Kenny Garrett's volcanic rendition of "Bye Bye Blackbird" closes his 1992 album Black Hope with a performance of stunning velocity and invention. The Ray Henderson standard, perhaps most famously associated with Miles Davis's classic quintet recordings, receives a radical reimagining at an extraordinary tempo of 324 beats per minute. Garrett charges through seven choruses on alto saxophone, his lines streaking across the 32-bar AB form with a combination of harmonic ingenuity and raw physical power. Joe Henderson enters for three choruses of tenor saxophone improvisation, his sophisticated approach to rhythm and harmony providing a contrasting but equally compelling perspective on the familiar tune. Kenny Kirkland rounds out the solo order with two blazing piano choruses at a tempo that has by now accelerated past 340 beats per minute. The rhythm section of Charnett Moffett and Brian Blade stokes the fires throughout, their collective energy pushing each soloist to new heights of intensity. By choosing a tune so closely identified with Miles Davis, Garrett acknowledges his mentorship under the trumpeter while simultaneously declaring his own artistic independence. The track is a fitting climax to an album that established Garrett as one of the most important alto saxophonists of his generation.
