Recently, Karl Denson brought his Tiny Universe to San Francisco's Great American Music Hall for two nights of post Thanksgiving boogie. A highly energized powerfunk machine, the Tiny Universe is gaining momentum as it tears across the country leaving exhausted and uplifted believers in its wake. With Karl Denson at the stern driving the groove and leading the parade with his high octane saxofunk, the Tiny Universe is destined to carve out a legacy of rocking venues and smiling faces.

I had an opportunity to chat with Karl during this run, and found him to be a genuine, thoughtful, and approachable character. Indeed, the permanent smile carried on the face of this great musician reflects a great personality. This interview began with my phone call waking Karl up after a late night of jammin', and he was still quite accommodating, insightful, and lively, even moments after getting awoken by a phone call from someone he's never met! A talented performer, and simply a good guy, Karl Denson should be heard.

DR- Welcome back to San Francisco. You seem to be developing a bit of a history, and definitely a following here. And, beginning with the New Years run at the Great American Music Hall, you've made a few stops in San Francisco over the year. How do you feel about playing San Francisco, in terms of the history, the venues, and the scene itself; there is a lot of mystique.

KD- Well, I just think San Francisco is starting to be home musically to the band. I think it's probably the place in the states that we can experiment the most.

DR- A lot of people have musical connotations about San Francisco that are rooted in hippie culture: things like Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead, Bill Graham and the Haight Ashbury. From the standpoint of being a performer, and a jazz/funk performer at that, how would you generalize the city's music scene based on your personal experiences?

KD- I just think it's an arty city. I don't think of it or our audience as being predominantly hippie or any other demographic. It's just people have an awareness of art and they go out to see stuff they think is good.

DR- Another great city where you have made more than one stop this year is New Orleans. You recently played Halloween two nights at the Howlin' Wolf. How do you look back at that experience?

KD- Actually, we played Tip's. And it was amazing. We did about 1900 people in two days. That was pretty extreme for us. The band is still young.

DR- And then there's Jazz Fest. You played a dual bill with String Cheese at Tipitina's Ruins, you did Greyboy Allstars at the Howlin' Wolf, you joined String Cheese at the Tipitina uptown all nighter and then you did the Superjam. You had to have been pumped with adrenaline, amazed at the talent, exhausted, and so inspired all at once.

KD- New Orleans just rocks late. I like playing late, so I was hyped. And, a lot of people got hip to me from runnin' around all night at Jazz Fest.

DR- As far as the Superjam, that was completely improvised, at least that is what I read. And, I also read that you hadn't played with any musicians in the lineup. How did that all work out?

KD- That was amazing. That was actually the highlight of the last year for me. Cause I didn't expect that to come of at all. I thought, "man, that's gonna be a lot of noise." And the fact that we actually made some music happen was really amazing.

DR- Do you feel like anybody in that lineup particularly stood out or amazed you more than anyone?

KD- Yeah, Jim Singleton, the bass player. He kind of glued it together. Stanton always plays a fat groove. John Medeski is out in the ozone sometimes as far as what he's playing. But Singleton really made it funky, so that everybody else could have something to anchor to. Him and Stanton together were really a good anchor.

DR- You seem to thrive playing with different musicians. I've seen you jump on with String Cheese, the Superjam thing, is this a conscious effort to keep your creativity fresh and exercised?

KD- No, it was more something that happened out of my manager really wanting me to play with those guys a long time. I played with String Cheese, I played with Leftover, and then just kinda worked. Plus, I like both those bands; I like where they're going. So it just worked musically and they both invited me out for a little longer stint.

DR- It must be cool to be up there with a group of guys with different influences than yourself, and feeling that out while adding your own flavor to the sound.

KD- Yeah, it's really cool.

DR- You have played with String Cheese a bunch. I caught you guys together at the House of Blues in L.A. earlier this year, and know you toured with String Cheese Incident for a bit with the Tiny Universe horn section. Now, some of your merchandise and tickets can be bought through String Cheese Gear and ticketing. How did that connection get started, and what has the relationship been like for you?

KD- Our manager works out of their office, and he is really good friends with their manager. So that's how that got started, and they've been really cool to us, they've been helpful.

DR- I want to talk to you a bit about the whole "jambands" thing. Somehow, all of a sudden, we're able to group bands like Medeski, Martin and Wood, String Cheese Incident, Government Mule, Widespread Panic, and Tiny Universe all in the same family. What's your take on that?

KD- It's pretty weird (laughs). I always thought that was crazy...but it makes sense. It's got to do with the experimentation factor.

DR- What's your opinion on trying to pin a label like "jazz", or "bluegrass", or "rock" on music. With music constantly evolving, and multiple genres and influences being evident in every band, can we even be so simple to call a sound just "jazz"?

