PLACES LIKE NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES AND NASHVILLE GET THE REPUTATIONS FOR BEING CENTERS OF MUSIC, BUT THE FACT IS THAT MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL CITIES FOR AMERICAN MUSIC, RANKING MAYBE ONLY SECOND TO NYC TO IT’S BREADTH AND WIDTH.
CARE TO DISAGREE? HOW ABOUT IT BEING THE BIRTHPLACE OF WC HANDY? THEN THERE’S THE STORIES OF BEALE STREET THAT ARE LEGENDARY. AS FAR AS ARTISTS, MEMPHIS HAS DELIVERED MORE THAN IT’S SHARE: BB KING, BOBBY ‘BLUE’ BLAND, HANK CRAWFORD, GEORGE COLEMAN, AL GREEN, HOWLIN’ WOLF, ISAAC HAYES, ARETHA FRANKLIN, CHARLES LLOYD, JIMMIE LUNCEFORD AND MEMPHIS SLIM ARE JUST A HANDFUL THAT FIRST COME TO MIND.
NOT TO MENTION, THE LEGENDARY LABEL, STAX RECORDS, WAS FOUNDED HERE AND WAS THE HOME OF ARTISTS THAT CHANGED THE DIRECTION OF MUSIC, BEING ONE OF THE VERY FIRST LABELS TO HAVE INTEGRATED ROCK GROUPS. WITH THE BACKING OF BOOKER T JONES AND THE BAR-KEYS, THE LABEL STARTED THE CAREERS OF SAM & DAVE, EDDIE FLOYD AND A GUY BY THE NAME OF OTIS REDDING.
THEN, YOU’VE GOT SUN RECORDS, WHICH WAS THE FIRST HOME FOR JOHNNY CASH, SAM PERKINS, ELVIS PRESLEY AND JERRY LEE LEWIS. DRY RUB BBQ WAS INVENTED HERE, WITH ‘THE RENDEVOUS’ STILL OPEN AFTER ALL THESE YEARS. THROW IN ELVIS’ HOME OF GRACELAND, AND AL GREEN’S CHURCH WHERE HE HOLDS THE PULPIT, AND YOU’VE GOT JUST ABOUT EVERY SIDE OF LIFE COVERED.
KEEPING AND CONTINUING THE TRADITION, KIRK WHALUM STILL LIVES IN THE CITY WHERE HE WAS BORN. HAVING TOURED AND MAKING FAME WITH WHITNEY HOUSTON DURING HER “I’LL ALWAYS LOVE YOU” DAYS, HE NOW LIVES THE LIFE OF MIXING SOULFUL JAZZ AND ‘JAZZING UP’ CHURCH SONGS. HIS COLLECTION OF ALBUMS ENTITLED ‘THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JAZZ’ HAS SHOWN WHERE THE SOUL OF JAZZ ACTUALLY BEGAN, WHICH IS THE CHURCH.
HE’S ALSO PARTNERED WITH FRIENDS NORMAN BROWN AND RICK BRAUN FOR A TRIO OF SWINGING ALBUMS. TOGETHER, THEY’VE RECORDED SOUL HITS AND MICHAEL JACKSON MATERIAL THAT FITS THEIR GROOVE. THEIR LATEST ALBUM, ‘BWB’ INCLUDES ORIGINALS THAT ARE TOE TAPPING PIECES OF JOY.
WE RECENTLY CAUGHT UP WITH THE SWINGIN’ REV, AND ASKED HIM TO LET US CATCH UP ON HIS LIFE, AND WHAT THE MEMPHIS LIFE MEANS TO HIM PERSONALLY AND SPIRITUALLY.
HOW ARE THINGS WITH YOU RIGHT NOW?
I live in Memphis; paradise!
WHAT DO YOU BRING TO A GIG OR SESSION WHEN YOU BRING MEMPHIS TO A GIG OR SESSION? MUSICALLY, SPIRITUALL AND GASTRONOMICALLY?
I think that they’re all interconnected. The barbeque culture of Memphis is a social culture that brings people together. My dad was a big barbeque head. He was a pastor and one of the big things about his church was that there was a shed with a big sign on it that had “BARBEQUE” written on it. It was a beacon of his; he was the grill master.
It was about serving others. Memphis is a relatively poor city. Statistics prove that people are more generous than rich people, and they tend to live more socially and philanthropically, but it’s not spoken of in those big terms (laughs). It’s a BBQ culture.
Spiritually, for Memphis, I would say that the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr here was a big spiritual sea change towards the world. Not just America. I don’t think that it’s coincidental that it happened here. I think that the racial mix here has the potential of being the poster child for being what can happen when we work together.
