Recording for the album was scheduled to begin on September 11, 2001, in Los Angeles, and while the tragic events of that day deeply affected all of the musicians, they decided to continue the session. Garrett subsequently dedicated it to those who lost their lives that day.[3]
William Ruhlmann of AllMusic stated, "What kept Happy People from being a compromised effort was Garrett's always-impressive playing, but it was certainly a record that carefully touched a lot of bases."[1]All About Jazz's C. Andrew Hovan wrote critically of the album: "too much of what constitutes this mixed bag is simply unbecoming to an artist of Garrett's stature. [...] Only when Bobby Hutcherson is present and on the cathartic 'Brother B. Harper' do we really get a sense of Garrett's great talent, a talent that seems to have been sublimated for the most part since 1996's Pursuance."[2] In a BBC review by John Eyles, he noted, "Garrett effectively becomes a bit-part player on his own album, mainly reduced to playing themes and riffs. The music here is not unpleasant, rather it is far too 'pleasant'; all too easily it assumes the status of light... background music, however hard one tries to focus on it."[4] Finally, Lucy Tauss of JazzTimes described Happy People as "an eclectic, multilayered offering from Garrett".[3]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Kenny Garrett except where noted.
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