Saxophonist and singer Karl Denson is known for belonging to many groups and having many projects, most notably his own jazz-funk band Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. But while his music may belong to the universe, the California native believes that his approach is decidedly West Coast.
“I’ve realized over the years that the West Coast boogaloo that we came up with really is it’s own thing,” he tells me. “Nobody really embraced that style of music to the extent that we did.”
Another of Karl’s bands, The Greyboy Allstars, named one of their first albums The West Coast Boogaloo in reference to this phenomenon. That project helped to resurrect the danceable jazz music of the 1960s for a younger audience.
He explains, “With the Greyboy Allstars there was a general consensus on stage every night when we were playing - we would look at each other and laugh and [think] ‘we’re getting away with murder up here. We’re playing Horace Silver [music] and a bunch of kids are dancing to it and thinking we wrote this.’ We were definitely aware of the fact that we were taking advantage of the innocence of our audience.”
Despite his left coast disposition, Karl has collaborated with artists from around the world, ranging from Roy Hargrove’s legendary RH Factor to his long standing tenure with Lenny Kravitz which began all the way back in the late 80s when he played the solo on the hit song “Let Love Rule.”
He remembers, “I was in awe of the whole thing. Being a Black man I was well aware of the fact that Black people weren’t quite allowed by the industry to play rock and roll. Here was [...] Black music being played live! Because at that point we were deep into machines doing everything in Black music - into the beginning of hip hop and drum machine music.”
Karl has also worked for years on records and on stage with the Rolling Stones, an association he's grateful for because it facilitates the rest of his career. That time and headspace on the road gives him the chance to keep his chops up and his ideas fresh.
He says, “I [...] call it paid vacation because I get to go out and not have any responsibility except to play my horn. I feel like some things have caught up with me in terms of what I have been doing musically and now I’m getting ready to be able to express a part of that that [hasn’t been] seen before. It’s jazz that’s a little more dancey, that’s a little more funky.”
Indeed, the times have caught up with Karl Denson. He plays this weekend at the Blue Note in Manhattan with an all-star band assembled for this residency. The group features Keyon Harrold on trumpet, James Francies on keyboards, Burniss Earl Travis on bass, and Blaque Dynamite on drums. Denson says he’s eager to play with this group, and even a little nervous to play with them.
“I wanted to play with the young guys,” he says. “I’m anxious to put it on a plate for these kids to devour and I’m a little terrified.”
