Karl Denson's Tiny Universe feat. Jimmy Herring 12.1.16

New Mountain AVL
Asheville, NC

Words By Taylor Hall
Photos By J. Scott Shrader Photography

There was a lot of excitement around the Southeast when news broke that Widespread Panic's guitarist Jimmy Herring would be joining Karl on a four night run. Alongside Karl and Jimmy, the band consists of Alan Evans(Soulive), Chris Stillwell(Greyboy Allstars), DJ Williams(DJ Williams Project), David Veith(Crush Effects), Chris Littlefield, and Seth Freeman.

The evening opened with a local Jazz Funk band called The Digs, an instrumental band with catchy melodies and intelligent solos. Their progressive approach to Jazz and Funk grooves is reminiscent to that of Steely Dan and Ernest Ranglin. They were a welcomed treat to open up the dance floor for the night.

Karl Densons' Tiny Universe took the stage shortly after the digs finished, and showed off their unique brand of 60's Soul and Funk. The energy that exerts off of Karl is contagious, and at sixty years old, he doesn't look to be slowing down. The band is effortlessly smooth with their delivery and they wowed the crowd with temption-esque dance moves.

The band set themselves up for success by choosing a setlist that comprised of many well known covers that all ages could enjoy. Essentially, you have a rhythm guitarist and two lead guitarist interchanging solos on the cuff. This led to some mesmerizing guitar work, and Seth Freeman was not shy to challenge Jimmy lick for lick, with his rootsy slide approach.

The highlight of the show was of course Karl Denson. Karl is an incredible singer and such a good listener, that for parts of the show, he would simply pick up a percussion instrument and let the music build around him until he saw it fit to add a horn solo. The bands rendition of 'Some Skunk Funk' was lights out and really showcased Karl's saxophone prowess. Overall, this show had all the bells and whistles you would come to expect from musicians of this class. You can still catch Karl on a slew of dates before the year's end that include the Midwest, Florida and the West Coast.

Setlist: Power Soul, Boogaloo, Down, Down, Down, The Clap, Just Got Paid, Come Dancing, Have You Seen Him, When I Get Home, Some Skunk Funk, Young Americans, Millvale, Showbiz Kidz, Monkstrap, Satisfied Encore: NYC

www.karldenson.us

www.jimmyherring.net