9 minute read
Kirk Whalum
Photo: Byanna Webber
By Ken Capobianco
On his most recent album, #Lovecovers— another in a series of records seamlessly blending jazz, R&B, gospel, and pop music— veteran saxophonist Kirk Whalum offers a beautiful, stirring take on Beyonce’s “Love on Top.” Never has a song title better exemplified the music and vision of an artist. Whalum, one of the premier instrumentalists of his generation, has been spreading a message of love and compassion throughout his long career. Over the course of three decades as a solo artist, Whalum, whose soaring saxophone solo graced Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You,” has become universally recognized for his soulful, spiritual saxophone work. He has brought his rare combination of gospel passion and jazz articulation to the jazz ensemble BWB (Norman Brown, Whalum and Rick Braun), as well as to countless collaborations with a broad array of jazz and pop luminaries. In recent years, he has recorded a series of four albums called The Gospel According To Jazz (the most recent, The Gospel According To Jazz Chapter IV in 2015), all emphasizing his deep Christian faith and God’s love. While the 12-time Grammy nominee (one-time winner) has taken a decidedly more gospel focus with his music these days, Whalum, the son of a Memphis preacher, believes his musical direction is all in keeping with his original vision as an artist. “My music has always been about the delicate dance between different worlds, and gospel has always been a part of the music I make,” the saxophonist-composer said recently via phone in Japan, where he was recording new songs for an upcoming solo album. “If you go back to my first album, Floppy Disk (1985), you can hear it there—I grew up on gospel music, so it’s in the DNA. That spiritual element has always been a critical component since the beginning.”
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With Gospel According To Jazz and #Lovecovers, Whalum has turned to a panoply of pop music genres to find the core spiritual messages in songs. In the process, he has added new, revealing dimensions—a deft interpretive dance very few artists would dare attempt. He has covered songs like “Let ’Em In” from Paul McCartney and Wings, “My Hero” by hard rockers the Foo Fighters, and the great Curtis Mayfield’s “Keep on Pushing.” He is not rearranging or reinterpreting the songs to make them unrecognizable; instead, he re-contextualizes them and trusts his audience members to discover their own meanings within the larger framework of his shows. “It’s about mining out the spiritual messages out of the pop canon,” the supremely gracious and engaging Whalum said. “I’m not taking liberties with the songs and making them what they are not. The songs speak for themselves. It’s all been part of a process of discovery. I remember I did ‘I’ll Be There’ onstage with BWB, and everybody loved it. The audience was so tuned in because they connected with the song and how it was presented. “Faithful love as a concept. It’s in the song, if you listen. As a Christian, that message is so very significant and powerful. Christ will not abandon you. He is there for you. I know some people might not get the message or the concept of what I’m doing, and they may even disagree, but it does touch people on some deep level. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. My fans have fully embraced it.” The epiphany that spurred the subtle change in the direction of his solo career toward more overt gospel occurred after Whalum experienced a major setback. “When I got dropped by Columbia Records, that changed everything. It was so abrupt, and I was distraught and depressed as you can be. I’m talking really low. “I had to rely on my faith, but it was such an emotional time. My girlfriend—we’ve been together since we were 15—and wife for 44 years, looked at me and said quite directly, ‘What can’t you do today that you couldn’t do yesterday? How are you different than when you were with Columbia?’ “And, of course, as usual, she was right. It had such a profound impact on me, and I started thinking creatively instead of just scraping the bottom of the barrel of my emotions—that existential doubt. After reflection, I thought I would bring together the many facets of my life—the creative, the spiritual and the ministry, which is where my roots are—and out of that came Gospel According To Jazz.” For his next album, though, which he hopes to release early next year, Whalum is taking a very different approach. He’s working with a wide array of musicians from around the globe to explore different sounds and rhythms for what may be his most ambitious project yet. He was in Japan to record with world-renowned keyboardist Keiko Matsui, but many of his other collaborators might be less familiar to American audiences. “The record is called Humanitè, and most of the musicians I’m working with are younger, in their 20s and 30s. Some are immensely popular in their home countries. Heavenese is made up of 11 Japanese musicians—wonderful musicians—dressed in traditional Japanese garb. It’s so different. What I’m trying to do with the album is push some boundaries. It’s definitely not going to be your mother’s smooth jazz record. The sound is going to be steeped in jazz, pop, world music and whatever we discover.” He added that the album will be made up of originals, and there will be much more of his singing involved. The decision to work with younger global artists is all part of a very wise plan to reach new audiences and expand his musical footprint.
