Home > Jazz / Blues
Denson at the 2013 Waterfront Blues Festival Photo by Jon T. Cruz
06/30/2020
By TOM D’ANTONI // Karl Denson fills a very important place in the Jazz/Funk nexus. His tunes are complex enough to make any Jazz fan happy, but funky enough to make you dance. This was the original function of Jazz, so Denson brings the music full circle.
The backstory:
One of the things I have loved about the Waterfront Blues Festival is that I have gotten to MC, to introduce some of the performers from the stage.
On the day Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe played, I walked up to the mic, greeted the crowd, did a “Hey Now!” call and response, read the various announcements I was handed; but just seconds before I began to introduce Karl, he walked over to me and said, “I want you to say, ‘And now Black by popular demand…..”
I looked at him and just nodded. Needless to say, he did not fool me into saying that but what I did was say, “Karl Denson just told me to say, ‘And now Black by popular demand…”
We all laughed. What follows is the original introduction to this piece, as it ran in OMN on July 5, 2013, followed by a conversation with Karl from the previous week.
—-Tom D’Antoni
The story of Karl Denson is one of change and progression. He has followed his muse through a series of twists and turns of genre and style. One thing has been a constant, his talent as a saxophonist and composer.
If you’ve followed him from his days with Lenny Kravitz’ band, where he stayed for five years, through legendary trombonist Fred Wesley’s band, to a whole separate career as a straight ahead Jazz musician (including an album with Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette!). all the way through his acid Jazz period leading up to the formation of the groove band The Greyboy Allstars, you know that Mr. Denson’s universe is anything but Tiny.
He had two big reasons to be happy.
He had a recently-acquired, young, talented and very very hot new drummer.He had, earlier this week taken delivery of his beloved hold sax which had just been totally overhauled. How did it sound? Just like it did when he first got it
That’s happy.
Denson can play in any style. The style he is best known for, however is that brand of Funk and Jazz that so many young bands strive for but fall short of; Denson’s brilliant arrangements and the talent and discipline of his bandmates. And then there’s Denson’s playing.
Denson doesn’t fool around. He doesn’t play around, he just plays with purpose and clarity. He cuts a taught, commanding figure for a man of average stature. But when he flashes that smile. He has won you over even before he plays a note.
Denson fills a very important place in the Jazz/Funk nexus. His tunes are complex enough to make any Jazz fan happy, but funky enough to make you dance. This was the original function of Jazz, so Denson brings the music full circle.
I’m not sure anyone was thinking about that in the sea of bobbing heads and dancing feet. That’s not a bad thing. As a matter of face it proves the point.
I talked with him earlier this week and talked about his new drummer and his horn reborn.