KD- Well, yeah. I think you have to understand the history of each music. I definitely know what jazz is, and what R&B is, and what soul is, and what rock and roll is. So, that's why I think you have bands like Leftover Salmon calling themselves Polyethnic cajun slamgrass. They really are taking all those little pieces, in their pure form, and slamming them together. I think there's something definitely to a band that goes out and plays jazz tunes, or jazz harmony, and plays funk over the top of it, and adds some rock and roll. It's a historical thing.

DR- One thing I really appreciate about the whole "jamband" scene is that there seems to be a real camaraderie among a lot of the musicians. What bands or musicians do you feel a special connection or history with?

KD- Definitely Galactic because they've been around since the beginning; they popped up a couple of years into the Allstars. And, they're maturing as a band. String Cheese and Leftover cause we've been running in the same circles for a long time. Deep Banana Blackout and Lake Trout, some of the bands that have actually startled us along the way by being really good.

DR- As far as the Tiny Universe goes, how would you try to describe that music?

KD- Soul jazz and powerfunk.

DR- At the beginning of Life on Planet Groove, Maceo Parker sings: "we like to play happy music. Happy music is when you hear it, you start moving and shaking something automatically. And you smile a lot too." I think Maceo know exactly what he's talking about.

KD- Yeah, that's definitely what we're about too. That's why I'm so connected with Maceo and Fred (Fred Wesley). They're so connected to that school of funk. Its about being dedicated to the music itself.

DR- How about the Greyboy Allstars, what's the difference between Greyboy Allstars and the Tiny Universe?

KD- I think the Tiny Universe is a little bit more progressive in terms of what we're trying to do. The Allstars were a little bit, they became a little bit retro, a little bit too retro in where they actually wanted to go. I think the Tiny Universe is something that's a little more, its pure dance. The Allstars wasn't really pure dance, it was based in a lot of different things. The Tiny Universe is based in hip hop and R&B as well as rock and funk. There's just a little bit more things put into the mix. It's a little bit more eclectic than the Allstars wanted to be.

DR- As far as balancing the two now...I'm sure there's still a lot of people expecting the Greyboy Allstars to hit the road. And, the Tiny Universe is obviously really snowballing momentum as far as a fan base. Do you have any concrete plans to balance the two?

KD- No, the Greyboy Allstars are done.

DR- Do you find the Tiny Universe has given you a chance to return to a smaller, more intimate club scene whereas the popularity of Greyboy Allstars had moved the shows to bigger venues?

KD- No, I don't look at it like that. I can do a Great American sized room every night. That's kinda where I want to be as far as the size of the room. So, it's nice playing smaller rooms, but that wasn't a drag with the Allstars. We hadn't maxed out as far as size where it wasn't being fun anymore. I think as a professional musician, you've got to be able to play a bigger room to make a living. So, if you're uncomfortable in a five hundred seat room, then you're probably not going to do very well.

DR- What are some of your favorite venues to play?

KD- I think the Great American is an amazing venue. I like the Fox in Boulder. I like the Crystal Ballroom up in Portland. That's a great place. The Belly Up is a great venue in San Diego. The 930 Club in D.C. is really hip.

DR- Let's talk for a while about the Tiny Universe. You recently added a couple of new players, drummer Craig Dawson and guitarist Brian Jordan. And, you've got a tour under your belt. How do you guys feel about where you're at, and, looking ahead, what direction are you trying to take?

KD- Well, I'm still just knocking bugs out of the thing all the time. I'm still just trying to get everybody where I'm a little bit more comfortable. We're constantly evolving. I don't expect to really be where I want it to be for another year, exactly what I want to hear every night. We're still just hammerin' nails...It's a nice unit right now. Some of the guys have more experience than the other guys. So, its just trying to even everything out.

DR- I know you're an independent artist, meaning that you have your own label. How is that going for you?

KD- That's going really good. We're not really doing anything with the label right now; just kinda dealing with the Allstar catalog. And, we're getting ready to do some more recording of the Tiny Universe, kind of the phase two, which I think is gonna be a single. I want to try to attack the radio next year. See if I can actually get some things on the radio. Just so people get a little bit more familiar with the name.

DR- It seems like more and more musicians are going towards creating their own labels. David Grisman did it, String Cheese did, and you're doing this. Do you feel this is where the recording industry is moving?

KD- Well, I think it is where the artist is moving. The jambands scene has created a whole industry the has nothing to do with record sales. I think it's just necessary for bands to, when they're getting out there, to go and maybe and do their own recording in lieu of a record company, because record companies half the time don't understand what is going on with the whole jambands scene. So, I think it's necessary for an artist to leave something when they go through town. Out of that necessity the jambands are doing their own CD's and selling them. And, they find now, we don't really need a record company, we can do this ourselves. You're on the road all the time, go to each city yourself. If you sell 20 CD's in each city, it's as much as you're gonna sell out of the record stores, unless you're just blowin' up.

DR- Finally, what are your feeling on festival shows versus the club scene?

KD- Well, the festivals are great. The festivals are more fun for me because I get to see other bands. I get to hang out all day and see really great bands.