I’ll give you an example of how they can all mix together. If you go back to the history of STAX Records, you know right away that it starts with a country fiddle player looking for cheap real estate in order to open his own studio. He asked where the cheapest real estate was and it was in the black neighborhoods.
He opened it up in an old run-down theater near where I spent my first few years of life. He ends up with a studio filled with black people and white people working together. Bands like Booker T and the MGs with Steve Cropper and The Memphis Horns, both black and white. It was all mixed together.
To say that happened here to Martin Luther King was a death knell to the synergy and harmony (literally) is an understatement. It was the reason STAX Records fell apart; everything changed. The atmosphere changed and everyone said “Wow; I don’t think I can be in the same room with you because of your skin color. I can’t reconcile it.” All of those things are tied together.
BUT, AS YOU KNOW, THE PROBLEM ISN’T SKIN, THE PROBLEM IS SIN
(Laughs) That’s right, and it’s manifested in some of the darned-est ways. You can even circle back and say that now that Memphis is in this present form of a renaissance. We’re going to prove again to the world that by working together we complete each other. This involves all cultures and races. It’s ancillary to the work of God. This is absolutely about Jesus Christ, the gospel and the God of salvation. It’s one and the same; the liberating work of Christ continues, back from the book of Exodus when there was a liberating of the oppressed, spiritually and otherwise. This is Ground Zero.
THAT ATTITUDE IS REFLECTED IN THE LINER NOTES OF YOUR LATEST ALBUM, BWB, WHERE YOU STATE “RELATIONSHIPS…ARE MORE IMPORTANT EVEN THAN MUSIC.” HOW DID YOU COME TO THAT CONCLUSION?
The more I travel and the more I realized that I’m dependent on those relationships the more I realized my own weaknesses. It was instilled to me early in life from my parents, because they were all about that.
My dad was the “pastor/dad” of a whole lot of people; they called him “Reverend Daddy.” He pastored a lot of kids that came from broken homes and the natural outcomes of Jim Crow. My dad and a lot of other pastors took up the slack, so we were raised in a community. We didn’t feel like we were his only kids. And there were three of us; three boys.
HAVING GROWN UP IN THIS ENVIRONMENT, DID YOU EVER GO THROUGH A “CRISIS OF FAITH” WHERE YOU HAD TO EITHER QUESTION OR GIVE OWNERSHIP TO WHAT YOU WERE TAUGHT AS A CHILD?
I absolutely did. The crisis of faith occurred when I was in college as a sophomore. I was studying with a musician friend who was into metaphysics. I got really deep into it and was fascinated with it. The deeper I got into it, I put a check on my spirit, and lo and behold I had a school assignment to read a passage from the Bible for my English class. I figured, “Oh, this will be easy; my daddy’s a pastor.” I figured that gave me some deep insight into Scripture.
I went and got my Bible off the shelf. I remember it being all dusty; I opened it up, and there was a dead roach on that very page! Talk about a sign from the Almighty! That was a big moment for me, and I immediately thought of what I had been reading: Elizabeth Claire Prophet and other metaphysical writers, and I thought, “Man,you’re reading all of this stuff, but you’ve never actually read the Bible.
I believe now that was the Holy Spirit speaking to me. I then thought, “I’ve got to do that.”
So I started reading; I’m pretty sure I started in the book of John and man, it just ripped my head off! It humbled me; I went through periods of purging and crying out to God. That was my big moment and it was when I began to walk with God and got really serious about my calling and what God’s word means to us all.
GOD HAS NO GRANDCHILDREN
That’s the truth!
HAVE YOU EVER GONE TO AL GREEN’S CHURCH IN MEMPHIS?
I’ve been there a couple of times. It’s an interesting place; he’s a person who to me represents someone who went through a similar crisis of faith or epiphany. He felt at that moment that he should be a pastor and start a church and get involved in the ministry.
I’ve gotten involved in the ministry too, but I was pretty sure I should not start a church.
WITH A FOUR HOUR WORSHIP SERVICE!
It’s not something everybody can do. But, remember: when we say “Pastor” in English, in Spanish and French the word literally means “shepherd.” So, if you’re not willing to shepherd people with consistency, and be there on call and being a psychiatrist and all of that, then you shouldn’t lead a church.
No aspersions on (Green). He’s a musician, someone who’s loved all over the world. I heard him in Montreux, Switzerland. I heard him in Holland, and he ripped an audience apart. As far as I’m concerned, that’s what his calling and his congregation is.
