THE SMOOTH JAZZ RIDE
Artist Interviews
Kirk Whalum -- Mar. 7, 2010
When you have a horn to toot and you don't feel the need to do so because you're so foc
used on how you can better provide encouragement and joy for your fellow man through your music, your name must be Kirk Whalum. A most renowned and accomplished artist with some of the most down-to-earth sense of self imaginable, this household name is as full of spirit as he is of music and leaps at every chance to demonstrate it. When we have a conversation with an artist, we are always hoping that we'll find ourselves in the kind of grounded and unpretentious chat that Kirk Whalum provided. Have a seat and enjoy the flow.
TSJR: Kirk, you’re known as simply one of the best and most popular saxmen in the business, with a great numbwer of hits. Tell me a bit about how this long journey began. Who was the person responsible for first shining that light on Kirk Whalum?
KW: First, thanks for the great compliment with respect to my “hits.” I actually don’t feel I have any hits, per se. (laughs) Especially when I look at my colleagues and their hits. I guess people tend to identify with Kirk Whalum, the person, more so than with any one hit. Of course, I guess there are many who would differ with me and say “Oh yes, I think such-and-such was a big hit,” and that’s always a great compliment to me.
As for the person who first got me interested in music, it would have to be my 81-year-old uncle, Hugh “Peanuts” Whalum. He’s about 5’4”. A small man with a huge personality. When I was 12, I was playing a little bass, a little drums, anything I could get my hands on. When I finally got my hands on a saxophone, back in 7th grade, it was love at first sight. It used to be that when you were in public school, you had access to an instrument. When my uncle first heard me (I played Amazing Grace or something like that--I’d been playing for maybe a month or so, and I was pretty cocky), he was so encouraging, and I was this kid who was a cute mixture of arrogance and complete ignorance. Then, he asked me to let him play that sax, and it blew me away! To think of how hearing him made me feel, it was so angelic and sweet. Of course, when you’re a kid, you don’t want to admit that (laughs), but it was locked in my head, and it really changed my life.
TSJR: Who would you consider to be the biggest influence in getting you to where you are now?
KW: I’d have to say Arnette Cobb. When I was in college at Texas Southern in Houston, I really decided on a college based on all the wrong things (laughs). I was just looking at the cheerleaders instead of checking out the saxophone department.
I had been a huge fan of Ronnie Laws and Wilton Felder of the Crusaders. These were the two guys who really shaped how I looked at jazz. Of course, I wasn’t quite ready for Coltrane yet. So, it turns out that these two guys, though they’d already finished, had gone to this same college. About a month in, we had a visit from a kind gentleman who lived a few blocks away and was a world renowned sax player by the name of Arnette Cobb. I latched on to him right away. I’d follow him around, go to his house and play, and he’d tell me “You know what? You play too many notes, and you ain’t sayin’ nothin’.” That had such an impact on me, and I’d say “Hmm, maybe that’s what I need to hear.” As the years went by, we got really close. We went on to perform a few times together.
When he got really sick, I was in Japan. He later passed, and I couldn’t make the funeral, but before that, I had played and prayed for him in his ICU unit. He couldn’t speak or anything, and I remember him shedding some tears. It was a special moment. Later on, I was in town playing at a jazz festival, and his daughter Lisette came up to me and grabbed and hugged me. It was like she had been waiting for me. She was holding both my hands, and I looked down and saw that she was putting something on my finger, and it was Arnette’s ring. I tried to refuse it, but she was insistent, and I’ve had that ring, which has a treble clef and a couple of eighth notes, for over 20 years.
TSJR: I know that spirituality plays a huge part in your life, refreshingly spilling over into your music. When did you first know that you wanted to take the route of incorporating your faith into your music?
KW: Well, when I was very young, around 7, I would imitate my father’s sermons. You know, when you’re young like that, you always aspire to be like your father. At the same time, you’re trying not to be like him. You know, in the microcosm or the little kingdom of the Black church, there’s a certain dynamic where you’re a little prince or princess, and there’s a certain expectation that you’re going to grow to be a minister. So, a big part of me resisted that. Then, I ultimately realized that that’s what I am. Sometimes, it’s gotten me into trouble with my music, when you’re a bit overzealous about God. So, I know it's also important to respect others and the journey they may be on.
TSJR: You have so many very talented and musical members of your family. Tell us how you came to include the marvelous family members who are now with you on your tours and recordings.
KW: Having my family with me has been such a great experience. They’re now performing with me, but I have to say that I look forward to the day when I’ll be invited to play with them. I produced an album for my uncle, and he didn’t have to let me play on that album, but he did. My son, Kyle, has a rock band, The Wailin Canes, and they’re travelling around, tearing it up. I hope that, someday, even though it’s a different genre, he’ll let his old man sit in with him (laughs). Then, there’s my nephew, Kenneth Whalum III, who’s this great sax player who’s now touring with Maxwell and has toured with Jay-Z and Beyonce. So, here are other people who are recognizing the talent in my family and here I am, sitting like a bump on a log. I finally determined that I needed to see what I can do to facilitate that and just do my part.
TSJR: What new artist or group in contemporary jazz has impressed you the most and why?
KW: Well, there's Soweto Kinch, a British sax player and rapper who did “Jazz Planet.” He’s fantastic. He has such a style. You have to check him out. There are a couple of others in the Jazz/Hip Hop arena like RF Factor, Russell Gunn. Of course, there’s Lalah (Hathaway) and Jessy J.
TSJR: What are some of your hobbies?
KW: Actually, that’s one of the downsides for some of us in this business. I really don’t have any hobbies. I guess I do like to frequent the gym; not necessarily to pump iron but I like the saunas and the calm they bring. I mostly like to focus on self-improvement. Musically and otherwise. I’m always seeking to grow, to learn more.
I’m also very much into languages. I study and speak Japanese, French, and Spanish. I guess in some strange way, that’s a hobby, as well. (laughs)
TSJR: So, now you’ve released the latest in the Gospel According to Jazz series-- Chapter III this time. A two-CD set with a DVD. Tell us a bit about that. I understand it’s a live recording, recorded back in 2007 here in Maryland. Who’s performing with you on it, as I know you had some incredible help, including that great family of yours?
KW: Yes, it’s a great project in a series. I released two others (Chapters I and II), and it’s all really to show how one can merge the beauty of the Gospel with music, even some secular music that has a common thread. For example, we do the old hit “You Are Everything” and that holds such an appropriate meaning in gospel as well as in secular music. We have a great group helping out on Chapter III, with folks like George Duke, Doc Powell, and Lalah Hathaway, as well as my family.
TSJR: Considering where you’ve been and what you’ve done already in jazz, what goals would you still like to achieve in this business?
KW: Well, I just seek to continue to improve Kirk Whalum. You know, in May, I hope to be walking down the aisle to receive my degree in theology, and that’s a big thrill for me. It will give me the opportunity to continue spreading the word and giving love vertically to the Creator as well as horizontally (that human-to-human love, you know).
TSJR: How can your fans reach you to find out about your activities?
KW: Well, there’s always my website (www.Kirkwhalum.com) and I’m also on Facebook (www.facebook.com/KirkWhalum)
TSJR: Thanks, Kirk, for taking this time to chat with us. All the best to you, the GATJ Chapter III project, your wonderful family, and your career.
KW: It’s been my pleasure. Thank you very much.
A huge salute to a man who's always remained true to his sense of self and growth. We look forward to his many more years of jazzin'!