Kenny Garrett was born October 9, 1960, in Detroit, Michigan, becoming one of the most distinctive instrumentalists to emerge from the city's jazz scene of the 1980s and '90s. He got his first professional break with the Duke Ellington Orchestra in 1978, and later joined the Thad Jones–Mel Lewis Orchestra.

In February 1987, Miles Davis saw a video of Garrett performing a guest spot with Dizzy Gillespie, called him that same night, and offered him a place in his band. Garrett remained with Davis's studio and live groups through 1991, and during this period also played and recorded with Art Blakey, whose own career is covered in full in his JazzProfiles.com profile, as well as Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw.

His Criss Cross leader debut, Introducing Kenny Garrett, appeared in 1984, followed by two Atlantic albums, Prisoner of Love (1989) and African Exchange Student (1990). His Warner Bros. debut, Black Hope, charted and drew wide critical acclaim, and his catalog since has included Pursuance: The Music of John Coltrane (1996), Beyond the Wall (2006), Seeds from the Underground (2012), and Sounds from the Ancestors (2021). Over more than 30 years, the Grammy Award-winning saxophonist, arranger, composer, and bandleader has earned recognition for his versatility across jazz, blues, and R&B contexts.

Garrett's tenure in Miles Davis's final touring bands, combined with his Detroit hard-bop roots and his ease moving between jazz, blues, and R&B idioms, made him one of the defining alto saxophone voices to emerge from the post-Davis generation of jazz musicians.