Premier jazz guitarist Ken Navarro is unique among contemporary jazz artists. Known primarily as a recording artist, he is also a composer, producer, and the top dog at one of this country's leading record labels, Positive Music, which he started almost three years ago.

The Washington, D.C. native says he fell in love with jazz while still in his teens: "Somewhere or another I heard a John Coltrane record, "A Love Supreme", I think, and some very visionary kid I must have known in high school was listening to "Bitches Brew" from Miles Davis when I was like 17 or so." The experience caused a dramatic change in direction for the young musician. "You know I was listening to Crosby, Stills, and Nash and playing the same songs they did. That's where I was at that time." Hearing jazz, or more accurately, listening to jazz at that age started Navarro on a journey to the roots of jazz. "I didn't understand it musically, but there was an energy to it that I could relate to. There was just something there that clicked with me, and as I got older, I fell more and more into that stuff and started working my way backwards, starting with the more avant garde artists."

The initial introduction to jazz caused Navarro to become closed minded about music for awhile. "At one time (like so many musicians) I was a jazz snob." Navarro confesses, ~'I just didn't want to play anything but straight-ahead jazz and anyone who didn't do that was not as dedicated. As time went on I kind of encompassed everything I grew up with... all of the jazz influences as well as all the classical influences I had." That was just the beginning. With four successful albums behind him, Ken Navarro is recognized as one of the top jazz guitarists in the country. After a distinguished career spanning 10 years as a composer and session guitarist (working with Doc Severinsen, Dave Koz, John Pattitucci, and others) he decided to break out on his own in 1989. Navarro recorded his first album, and in trying to land a record deal wound up starting his own label. "When I did "The River Flows" in 1989, 1 did shop it around to different record companies, but as I got closer to making deals, I realized how much control I was going to lose over what I'd worked so hard on creating."

Instead of signing a deal (and signing away control of his work) Navarro did some homework and released the album on his own label. The move was not born from any dream of running a company, but more an artistic move aimed at presenting his work as intended. It really stemmed initially from wanting to maintain creative control," Ken explained. But as it developed, I also realized that I wanted to be able to hold onto the promotion, distribution, and all the business things that go along with putting out a successful release." While paying his dues in L.A, Navarro saw firsthand what happens to artists that let go of the creative control of their work. "It depends on the label a lot. Very often an artist will submit a release, and I'm talking major artists with major labels, do it the way they want to do it and the record company will reject it." So, starting his own label wa a safety net to keep him from meeting that same fate. I would hate to see that happen to me-where you submit something you feel is very good artistically and commercially and then someone else who doesn't know the difference between a major or a minor chord tells you that 'this isn't commercial enough"

"I Can't Complain" is Navarro's fourth album, and the material seems to capture the artist's positive outlook, which is reflected in song titles like "Live And Learn", and the title tune. "For me song titles are always a lot of fun because I try to summarize with a few words what a piece of music means to me, which is of course very subjective and open to interpretation. I'm able to summarize and give the listener an attitude to take into the song." That upbeat attitude does not translate into only happy music. "Obviously you don't want an album full of easy going. 'the world is great' tunes. But I do find myself looking for (in music) something that points upward." Adding. "In other words, something that gives you a sense of music being a statement for what human beings can do that's good and what is good about the world. That quality I definitely (if not consciously, then subconsciously) am trying to reflect in my own work.

by Rob Selkow for Radio Waves, 1993