by Jason Ankeny
Contemporary jazz guitarist Ken Navarro was born June 9, 1953, in Lafayette, IN; he began his career as a Los Angeles session player, working on projects headlined by everyone from Doc Severinsen to Nell Carter to Dave Koz. He made his solo debut in 1990 with The River Flows, issued on his own Positive Music imprint; the follow-up, After Dark, earned a Grammy nomination. Subsequent efforts include 1994's Pride & Joy, 1996's Christmas Cheer, 1998's Ablaze in Orlando, and 2000's Island Life. For his next two records, Navarro took a break from running his own label, moving to Shanachie and releasing Slow Dance and All the Way in 2002 and 2003, respectively. However, he moved back to Positive Music in 2005 to issue Love Colored Soul, an album followed up by The Meeting Place, which was initially available on his website in November 2006 and then in stores in January 2007.