Kirk Whalum
Into His Soul
Artist Interview by: Norm Breest
Saxophonist Kirk Whalum has performed with such notables as Whitney Houston, Babyface, Luther Vandross, Nancy Wilson, George Benson, Bebe and Cece Winans, Barbara Streisand, Vince Gill, Michael McDonald and Quincy Jones. This year, Whalum toured the country as part of the smooth jazz super group BWB with trumpeter Rick Braun and Grammy winning guitarist Norman Brown. Whalum’s newest Warner Bros. CD Into My Soul, is like a homecoming.
"Often the first thing people associate with Memphis is Elvis and Graceland, and rightfully so. But he often deflected credit to the long and rich history of black musicians who created a unique musical style distilled over centuries," says Whalum. That style is what Whalum and many other musicians call Memphis soul. Whalum says that going back to his Memphis roots was not only important, but also “enriching."
“There's always that natural connection. And for me to be from Memphis and to be a musician, obviously it's nice to share that with people in this form. Rock and roll was influenced by rhythm and blues, which was influenced by the blues, which pretty much got started right [here] in Memphis. Memphis was a kind of New York at the time for these performers from the south. Memphis soul is unique. There's something about it that reflects a depth of culture that ended up impacting the whole world. If not directly, certainly through the music of folks like the Rolling Stones and Elvis Presley, not to mention all the great rhythm and blues artists Sam and Dave, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding and on and on and on.”
On his new release Into My Soul, Whalum has some of the best Memphis musicians helping him. He says, "To say that I'm working with David Porter," who made so many hits with Stax Records, "it ought to be like Carte Blanche to the world. But unfortunately, not everybody who listens to music that has been impacted by Memphis music actually knows the history behind it. To work with that guy, the Soul Man himself, as well as Issac Hayes and Maurice White from Earth, Wind and Fire and on and on, on a Memphis project. . .God willing, I hope I’ve got a lot more music to make, but if I didn't, this would certainly be a record that I could say consummates a career.”
Whalum says that instead of recording a CD of covers of those famous Memphis soul songs, he wanted to do something more. “It wasn't about covers, it was about writing new songs in the spirit of Memphis music,” says Whalum. “We wanted to make a point. The Memphis sound is ongoing and ever expanding. Its future is connected to the past, but not limited to it." There are, however, two covers on Whalum’s June 2003 release, Into My Soul. One is the great Sam and Dave song Hold On, I'm Coming, written by David Porter and Isaac Hayes. The other is the first song Elvis Presley recorded for the old Sun Records label called That's Alright Mamma.
“Working with Isaac Hayes on the track I Loved You in Memphis was a treat,” says Whalum. “He does put his heart and soul into it. He acts a lot in movies and TV and he put his actor's hat on this song. You can feel the angst of that disappointment of love. The true love that you had and were used to back in your hometown is long gone. You sort of move on and begin to pursue other things, like career. Many times you end up empty and you wish you had made that sacrifice that had to take to keep that love. That's what the song is all about."
Into My Soul is a family affair for Whalum, featuring his brother Kevin and his son Kyle. "What a joy that is,” says Whalum. “I work with my brother a lot because he lives in Nashville. Pretty much whenever I do a project, I got him earmarked for some part of it. I'm such a big fan of his, and we work well together and complement each other. My son is just a tremendous, gifted musician at 19. I work at keeping him humble, but he is a great musician in the making."
A student at Belmont University, Kyle has already toured with other performers. Kyle is a bassist and has his own group called Sweet T. His group won the Grammy Showcase in Nashville over 500 other competitors. Whalum says, "I included him on this record doing something kind of unusual. It's not listed on the actual CD, but it's a bonus track that's sort of connected to the last song on the CD. The chord changes from the song Giant Steps, that's a very difficult song from John Coltrane, we put that in 7/4 time so my son is not only playing the song, he is also playing the chord."
No matter what kind of project Kirk Whalum does, there is always one thing that is consistent with everyone. It is always under the watchful eye of God. He says there are a lot of other performers who sometimes worry about mentioning the Lord in their work. Whalum says, "Many performers don't want to push off their own beliefs on their audience and that indeed is not what I'm doing. They say if you don't believe in something, you'll fall for anything. When you believe in someone to the extent that you will give your life to that individual, then it flows naturally. He should be not only in your life and a part of your life, He should be the center of your life,” says Whalum. “It just so happens that what I get in return because it happens to be the Lord Jesus, the sovereign Lord of the universe, I get back so much more than I could ever give out by just mentioning Him. It's not about 'Christian Music.' I'm a jazz musician who gives all the credit and glory for what I do to the One who gave me the talent to do it."
Some people say you can never go back home. Kirk Whalum does for Into My Soul and shows the roots that he has for Memphis. He was born there and performed with the choir in his father's church. The new CD shows where Memphis soul has been and where it is going. Into My Soul is really into Kirk Whalum.
For more information: http://kirkwhalum.com
Photo by: © Tasic Dragan
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