Karl Denson (born December 27, 1956) is an American

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mi ...

and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

saxophonist, flutist and

vocal The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound production ...

ist from

Santa Ana, California Santa Ana () is the second most populous city and the county seat of Orange County, California. Located in the Greater Los Angeles region of Southern California, the city's population was 310,227 at the 2020 census, making Santa Ana the 13th-m ...

. He was a member of Lenny Kravitz's band and has co-founded and led The Greyboy Allstars. Denson has recorded with artists including

Jack DeJohnette Jack DeJohnette (born August 9, 1942) is an American jazz drummer, pianist, and composer. Known for his extensive work as leader and sideman for musicians including Charles Lloyd, Freddie Hubbard, Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans, John Abercrombie ...

Dave Holland David “Dave” Holland (born 1 October 1946) is an English jazz double bassist, composer and bandleader who has been performing and recording for five decades. He has lived in the United States for over 40 years. His extensive discography r ...

Slightly Stoopid Slightly Stoopid is an American band based in the Ocean Beach neighborhood of San Diego, California, who describe their music as "a fusion of folk, rock, reggae and blues with hip-hop, funk, metal and punk." As a band, they have released thirt ...

Blind Boys of Alabama Blind may refer to: * The state of blindness, being unable to see * A window blind, a covering for a window Blind may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Blind'' (2007 film), a Dutch drama by Tamar van den Dop * ''Blind ...

, Blackalicious,

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, and Jon Foreman of the rock band

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. He continues to lead his own Karl Denson's Tiny Universe (KDTU) and Karl Denson Trio (KD3), while touring with the

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

since 2014 to date. Denson appears in the 1988 movie Coming To America as the saxophonist in the fictional band Sexual Chocolate. Members of KDTU include Denson (saxophone, flute),

Chris Stillwell Chris Stillwell (born June 4, 1966, Seattle, Washington, United States) is the American bassist for the band The Greyboy Allstars. He was born to David and Cheryle Stillwell. The family moved to San Diego when Chris was about six months old. He st ...

(bass), Chris Littlefield (trumpet), D. J. Williams (guitar), David Veith (keyboards), Alan Evans (drums) and Seth Freeman (guitar/lap steel) KD3 comprises Denson with keyboardist Anthony Smith (Global Funk, Giant People) and drummer Brett Sanders (brother of John Staten).

Selected discography

* '' Let Love Rule'' (Lenny Kravitz album) - (1989) * '' Mama Said'' (Lenny Kravitz album) - (1991) * ''Blackened Red Snapper'' (solo album) - (1992) * ''

Herbal Turkey Breast ''Herbal Turkey Breast'' is an album by the American saxophonist Karl Denson Karl Denson (born December 27, 1956) is an American funk and jazz saxophonist, flutist and vocalist from Santa Ana, California. He was a member of Lenny Kravitz's ban ...

'' (solo album) - (1993) * ''Chunky Pecan Pie'' (solo album) - (1994) * ''West Coast Boogaloo'' ( The Greyboy Allstars) - (1994) * ''Baby Food'' (solo album) - (1995) * ''A Town Called Earth'' (The Greyboy Allstars) - (1997) * ''The D Stands for Diesel'' (solo album) - (1997) * ''GBA Live'' (The Greyboy Allstars) - (1999) * ''Dance Lesson #2'' (solo album) - (2001) * ''The Bridge'' (Karl Denson's Tiny Universe) - (2002) * '' Flyin' the Koop'' (

) - (2002) * ''About Time'' (

Steve Winwood Stephen Lawrence Winwood (born 12 May 1948) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter whose genres include blue-eyed soul, rhythm and blues, blues rock, and pop rock. Though primarily a keyboard player and vocalist prominent for his disti ...

) - (2003) * ''Once You're There'' P(Karl Denson's Tiny Universe) - (2006) * ''What Happened to Television?'' (The Greyboy Allstars) - (2007) * ''Lunar Orbit'' (Karl Denson Trio) - (2007) * ''Brother's Keeper'' (Karl Denson's Tiny Universe) - (2009) * ''Top of the World'' (

) - (2012) * ''Inland Emperor'' (The Greyboy Allstars) - (2013) * ''Time To Do Your Thing'' (Z-Bonics) - (2013) * ''New Ammo'' (Karl Denson's Tiny Universe) - (2014) * ''Sticky Fingers Live'' (

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically dr ...

) - (2015) * ''Gnomes and Badgers'' (Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe) - (2019) * ''Como De Allstars'' ( The Greyboy Allstars) - (2020)

References

Notes

Interview at JamBase
Retrieved August 26, 2007
Greyboy Allstars at AllAboutJazz
Retrieved August 26, 2007
KD3 bio at JamBase
* Karl Denson at allmusic.comRetrieved January 29, 2009
Interview with TheWaster.com
Retrieved February 10, 2014

External links

Karl Denson websiteKarl Denson Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (2017) American jazz flautists American jazz saxophonists American funk saxophonists American male saxophonists African-American jazz musicians Jam bands Jazz musicians from California People from Santa Ana, California Living people 1956 births 21st-century American saxophonists 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians The Greyboy Allstars members 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people 21st-century flautists {{flautist-stub