As both a saxophonist and flutist, Karl Denson has a resume that few can measure up to. He’s performed and recorded with the likes of The Rolling Stones, Lenny Kravitz, Steve Winwood, Slightly Stoopid, John Scofield, Big Freedia, the Blind Boys of Alabama and Stanton Moore from Galactic among many others. He’s also a founding member of the San Diego soul-jazz band The Greyboy Allstars, while leading his own jazz fusion project with Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe. The latter has garnered acclaim for being one of the best live acts on the circuit, and they’re going to be performing at Wally’s on Hampton Beach on August 22. The show starts at 9 p.m. with Kittery, Maine, jazz-funk dynamos Foreside Funk kicking the night off.
We had a talk ahead of the upcoming performance about going outside the box in terms of collaboration, practicing tai chi, how music that gets people dancing can fit in any environment, and plans for future recordings.
- Website: https://wallysnh.com
- Address: 144 Ashworth Ave, Hampton, NH 03842
- Tickets
Rob Duguay: While having such a diverse collaborative resume, does it come from having an open mind when it comes to music, the malleability of your skills on saxophone and flute or is it something else?
Karl Denson: I think it’s the first thing. I definitely like all different types of music, I’ve never tried to do just one thing.
RD: Do you feel while playing the saxophone, you enjoy adding that extra dimension to a certain song no matter who you’re playing with? Do you enjoy playing that role?
KD: Yeah. I like writing songs, so I’m always aware of what the songwriter is looking for and I try to make that the most important thing.
RD: Very cool. When you were starting to learn how to play music, what initially gravitated you to playing the sax? Was it a family member or a friend that got you into that instrument, or was it a certain record or musician that really inspired you?
KD: It was the kind of music that was around the house. My older brother started playing music before I did, and then I started playing in the school band. The saxophone kind of fell into my lap and there was also a very cool jazz scene happening at the time, so I was inspired by that also.
RD: On social media, you recently posted a video of you doing tai chi, which is something that you’ve been doing for over 40 years. How did you initially get into that practice and would you say that it’s helped you in a mental sense while dealing with the stress that comes with being a full-time touring musician?
KD: I had a friend in college and he got me into it. I like the art of growing, and tai chi is one of those things. Just like any art, you learn it and you get better at it, so I’ve always looked forward to using it to better myself over the years. It’s definitely kept me healthy along with jumping around on stage.
RD: That’s awesome. What are your thoughts on coming up to Wally’s? The place is known around the area for being a club for rock and heavy metal bands, so when it comes to performing in this atmosphere as a jazz musician, does it affect your approach at all?
KD: We are first and foremost a dance band. Over the years, there’s been times where it was more rock or more jazz or more R&B, but we’re mainly a band who likes to watch people dance. That tends to work in any environment.
RD: I can see that, absolutely. It’s been a few years since your Tiny Universe put out a new album, so is there anything in the works pertaining to that? Do you have any other collaborations or projects in the works that you’d like to mention?
KD: Yes. We have a single we’ve just done that’s pretty cool with a band called Franc Moody. They’re an English dance band and they produced this track for me, then I have another record that’ll probably be done by the time we come to Wally’s.