Saturday Stream | Jamming With Karl Denson

Whether with his sax or his flute, leading a band or part of an ensemble, Karl Denson has been adding his signature sound to broad spectrum of recordings throughout his extensive career. It was confirmed this week he’s set to rejoin The Rolling Stones on their upcoming Zip Code North American Tour this summer, adding to one of the many projects the funky flutist and saxman from San Diego has lent his talents to over the years. He’s known for leading his bands Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe and the Karl Denson Trio and participation in The Greyboy Allstars, as well as issuing a number of solo LPs. The 20-song Spotify playlist below examines Karl D.’s work outside of those efforts, instead focusing on his output as guest collaborator extraordinaire. 


The set kicks off with a Denson appearance on a track by 1980s R&B singer-songwriter O’Bryan and moves through sessions with diverse acts like Lenny Kravitz, Fred Wesley, Blackalicious, The RH Factor, Gary Jules and Ron Levy. It also includes funk-forward recordings with John Scofield, Stanton Moore, Soulive and Robert Walter’s 20th Congress. From the jam rock world Karl D. gets down with Gov’t Mule, The String Cheese Incident, Umphrey’s McGee and Slightly Stoopid. And that’s not all. There’s plenty of Karl Denson’s universe to dig into in over two-hours of funked-out, jazzy rock ‘n’ roll.