Mango Tree Musician

Saxophonist Carlos Garnett, despite being blind in his later years, was an integral part of Miles Davis’ nonet. His pivotal roles extended beyond live performances to studio work during the “On the Corner” era in 1972. Though he was born in a community of laborers who worked for the Panama Canal Company, his talent and work ethic led him to perform with some of the world’s most notable musicians. Garnett’s upbringing had influences from various cultures, including Jamaica, Trinidad, and Barbados, which informed his later musical fusions.
This autobiography traces Carlos Garnett’s journey from his native, segregated town of Red Tank, now erased from modern maps. After establishing himself as a prominent musician in his homeland, Garnett left for Brooklyn, NY. There, he worked with Art Blakey, Freddie Hubbard, Charles Mingus, Andrew Hill, Mtume James, Norman Connors and of course, Miles Davis. Garnett’s original albums for Muse Records showcased his musical fusions, highlighting his talents as a composer, arranger, and instrumentalist.

The late Carlos Garnett was a Panamanian-born jazz saxophonist, a gifted soloist, composer and bandleader.
Jaime J. Ortiz is a Panamanian record collector, musician and writer. A big fan of Carlos Garnett since his teens, he produced Carlos’ final live jazz performance, and they became close friends ever since. He then convinced Carlos to start documenting his life works and is now considered his official biographer.

Carlos Garnett with Jaime J. Ortiz
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 222
Bibliographic Info: 35 photos, index
Copyright Date: 2024
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9024-7
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5505-5
Imprint: McFarland

Preface by Jaime J. Ortiz 1

Part 1. Panama Roots
Up from Paraíso 5
The Gay Crooners 14
Black Majesty 19
Isthmus Conquered 24
Up from Panama 25
The Baby Grand 28
Poughkeepsie Swinging 30
Leo Price Is Right 32
Guns of Freeport 38
Coughing Lungs 40
The Drug Dealer’s Girlfriend’s Sax 43
Willie Bobo and the Blue Coronet 44
Giggin’ with Freddie Hubbard 46
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers 51
Lifting My Voice with Andrew Hill 53
Messengers in Japan 55
Mingus Times 60
My African Queen 61
Roy Brooks 62
First Return to Panama 64
The Universal Black Force (UBF) 65
Miles Davis! 74
More with Norman Connors 83
Black Love 85
Journey to Enlightenment 92
Let This Melody Ring On 95
The Tony Silvester Era 99
Cosmos Nucleus: The Big Band Experiment 100
The Girl at the Warehouse 105
Mario Bauzá 106
The Kidney Stone 107
The New Love 109
Roland Alphonso at the Apache Restaurant 113
Downward Spiral 113

Part 2. Life After Life
The Miracle 117
The New York State Division for Youth 122
Black Eagles 123
A Note on ­Self-Defense 125
No Sax Carlos 126
Slow Cook Back 128
Resurgence 130
Fuego en Mi Alma 133
Much Change 135
Back to Van Gelder’s 137
Just Like Kenny G 138
Under Nubian Skies 141
The Trip to Jamaica 142
Jamaican Diabetes 145
“He Said” in Swahili 147
The Motherland via Ghana 148
Moon Shadow 149
Katy, Texas 150
Mighty Sparrow and Montego Joe 151
Back to Panama, Like Mother Wanted 153
Panama Jazz Festival 155
Who’s Got the Key? 157
Tearing Up the Festivals! 159
The Selecter 161
Oh No, Rubén 163
Ana, My Purum 164
Sonny Rollins, My Brother 165
“La Magnolia” 169
Sheila 169
If Joe Lovano Says So… 171
From Continent to Continent 172
A Panama Jazz Festival in My Name 173
Unlimited Creative Imagination 174
An Unforgettable Return to Japan 175
Shekinah’s Smile 178
“Derrame Leve” (Mild Stroke) 179
The Salvation Army 182
The Diggers Descendants 185
In the Latter Years… 187
Mr. G at the Anita Villalaz Theater 191
The Autobiography and the Pandemic 193
Let Us Go (To Higher Heights) 195

Index 203

• “I always admired how Carlos Garnett would take famous jazz melodies like Maiden Voyage and Giant Steps and with his Panamanian/latin rhythms make them his own. I look forward to reading his bio and finding out his secrets!”—Ron Carter, Grammy award winning jazz double bassist

• “Carlos Garnett was a musical visionary, an amazing musician who thought outside the box. My times with him were always culturally enriching as he traveled in international circles unknown to me at the time that we met in New York in the early 1970s. We socialized often at his Brooklyn apartment, where I remember rehearsing the vocals for the track ‘Banks of the Nile’ from his 1974 album ‘Black Love’, as well as being a part of his group ‘The Universal Black Force’. Carlos was warm, open, engaging, always soft spoken…he treated me, and all the women he interacted with, with the utmost respect. Carlos was a spiritual and nurturing soul and those characteristics were always reflected in his music.”—Dee Dee Bridgewater, American jazz singer and actress