SPEAKING OF COMMUNITY AND CONGREGATION, IT SOUNDS LIKE IN THE LINER NOTES TO YOUR BWB ALBUM THAT YOU, RICK BRAUN AND NORMAN BROWN LIVED TOGETHER DURING THE RECORDING.
We spent a week hanging out at Rick’s place; we took an extended vacation in order to produce the ten songs, so we kind of went into it with a little trepidation, knowing we’d never done something like this. Are we really a band just out of convenience? That was a real question.
But, when we got our first couple of songs together, we thought, “Hey, we’ve got our own sound!” It was exciting; it was the kind of a genesis in a sense. And we’re all fans of AWB, The Average White Band, so we called ourselves the BWB. Maybe there will be a CWB someday (laughs).
The fact that their music is so infectious, intricate, funky and rhythmic, made for dance and with vocals and given over to really entertaining people. I think that is one of the distinctives of this kind of jazz. Yes, it’s jazz and we improvise with the rhythm section, but it’s the type of music for the guy or lady who just got off work and do not want to be schooled on anything; they just want to have some fun. That’s what this music is about.
YOU WANT TO PUT THE “FUN” BACK IN FUNKY
That’s right
AT OUR CHURCH, WE TRY TO PUT THE “FUN” BACK IN “FUNDAMENTALISM.”
I’m going to remember that one.
THIS IS ACTUALLY YOUR THIRD ALBUM TOGETHER. YOU’VE DONE ONE OF 70S HITS, AND THEN THE MICHAEL JACKSON SONGBOOK. HOW DID THE GROUP ACTUALLY START?
Matt Pearson was the head of Jazz A&R at Warner Brothers, and it was his idea. The three of us would be backstage, just hanging out. Matt would be a fly on the wall and say, “You guys are always back here playing bebop; you should do something together.
This was around the time when the economics of this music warranted more collaborations, so it made sense for us to do it. So, when we did do these albums, it was partly because we love hanging out together. But, when it came down to actually making a record, writing music and forming a band, we didn’t know if we could do it. But, we did it, we love it, and we love listening to it!
HOW DID BOB JAMES ORIGINALLY FIND YOU?
Bob was on Columbia Records at the time. I opened a concert for him in in Houston in 1983. Two weeks later I was in New York playing on his record “12”; he signed me to Columbia where I had my first record. We later did a record together that was a consummation of our getting together and it was nominated for a Grammy, called Joined At The Hip.
JAMES IS CONSIDERED THE GUY THAT “STARTED” SMOOTH JAZZ, FOR A LABEL THAT IS BETTER OR WORSE. DO YOU CONSIDER THAT MONICKER A BLESSING OR AN ALBATROSS?
Bob was at the beginning of smooth jazz, maybe unwillingly isn’t the right word (laughs). The labels are a reality that we have to negotiate with on a daily basis.
It’s a blessing, because people who are too busy to “get into” the minutiae of what our kind of music is, will say “Yeah, I like smooth jazz, and that’s what I listen to on the radio.” That gives us a window to get in. We’ll take that onramp.
AND YET, YOU SHOW THAT YOU KNOW HOW TO BLOW ON THOSE MACK AVENUE ALL STAR ALBUMS.
That again is what makes it all complete. None of us, except for maybe a Dave Koz, will say “I got into this because I love rock and roll.” Most of us want to play jazz. We’d hear Cannonball Adderley and Sonny Stitt and say “I want to play like that.”
But at the same time, there was the Crusaders who originally brought in the funk. You can even actually go back to Cannonball, with that ‘60s sound of R&B with “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy.” You know, Sly and the Family Stone influenced a strain of jazz artists who knew that the writing was on the wall.
Bebop was over when it comes to pop culture. It wasn’t like they didn’t like the music. They thought, “Hey this guy Stevie Wonder is great.” We all came along in that era. Al Jarreau, Joe Sample…
Then, the radio format that came along in the early 90s and late 80s and they kind of funneled stuff in from New Age, so you could listen to it in the background while you worked. We got funneled in with it, but what makes us different is that on my gigs, with BWB or with the Mack Avenue Superband, we can dig in a little deeper because the audience expectation allows us that liberty and luxury.
YOU SPENT A LOT OF TIME BEING IN WHITNEY HOUSTON’S BAND. LOOKING BACK, WAS THAT A SEGUE INTO WHAT YOU’RE DOING NOW, WAS IT A MINISTRY, OR WAS IT SOMETHING ELSE?
At the time it felt like a distraction, although it was the most wonderful distraction in so many ways. I was on a path and I was focused on that path. One thing people can never accuse me of is not being focused. That experience came as a serendipity, but I had to think it through. I had a feeling doing it was going to be at a cost of the momentum which I was slowly building. And, it did kind of set me back in that one sense.
