8/13/2023 0 Comments Kenny garrett songbook review![]() Perhaps most notably, Neiman employs a particularly effective metaphor, that of "compounding unearned advantage" to demonstrate how racial and gender advantages amass at an exponential rate, creating more profound inequities over time. He draws from his own experience with humility and critical self-reflection without falling into the trap of virtue signaling, at one point noting that "if spouse had not gone to great lengths to get attention, this chapter wouldn't even be in the book." Importantly, Neiman doesn't shy away from self-indictment, regularly pointing out where he has fallen short - and where he continues to struggle - as he strives to maintain an orientation towards justice. While "equal opportunity and meritocracy are alluring, aspirational ideas," he argues they can only be unattainable ideals without significant structural changes that redirect our path towards equity. This enables him to participate in frank conversations that demonstrate how even "the liberal and philanthropic elite" regularly operate from a foundation of problematic biases and can be especially attached to the myth of meritocracy. First, as a rich white man himself, he has an insider's access to that population. Neiman succeeds in making distinct contributions to this conversation, though. This is hardly a new concept just two years ago Heather McGhee's brilliant book, The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together, was longlisted for the National Book Award for its exploration of the same premise, albeit one focused more closely on race. But, Neiman argues, social and economic inequities prevent even the rich white men at the top of the power structure from being able to experience their full humanity. People in marginalized communities must reckon with having unequal access to the opportunities that make success nearly a foregone conclusion for those positioned on the highest rungs of the socioeconomic ladder. The tunes on “ Songbook“, all of which are Garrett originals, each possess their own unique feel and characteristics, everything from A funk tune, to syncopated swing, to eastern-influence, to a modified blues, to ballads.Drawing from a collection of captivating anecdotes and supported by extensive data, Garrett Neiman's Rich White Men: What It Takes to Uproot the Old Boys' Club and Transform America makes a compelling argument that inequality harms us all. About a week later, I had this album in my possession.Įver since I have had this album, I have not been able to stop listening to it.Įach track provides a different ambiance, in such away that alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett, along with fellow performers Nat Reeves on bass, Jeff “Tain” Watts on drums, and the late Kenny Kirkland on piano, is trying to tell a story or perhaps bring the listener on a journey.Įvery solo taken by both Garrett and Kirkland is captivating, both with Kirkland’s more mainstream, and Garrett’s eastern influences evident at parts. ![]() It was at this point that a friend of mine played me “ Songbook“. ![]() ![]() About a year ago, I had known who Kenny Garrett was but had not heard any of his music. Kenny Garrett, SongbookAlthough I am merely a 19-year-old, I have spent the last 9 years living, learning, and breathing jazz. ![]()
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