In our series of videos about Great Sax Players, this week I want to tell you about one of my absolute favourite “Commercial” players – Kirk Whalum.
If you know about Kirk already then I can’t wait to hear what you think of my favourite albums and tracks suggestions from Kirk.
If you have never come across this incredible player then you’re in for a treat. Plus, I have a solo transcription for you too and some tips on how to get Kirk’s style in your playing.
Get the solo transcription PDF for this lesson – plus all of our other free resources
Free Solo transcription inside Locker
Saxophone Styles
In Sax School we are constantly looking at all styles of saxophone music from Blues to Jazz, Ska, Pop and even classical. In our series of Great Players so far we have discussed Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, Blues legend Sam the Man Taylor and Funk icon Maceo Parker.
But today we are looking at a Commercial saxophone Legend and one of my absolute favourite players – Kirk Whalum.
Now I think of Kirk as a “Commercial Saxophone” player but you might be more familiar with the term “Smooth Jazz”. He’s also known as a “pop” sax player and he has actually recorded probably the MOST FAMOUS pop sax solo ever – more on that in a bit. Either way, Kirk’s music is accessible jazz with a pop / RnB focus. Let’s find out more about him.
Kirk Whalum – Background
Kirk Whalum was born in Memphis and grew up in a musical family. His Dad was a minister so Kirk unsurprisingly grew up in the gospel scene and that’s something that is a huge part of his life and career.
In the 1980s Kirk was really busy in the Houston club scene with his own band. There’s a great story that Andy Snitzer told me in our session with him for Sax School.
These days Andy Snitzer tours with Billy Joel and Paul Simon, but back then he had been plucked from university to go on tour with the musical icon Bob James.
Andy told me that on this tour they played a show in Houston. The support act was a local sax player, and before their set Andy and Bob were checking him out. Andy said he can remember clear as day standing there watching with Bob James and both of them being BLOWN AWAY by this player – he was amazing.
Guess who that was…. Kirk Whalum!
That was 1984 and it was actually the start of Bob’s relationship with Kirk Whalum that spanned loads of musical projects, led to Kirks’ first #1 song and a Grammy Nomination. Pretty amazing.
Kirk Whalum: Recordings
Those first albums from this period are a brilliant place to start checking out Kirk’s playing. “Floppy Disk” is great, but also check out “Cache” from 1992. This was actually the very first album of Kirk’s that I ever heard. His track “Love is a Losing Game” is brilliant and you get to hear Kirk in all his glory on this track.
Also around this time Kirk did an album with Bob James called “Joined at the Hip”. That is mega and has so many great tracks including a brilliant groovy version of “Midnight at the Oasis” with a killer soprano solo.
Through the 90’s Kirk was massively in demand as a session player and recorded with Barbra Streisand, and Al Jarreau. You can hear him with Luther Vandross, Larry Carlton, Quincy Jones, and of course Whitney Houston.
The Whitney Solo
Do you remember the movie “The Bodyguard”? So the iconic sax solo on “I Will Always Love You” from the move soundtrack is Kirk – and they actually recorded that live on the set for the movie.
That track went stratospheric – it is still the best selling single by a female artist – of. All. time! And, the soundtrack album won a grammy too.
So if you hadn’t heard Kirk Whalum’s name before today, then I’ll bet you have heard his playing on that track because pretty much adult in the Western world has!
Other Albums
Since Whitney Kirk has been consistently releasing amazing albums – over 25 to date. So, lots to choose from.
A couple of my favourites are “For You” which was a huge commercial success. I love the track “Ascension” .
Also check out the album “Unconditional”. The opening track “Now Til Forever” is brilliant and a great example of Kirk’s beautiful warm sound and amazing expression.
Another series of albums to check out are the Gospel According to Jazz recordings. There are 4 now – packed with amazing tracks and there are some brilliant videos on Youtube of the live recordings of these albums.
As I’m recording this it’s coming up to Christmas and Kirk has just released a new Christmas Album: “How does Christmas Sound” – It’s on my playlist for the holidays for sure!
Why I Love Kirk’s Playing
For me I’m always trying to make a connection with the music on my sax. That’s what I’m always listening for in other players too. It’s so important, and that’s something that I think Kirk Whalum does better than just about anyone else in a contemporary setting. Kirk’s sound is so full and rich AND most importantly he has a way to get so much meaning into his playing. It’s the same when you see him live as on a recording (and I’ve seen him play a few times in the US and here in the UK – always amazing).
If you like the commercial side of saxophone, in my opinion Kirk is the benchmark we should all be aiming for. And I suspect all the other big commercial players are listening to what Kirk is doing too!
The Kirk Whalum Transcription
So I want to dig into a solo with you so we can really start to understand Kirk Whalum’s style. Of course we could look at the classic “I Will Always Love You” solo – but I already have some lessons on that inside Sax School if you want to learn it.
Instead today I want to take a look at that track “Midnight at the Oasis” from his album with Bob James “Joined at the Hip”.
Kirk has a wonderful soprano sound which I think is a fantastic model if you are looking at soprano. Plus, on this track you can hear some of the stylistic features of Kirk’s playing, that he uses on tenor saxophone too.
Take a listen to the solo on the video.
The solo
I love this solo. It’s only 8 bars but there is so much going on here.
The first thing to notice is that it is rhythmically and melodically quite simple. Kirk is not playing super-fast or screaming altissimo.
Instead, he’s playing clear rhythmical lines and clear melodic ideas. This is great to think about in our own solos.
Another thing to notice is all the little decorations. Pay close attention to the scoops, little bends, and the way he uses grace notes and articulation.
I’ve written quite a lot of these into the transcription. You can get the transcription from our Locker, using the link above.
I would really suggest you spend a lot of time listening to the recording, to hear how Kirk plays these little details, because that’s what makes the difference. These details are subtle, but they are really identifiable as Kirk’s style.
Next Steps
Don’t forget you can grab this PDF transcription from the Locker. It’s free to access and it’s where we put all of our free content. Register using the link above.
Of course if you’re a Sax School member you’ll find this transcription and other Kirk Whalum lessons inside our Member Area lesson library.
Remember, if you want to really get your saxophone playing on track and dig into Commercial saxophone or any other style, come see what we’re doing at Sax School. Get some help from our tutors, try out a bunch of lessons and see if it’s right for you. Start today with Sax School!