Karl Denson's Tiny Universe & Potluck

It all started in 1994 when I was given a copy of DJ Greyboy’s "Freestylin’" and from then on I was hooked. With its hip-hop sensibilities and healthy respect for old school grooves it quickly became a personal favorites. Soon thereafter I was introduced to the Greyboy Allstars, a band assembled by sax player Karl Denson and DJ Greyboy. The Allstars were a tight unit that introduced a new type of groove to audiences throughout the country. They disbanded in the late 90s, but the music continues on through offshoot bands such as Robert Walter’s 20^th Congress and Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe. Both bands have frequented Chico stages in the last few years, and tonight it was Karl’s turn to entertain the Chico masses.

The show was kicked off by Potluck, a local mainstay of the Chico groove seen. The lineup for this night included core members Dave Elke (Guitar), Komoki Bunting (drums) and Mike DiTrolio (bass). Joining the trio was Joel Stites (keys), Mike Newman (sax), Jeff Daub (trumpet) and Will Carol (percussion). The set was smooth as the players managed to split soloing duties in between melodic hooks and choruses. A standout performance was a dynamic bass solo on Thelonious Monk’s "Well You Needn’t," as well as strong showings by both horn players. If Potluck’s job was to get the crowd ready for Karl Denson then they did it well.

Next up was Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe. Karl started things of with a three-minute solo performance that drew the crowd to the dance floor. One by one members of his band came to join in. It took almost no time at all for the dance floor to start moving as the band ran through old favorites and some new songs from an upcoming album. I have seen Karl play with many different incarnations of Tiny Universe and they were all very competent players; however, this latest line-up was by far the tightest. Drummer Eric Bouvar and special guest percussion player E.J. Rodriguez complement each other nicely and worked well with the low-end grooves supplied by Ron Johnson (bass). Trumpet player Andy Cleaves added some nice flavor on a song or two by running his horn through a Moog-like effects unit to give it that Herbie Hancock feel. Brian Jordan was handling the guitar duties (it is the second time I have seen him with the band and I hope not the last), his style was a mixture of leads and rhythm that matched perfectly with the Universe groove. David Vieth rounded out the sound with organ and Rhodes. The star of the night was Karl Denson himself. He controlled the stage and had an excellent relationship with the audience throwing out the appropriate amount of "Chico!" shouts to the excited audience. His style is smooth, taking on three different roles (sax, flute, and vocals) he definitely lets you know why the band is named after him.

I think the biggest surprise of the night for me was the audience. They were younger than I am used to seeing at these shows and almost fanatical about the band, I felt as if I was seeing the birth of the next big West Coast touring band. While downstairs I overheard a young kid telling his buddy enthusiastically "My brother would watch these guys when he was in college." It left me wondering, will Karl Denson become a mainstay in the college music scene; will my little brother be listening to him in six years? Will I be on my 7^th senior year? Let’s hope only the first two are true.

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