True Longevity in the music industry is hard to come by. Building a career in music is hard, and sustaining one can be even harder. Things evolve frequently and quickly, trends come and go, and scenes change seemingly overnight. With that in mind, it is all the more impressive to see an artist with true longevity, an artist that is able to evolve and thrive over the course of a long career in this ever-changing industry.
An artist fitting that description perfectly is Karl Denson. Denson, a saxophonist and flutist with roots in California, has been making his mark on the national music scene and beyond since the 80’s. A gifted player and constant innovator, Denson has made his impact in an impressive variety of musical contexts. Having performed and recorded extensively as a bandleader with his longstanding project Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, as a key member of cult soul-jazz heroes The Greyboy Allstars, and as sideman for the likes of Lenny Kravitz and The Rolling Stones, among others, Denson has a resume to rival anyone’s.
Whether he’s playing in a club, or a stadium gig with the Stones, any show Denson is involved with becomes a must-see affair. On Friday, January 2nd, Denson Returns to The Dakota with the latest iteration of his ever-evolving Tiny Universe ensemble for two shows. The gigs are Karl’s First Twin Cities shows in some time and will mark this iteration’s first headlining appearance in the region. Fans can expect to see some familiar, some new, and Top-Notch Musicianship led by one of the best in the business.
Below is an interview with Karl Denson. The following has been edited for consistency.
Music In Minnesota: You’re coming to the Dakota with Tiny Universe. The project is now over twenty-five years old in different iterations. I’m Curious how Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe came to be initially, and how that musical vision has changed over the years.
KD: Back in ’98, I was in the middle of the Greyboy Allstars, and I wanted to do something a little different, a little more vocal, so the Tiny Universe was born. Over the years, it’s been just a nice little experiment for me of writing, playing, trying to figure out my space in the world, and try to hopefully get people to dance and get smarter at the same time.
MIM: This iteration is somewhat new, in the last few years.
KD: Yes, I switched up my band just after Covid. Ater covid, My Old Drummer Became a teacher, my trumpet player decided he didn’t want to travel as much and my keyboard player got a TV Gig, so I replaced them with a bunch of kids, so-speak, 30 year olds. It’s been really fun.
MIM: You’ve worked many with musicians of all generations, do you think with them being younger that they bring a different musical perspective?
KD: For sure. There’s a lot of stuff that I know that they don’t know at all, and there’s a lot of stuff that they know that I don’t know. They’re music school kids, so sometimes they’re over my head a little bit, which is really refreshing. They’re really smart and really clever, so it’s been a really fun process getting in the rehearsal space, going back and forth and finding out what their strengths are and being able to utilize that.
MIM: I imagine they bring new perspectives to your catalog as well.
KD: Yes, for sure. It’s totally a new thing. The way I approach it, I like to try to allow them to refresh the catalog as we’re digging back in. It’s been a really fun process, because they don’t know what I did before. So as long as I don’t make it a point to go backwards, it’s really easy to go forward.
MIM: One thing that’s unique about you is that you’ve been affiliated with so many projects that are enduring. You mentioned the Greyboy Allstars, who you still play with, and you play with the Stones, who are one of music’s most enduring bands. I’m curious on your perspective on what makes a project last.
KD: Well, I think speaking for the Greyboy Allstars and the Rolling Stones, I think both of them have pretty amazing catalogs. The Allstars, we have really good songs. And It’s a very stylized music, so it’s very easy to digest for the audience in terms of knowing what to expect. As far as the tiny universe, it’s been my eye on the world that has somehow kept people intrigued. The Catalog is very eclectic and somehow I’ve been able to keep people having fun, and they still come out to see it.
MIM: I do want to ask about the stones. How did you get involved?
KD: I played with Lenny Kravitz, back in the beginning of his career, and we’ve remained friends, and it just happened back in 2014 when Bobby Keys got sick, Lenny was having dinner with Mick and found out about it and threw my hat in the ring immediately. That’s how that came to be.
MIM: What is that gig like? There are lots of bands, and so few of them are the Rolling Stones, in so many ways.
KD: Yeah, it’s exactly what you think it is (laughs). I like to answer that question “It’s the fucking rolling stones” (laughs). It’s no less cool than you think it is, it’s absolutely that cool. Being on stage with those guys is surreal every time.
MIM: You also alluded to your time with Lenny Kravitz as well. You’ve worked in so many contexts as a bandleader, as a collaborator, sometimes as a sideman. How does that inform your other roles?
KD: It really is very informing, no matter what side of the fence you’re on, you’re playing music and trying to honor the composition and the composer. So when it’s my stuff, it’s my responsibility to keep everything and everybody on track. When I’m a sideman, I’m trying to make sure that I’m doing what the composer would want and add whatever I can add to it. As a collaborator, like with the Greyboy Allstars, which is a collaboration between the five of us, that’s really about trying to make sure the whole thing looks good at the end of the day.
MIM: One last thing I wanted to ask about, I read that you appeared on Soul Train in the 80’s.
KD: Yes (laughs).
MIM: What was that like? It’s so iconic.
KD: It was the early to mid 80’s. It was amazing, and a period of my life that I really pinch myself about. I had a buddy, one of my really good friends, a bass player who plays with Chaka Khan right now and Lee Ritenour. His cousin was a great singer named O’Bryan. A couple years out of high school, O’Bryan got a record deal. So Melvin started working with his cousin, and Don Cornelius became his manager. So we would drop a single and then go on Soul Train. So there was a period of time where me and Melvin would go to Don Cornelius’ house around Christmas time and hang out with him for a few hours and kick it with Don. It was very crazy. It was that time of my life, being able to go to soul train. Like I could go anytime I wanted, I could just drop in to Soul Train. So I hung out in that crowd for half a minute, it was amazing.
I ran in to Questlove, I believe it was actually in the Minneapolis Airport, and I knew Quest because we’ve done a lot of things with The Roots over the years, and he goes “Hey Man I Didn’t Realize you were on Soul Train!” (laughs), he’s a huge afficianado, knows the whole thing. He called that out really quick. I’ve gotta check with him, I want to figure out which episode I’m in, and I know he’ll be able to find it.
