Features

Karl Denson: Play On, Player

Greyboy Allstars, circa 1998

Spinning out from the Allstars orbit were Robert Walters’ 20th Congress and Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, the latter of which heard the saxophonist injecting his vocals and a grittier, JB-styled funk into the musical blend more than the Allstars’ dynamic allowed.

Since the Allstars’ initial dissolution, Denson has released four albums: Dance Lesson #2 (2001), The Bridge (2002), Lunar Orbit (2007) and Brother’s Keeper (2009). The second and fourth are Tiny Universe albums, though they all share a similar sound.

The Bridge has brought Denson his greatest commercial success as a solo artist; it features the song “Because of Her Beauty,” a groovy love ballad boasting Denson’s vocals and a punchy horn section. The song went into heavy rotation on the nation’s then-flourishing AAA-format radio stations.

“I would have never predicted that success, especially with that song,” he says. “I was scared to even put that song on the record, given that it was such a down tempo, sensitive track, but it did really well for us and allowed me to stay out there even longer. And feed my family.”

Last year’s Tiny Universe effort, Brother’s Keeper, featured guests including bassist Meshell Ndegeocello and former Black Crowes’ guitarist Marc Ford.

“Working with Meshell was…,” Denson says, pausing to search for the right words to articulate his thoughts. “In a world of cats and dogs, Meshell was a cat. Dogs are obliged to acknowledge that you’ve walked in the room and are happy to see you—cats not so much. But hey, Robert Walter is a cat too and he’s the nicest person in the world. He doesn’t feel that he’s socially obliged to do anything to acknowledge you. It’s not mean-spirited—it’s just the way some people are.”

For the new Tiny Universe album, due this fall, Denson enlisted the current Tiny Universe crew—guitarist Brian Jordan, drummer John Staten, keyboardist David Veith, trumpeter Chris Littlefield and Greyboy bassist Chris Stillwell—to help him rein in what he feels are his frequently disparate musical directions.

“I sometimes get a little overwhelmed in terms of writing a lot of different stuff, so I’ve started working more closely with the band on our writing,” Denson reveals. “That’s a good way to stop me from being too eclectic, which sometimes happens. Whatever the case, there’s something cathartic about doing an album. I think albums are an important—less as a revenue stream but more as a way of re-introducing yourself to fans and new people as you go along. It’s your musical calling card.”

Denson says that this new chapter of Tiny Universe is “really us tightening up as a band, so we continue to work hard at that and keep trying to evolve in a cool direction.” As for himself, he hopes to play for another 20 years—“to keep doing it and hope that people keep coming to see us.”

His career longevity is partially because of his constant collaborations with other artists—in the jazz and jamband spaces, and outside of them. Recently, he’s worked with Soulive (including playing a show this past summer in Vermont at the band’s inaugural Royal Family Affair) and with his trio, which includes keyboardist Anthony Smith and drummer Brett Sanders. In the hip-hop and rap worlds, he continues to work with former Jurassic 5 baritone rapper Chali 2na and, this past winter headlined a tour with him and the legendary Public Enemy, which Denson headlined.

“It was a very funny situation with Public Enemy,” he laughs. “It was a little scary and I had to be talked down off the ledge a couple of times by my band, but it was an amazing time. Those guys are rock stars—we courted them and management paid them a lot of money to do the shows—but they totally slaughtered it. They had [DJ] Terminator X, dancing soldiers and the whole thing. They’re like a punk rock band.”

As Denson oscillates between band incarnations and guest spots, he’s happy to see that audiences have been willing to follow along. “I definitely have a hardcore following that will come and see me, whatever I do,” he says. “Some people like the Allstars better and some are Tiny Universe fans—I try to give a good show every night. Hopefully people will gravitate toward me, no matter what I’m doing. It’s funny to see my fans come to see me in a totally different setting like all these Slightly Stoopid dates [this past summer]. There, I’m just the horn guy in the band, but it’s cool to be a side player once in a while, too.”