment. Joining him were pianist Kenny Kirkland (in one of his earliest appearances), guitarist Otis McCleary, bassist Cecil McBee, Jr., drummer Byron Benbow, and bong/conga players Gene Ballard and Neil Clarke. Building upon the boundary pushing work of luminaries like Oliver Nelson and John Coltrane, Garnett fleshed out his small group sound, crafting lush large ensemble arrangements that wove together his Panamanian musical roots with a groove-oriented blend of post-bop, R&B, and cinematic funk. Key to the albums vibe is "Mystery of Ages," a soulful anthem featuring singer Mary Alexander and a backing vocal chorus, in which she questions, "Who am I, where do I come from?" Equally surprising is "Wise Old Men," a hooky, semi-pop sounding track in which Garnett sings against an infectious, Central American-inspired acoustic guitar rhythm. Though full of expansive improvisation, part of the albums charm is how enthusiastically Garnett crossed musical boundaries. With his throaty tone set against propulsive funk grooves, as on the opening "Saxy," the album often brings to mind similarly globally-minded works by Gato Barbieri and early Carlos Santana. Its a style that evokes the psychedelic soul of groups like Rotary Connection and the Chambers Brothers just as much as it does the exploratory style of Miles Davis (with whom he also played), Sun Ra, and Herbie Hancocks Mwandishi Band. Sonically ambitious modern jazz underpins all of Garnetts playing here as he showcases his dazzling soprano work on the "Sketches of Spain"-esque title track and surrounds himself in a moody, modal noir atmosphere on "Kafira." A lesser-appreciated psych-jazz classic, Cosmos Nucleus is the sound of Garnett bridging his musical worlds. ~ Matt Collar