Jazz Player Kirk Whalum Connects With Young Fans
By Natasha Mitchell, The Oklahoman
Jul. 25–Just as the late Oklahoma jazz guitarist Charlie Christian made a lasting impression on today’s artists with his compositions, jazz saxophonist Kirk Whalum is connecting with the next generation as an artist-in-residence, and with fans through technology.
It is a beautiful, sunny day in Memphis, and Whalum, 50, has been in the studio, compiling tracks for his live recording, “Gospel According to Jazz Chapter III,” to be released later this year. He will be the keynote act with Tulsa saxophonist Grady Nichols on Aug. 1 at the Rose State Performing Arts Theater. The concert is part of the 23rd annual Charlie Christian International Music Festival.
“It’s great to return to Oklahoma,” Whalum said in a recent interview. “It shows that we are doing something important, and the fact that people are recognizing who Charlie Christian is in regards to jazz music is notable indeed. He has made some incredible contributions, but one has to be like a bus to keep the memories going. It’s exciting that we are still on this path.”
Whalum last performed in 2005 at the Ford Center in a star-studded event that included comedian Steve Harvey, Henry Butler and Michael Zaporski and Future Visions. Since then, he has been on tour, released two albums and moved to Memphis. According to allmusic.com, it was in Memphis where Whalum “played in his father’s church choir and drew inspiration from the rich musical traditions of that city, including gospel, R&B, blues, and eventually jazz.”
Whalum is best known for his work with artists such as Whitney Houston, Babyface, Yolanda Adams, Take 6, BeBe and CeCe Winans, Barbra Streisand, Edwin Hawkins, Quincy Jones, Kevin Mahogany, Al Green, and Luther Vandross. Besides his solo albums, Whalum worked on film scores, including “The Prince of Tides,”"Boyz in the Hood,”"Grand Canyon,” and “Cousins.” His sax solo was featured on Houston’s popular single “I Will Always Love You,” on the “The Bodyguard” soundtrack. He has won eight Grammy nominations and two Stellar Awards.
Being in the place of his roots has been promising for Whalum, as he has served as the 2006-08 first artist-in-residence of the Stax Music Aca-demy. He chronicles that journey in his 2007 Rendezvous Entertainment release “Roundtrip.”
“It has been great to see history repeat itself in a way,” he said. “You know, 50 years ago, this neighborhood at 926 E McLemore (now home of Stax Museum of American Soul Music) ended up being the incubator for some of the greatest music ever produced — stuff like Earth, Wind and Fire, the song ‘I’m a Soul Man,’ and Otis Redding. With so many great artists and so much great music, it’s an exciting opportunity for me to see the next generation interact. It has been great connecting with the kids.
“Ever since my album ‘For You’ (1998) became the best-seller of my career, I came to the realization that people love it when you interpret melodies they know and love. So, I decided to alternate between records of covers and originals. For my new CD, I thought, ‘Why not cover myself?’ So I went back to the beginning and included some of my ‘hits’ from the Texas jazz club days that had never been recorded. I also put a fresh spin on some of my early releases such as ‘The Wave’ and ‘Afterthought.’”
Whalum also has been posting blogs on music, politics and faith on his Web site, www.kirk
whalum.com and offering fans a chance to download tracks as ring tones or to iPods, or view a live performance on the Web.
“It’s one thing to connect with people musically, but it’s another thing to be able to share ideas on other important matters such as the upcoming presidential election,” he said. “I look forward to hanging out with my fans.”
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Copyright (c) 2008, The Oklahoman
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