“It’s a full collaboration. We’re going to get together, and I’m going to get on their page. Hopefully, I can tap into their audiences, go global and reach a different generation of listeners. No doubt, I’ll also be learning something in the process.” For his main appearance at the upcoming Boscov’s Berks Jazz Fest, though, Whalum will perform his “Gospel According To Jazz” as the festival’s closing set, one of his five appearances during the fest. He will appear with Fourplay, with whom he toured during Chuck Loeb’s illness and after the guitar giant passed away last year. He will also be involved in the tribute show for Loeb, which features a dizzying array of jazz greats, including Rick Braun, Dave Koz, Nathan East, Jeff Lorber and Michael Franks, as well as Loeb’s widow, singer-songwriter Carmen Cuesta, and their daughters Lizzy and Christina. “I was invited by my dear friend Chuck Loeb to guest on Fourplay’s Silver anniversary CD, having been told by Chuck, ‘We’ve had 25 years and no sax,’” Whalum said.
continued from page 17 “Only months later, he got the diagnosis and began treatment. At that time, I was asked to sub for him on a few dates. A few months later, the cancer came back, and I was asked to tour Europe with them for the summer. Immediately after that, Chuck passed away…I did a total of one year, and it was one of the most fulfilling years of my career. They don’t have to make any excuses for actual improvisation and interplay between real musicians.” Whalum will be primarily focused on his closing night “Gospel According to Jazz” set, which he believes is especially relevant for the current climate of the country riven by division and hatred. “These are very troubling times. What’s happening in the country is painful for many people,” the saxophonist said. “The message we are offering is to look within and find the spirit of Christ within you, and that’s powerful. People are looking for something to connect to. The music is a vehicle for something greater, a higher understanding. When I’m onstage, I’m sharing my belief system through the music. I’m visualizing the invisible. When I play, I’m trusting God to manifest in what I play and appear in the music. It touches people in the audience—they feel something. They may not know what it is at the moment, but it’s real, and it connects us. That’s something I’m grateful to share.” Whalum spoke from Japan on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in America, and he expressed disdain for recent events in the country. “I’m quite political, and what is going on is hard to understand. “I don’t recognize the white evangelicals who support [President] Trump or someone like Roy Moore. Jesus was always concerned with the marginalized and the outcast. He would have looked down at the power and money ideology that Trump represents. Jesus focused on the poor and downtrodden. He was about common good and looking out for one another. And, that’s the message I tried to convey with #Lovecovers. We must make sure we are covering one another. What is happening in the country runs counter to that.” He added he was not afraid of openly discussing politics and current events, as he feels his music is inherently political. “Jazz is the music of resistance. It’s always been the music of liberation and equality. It was the music of black people living in the furnace of oppression—when black people were being hanged from trees and set on fire. That’s what Billie Holiday sang about in ‘Strange Fruit.’ “The Gospel According To Jazz is political in the sense that politics is about doing what is right and just. Ethics. That’s what we are talking about. What would Jesus do? It’s about choosing the right and ethical path.” Whalum is a complex, often profound man with many passions, but it seems that the gospel according to Kirk Whalum, which finds its foundation in the saxophonist’s devotion to God, can be boiled down to one basic principle. “It’s all about sharing love,” he said just before departing for his next destination in Asia. For more information on Whalum, visit www.kirkwhalum.com.
ON TOUR
APRIL 7-15
28th Annual Boscov’s Berks Jazz Fest April 7: with Fourplay (Bob James, Nathan East and Harvey Mason), at the DoubleTree by Hilton Reading April 8: “Remembering Chuck Loeb” tribute concert, at the Santander Performing Arts Center April 12: Berks All-Star Jazz Jam, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Reading April 13: “The Heart & Soul of Sax” with Everette Harp and special guests Maceo Parker and Dee Dee Bridgewater, plus the Berks Horns, at the Scottish Rite Cathedral April 15: “Gospel According to Jazz Celebration” featuring Take 6, plus Kevin Whalum, John Stoddard, Shelea Frazier and DOXA Gospel Ensemble, at the Scottish Rite Cathedral Various venues throughout Berks County, Pennsylvania www.berksjazzfest.com JUNE 10
Brian Culbertson’s Napa Valley Jazz Getaway Oxbow Commons Napa, California www.jazzgetaway.com
