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Kirk Whalum's 'Unconditional' Approach To Music, Love, Faith
12/12/2000 12:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Kastle
(12/12/00, 12 p.m. ET) - Saxophonist Kirk Whalum says he is at a peaceful place in life. His current album, Unconditional, has soared to the top five on the Contemporary Jazz Albums chart for the past seven weeks. With musical contributions from keyboardist Greg Phillinganes and guitarists Gregg Karukas, Paul Jackson Jr., and Peter White, the record is a creative exploration of moods, melodies, and memories. It includes the track " Groverworked And Underpaid," a tribute to the late Grover Washington Jr.
Whalum says the title of the album, describing his approach to music, love, and faith, came from an outside source: his producer. He tells LAUNCH, " The title, to be honest, was thought of, conceptualized, by Paul Brown, my producer," he said. "And I really appreciate it, because it's like someone who comes from the outside, takes a word that they pretty much feel like describes where you're at, what you stand for. Which is a pretty scary thought--I mean, what would that word be in people's lives? I'm just so grateful that it was 'unconditional.'"
Whalum covers R&B/pop diva Macy Gray's " I Try" as well as the lovely 'N Sync ballad " God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You." Whalum told LAUNCH that he was inspired to cover a pop tune by Miles Davis, who covered pop diva Cyndi Lauper's classic " Time After Time." Says Whalum, " Miles heard in that song the template for a totally different kind of statement, a totally different kind of expression. I think that was the same thing with 'I Try.' It lended [sic] itself to another, almost diametrically opposed form of expression. And I love that. I love the unexpected."
-- Janine Coveney, Los Angeles
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