Carlos Garnett - Fire (1997)

During 1974-1977, the fiery tenor saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist Carlos Garnett recorded five albums for the Muse label, which ranged from adventurous to a bit commercial; the best was the first set, Black Love. This single CD from 1997 has six selections that are drawn from each of the albums (Journey to Enlightenment is represented by two cuts) and are essentially the best of Carlos Garnett. In settings ranging from a sextet to "Senior Trane" (which uses a string section) and a big band number, "Saxy," Garnett is in fine form. In fact, his solos on these pieces are much more consistent than the music on any one of the individual albums on a whole. A good introduction to the still-active Carlos Garnett.