A leading contemporary jazz guitarist and label owner, Ken Navarro is known for his engaging crossover sound. He first garnered attention with 1990's The River Flows and has continued to release a steady stream of jazz albums, including 2008's The Grace of Summer Light, 2018's Music for Guitar and Orchestra, and 2020's Into the Light with Dave Weckl and John Patitucci. As the founder of Positive Records, he has also helped showcase the careers of artists like saxophonist Brandon Fields, guitarist Grant Geissman, keyboardist Gregg Karukas, and others.

Navarro was born in 1953 in Lafayette, Indiana, and started playing guitar at a young age, drawing inspiration from artists like George Benson, Jeff Beck, Robben Ford, Pat Metheny, and Larry Carlton. He initially began his career in Los Angeles, working as a freelance and session musician, playing on a diverse array of projects by artists like Doc Severinsen, Nell Carter, John Patitucci, Eric Gale, Vikki Carr, Dave Koz, and Alex Acuña, among others. Looking to launch his own record label, Navarro relocated to Baltimore, where he made his solo debut in 1990 with The River Flows, issued on his own Positive Music label. More well-received albums followed, including 1991's After Dark, 1992's The Labor of Love, and 1994's Pride and Joy, all of which received national radio attention on smooth jazz formats.

The R&B-infused Brighter Days arrived in 1995 and featured a guest spot by former Rippingtons saxophonist Brandon Fields. A year later, Navarro released When Night Calls, which featured an appearance by saxophonist Eric Marienthal. He rounded out the decade with 1997's Smooth Sensation and 1999's In My Wildest Dreams. Along with recording, Navarro has toured regularly, sharing the stage with such luminaries as Spyro Gyra, Chuck Mangione, Najee, Chris Botti, the Rippingtons, David Sanborn, Joe Sample, Jean Luc Ponty, Stanley Clarke, George Howard, Béla Fleck, David Benoit, and many others.

In 2000, Navarro released Island Life, which featured the crossover jazz hit "Delicioso." All the Way arrived in 2003, followed by 2005's Love Coloured Soul and 2007's The Meeting Place. A year later, he broke through again with The Grace of Summer Light, which garnered national attention. Dreaming of Trains appeared in 2010 and included contributions by drummer Joel Rosenblatt, bassist Tom Kennedy, and keyboardist Jay Rowe. In 2012, Navarro released his first solo guitar album, The Test of Time, which featured inventive reworkings of songs like the Police's "Message in a Bottle," Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman," and Santana's "Europa." He followed with 2017's Ruby Lane, which spawned the title-track single.

Navarro scored another smooth jazz hit in 2015 with "Juliet," off his album Unbreakable Heart. A year later, he returned with Bonfire, which featured the song "One Summer Day" and found him playing a mix of acoustic and electric guitars. Navarro's 24th album, Music for Guitar and Orchestra, arrived in 2018 and featured orchestral reworkings of some of his most popular songs. It also included appearances by drummer Dave Weckl, bassist John Patitucci, and saxophonist Eric Marienthal. In 2020, he released Into the Light, which again found him collaborating with Patitucci and Weckl. ~ Matt Collar