But, in another way; Gee, playing behind and supporting a thoroughbred, a world renowned artist was a beautiful experience. Being her “chaplain” was a Life Moment for me.
Musically speaking, I don’t really know if it factored in except that for now I have this business calling card that says that I’m the guy who soloed on “I Will Always Love You.” But that was all part of what I was already doing.
I showed her an article once when I first started playing with her from a few years before when people asked me who I was trying to sound like. People expected me to say someone like James Moody, but I said that I wanted to sound like Whitney Houston. It cracked her up that that was the case.
DO YOU STRUGGLE WHEN YOU ARE A BANDMATE AS TO WHEN TO MINISTER SPIRITUALLY TO SOMEONE? CAN YOU DISCERN WHEN TO BE A “PASTOR” AND WHEN TO BE A “BUDDY”?
It is a balancing act in one sense, and I’ve evolved a lot on that one. I now try my best to be a better listener. I do naturally look for those moments where I can share the light of the gospel. More in terms in reflecting the presence of Christ more than sharing any particular Scripture.
What I am dogmatic about is praying with the guys before we go on stage. That has been a true miracle, and I’m not always the only one who prays. Sometimes they’ll pray. I’m speaking specifically about the BWB guys who may not be Christians per se, but are on a spiritual path and have their justifiable doubts about organized religion and Christianity. You know the story, so I find myself threading the needle, and I’m grateful for that because it’s taken many years for me to be a better person at it.
I think one of the things that I’ve identified in my own walk in Fundamentalist Christianity is that it can be pretty arrogant. One of the things that I learned in seminary was that God is everywhere. Not in terms of “Universalism” but that you shouldn’t think for one second that you know everything about God because you have read the Bible.
WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE GOALS, AND WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED FOR?
People who comment that they identify me as a spiritual brother. I’ll tell you a story; (guitarist) Jeff Golub was a dear friend and a great artist. He died a pretty miserable death (Progressive Nuclear Palsy), losing his sight and all that.
He was like other friends. He’d say, “Naw, I’m not really into that God thing. I’m not feelin’ it.” But, when it came time that when he knew he was dying, he had his wife call me and say “Can you come to New York? Jeff wants to ask you some questions.”
He called me a “Holy Man,” telling me “You’re the only Holy Man I know that I trust.” That was his terminology; I know that I’m not “holy” except in the sense that Christ is in me. I was able to spend time with him. I told him “You want to know what’s next? I’ll be completely honest with you. Flesh and blood can’t tell you. I can’t tell you exactly about hell because they’ve never been there. But what I believe is that God is waiting for you; He loves you and created you. He’s allowed this to happen, but He hasn’t abandoned you, and He’ll be there for you.
You’re going to be surprised at how much God loves you. “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard what God has prepared for those who love Him.” I was able to share from a place of vulnerability, and told him “Let’s have communion; are you ready for that?” He said “Let’s do it.”
I found a bottle of blueberry port and a bagel. Everyone else had left, and told him, “This is the blood of Christ, shed for your sins.” That’s how I want to be remembered, I want to be all things to all people to win some to Christ.
AS YOU CAN SEE, KIRK WHALUM’S IDENTITY IS NOT ONLY WITH THE CITY OF MEMPHIS, BUT ALSO WITH THE CITY OF GOD.HE IS ABLE TO TAKE ALL OF THE FACETS OF HIS CHILDHOOD HOME AND SHARE THEM MUSICALLY WITH HIS FRIENDS AND FANS.
IN THE SAME VEIN, WHALUM IS ABLE TO TAKE HIS CITIZENSHIP IN HEAVEN AND BE AN AMBASSADOR TO THESE SAME PEOPLE. HE CAN DEMONSTRATE WHAT THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS LIKE THROUGH HIS CHARACTER, USING HIS MUSICIANSHIP AS HIS KEY TO OPENING HIS MANY RELATIONSHIPS. WHILE THE WORLD IDENTIFIES HIM WITH MUSIC AND WHITNEY HOUSTON, WHALUM SEES HIMSELF AS A CHILD OF GOD WHO’S HOMETOWN SIMPLY ADDS FLAVOR TO THE AROMA OF GOD’S LOVE AND JOY. AND THERE’S NOTHING LIKE THE SMELL OF DRY RUB BBQ ON A MUSICAL MESSENGER OF GOD TO MAKE THE GOSPEL OF LOVE EVEN MORE ATTRACTIVE.