GRAMMY® Award-Winning Saxophonist KIRK WHALUM’s music is usually described as soulful, passionate, and stirring. Kirk Whalum toured with Whitney Houston for more than 7 years and it’s his sax heard on the mega-hit, “I Will Always Love You”, the best-selling single by a female artist in music history. Tickets for KIRK WHALUM and his Acclaimed Band at Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club in Portsmouth, NH on Friday July 7 at 7 & 9:30 P.M., as well as the current list of 2023 shows, can be found on Ticketmaster.com and Jimmy’s Online Event Calendar at: https://www.jimmysoncongress.com/events.
PORTSMOUTH, N.H., June 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club Features GRAMMY® Award-Winner and 12x-GRAMMY® Nominated Saxophonist & Composer KIRK WHALUM and his Acclaimed Band on Friday July 7 at 7 & 9:30 P.M. Forged from his Memphis, TN gospel roots and his 1980’s initiation into the thriving Houston, TX nightclub scene, Kirk Whalum‘s big, rich tenor sound is unmistakably his own. The LOS ANGELES TIMES calls Whalum, “A masterful showman as well as a superb improviser.”
“A tenor saxophonist with a suave and soulful style”
— NEW YORK TIMES
“Sensual and funky”
— JAZZ TIMES
“Soulfully sweet”
— DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE
“Awesome chops”
— ALL ABOUT JAZZ
Jazz piano legend Bob James “discovered” Kirk Whalum in Houston, TX and brought him on tour, which led to 5 successful albums with Columbia Records, including Cache, Kirk’s first #1 hit album. Kirk and Bob received a GRAMMY® Award Nomination for their collaboration album, Joined at the Hip in 1996.
After moving to Los Angeles, Kirk became an in-demand session player for top artists like Barbra Streisand, Al Jarreau, Luther Vandross, Larry Carlton, Quincy Jones and most notably, Whitney Houston, amongst many others. Kirk toured with Whitney Houston for more than 7 years and it’s his sax heard on the mega-hit, “I Will Always Love You”, the best-selling single by a female artist in music history.
Kirk soon followed that career high point with his phenomenal hit album released on Warner Bros. Records, For You, perhaps the most successful of over 25 solo recordings to date, peaking at #6 on the Billboard Jazz Album Chart. Other albums include his eclectic, and much lauded, Gospel According to Jazz series, (Chapters 1, 2, 3 and 4), reaching #22, #17, #4 and #6 on the Billboard Jazz Chart. Chapter 2, released in 2002, received a GRAMMY® Award Nomination for “Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album” and Chapter 4, released in 2014, received a GRAMMY® Award Nomination for “Best Contemporary Instrumental Album”.
Some of Kirk Whalum’s Additional GRAMMY® Award Nominated Albums include: Hymns – In the Garden (2001 – “Best Contemporary Instrumental Album”); Unconditional (2002 – “Best Contemporary Instrumental Album’); Roundtrip (2007 – “Best Contemporary Instrumental Album”); Everything is Everything (2010 – “Best Contemporary Instrumental Album”).
Kirk’s most recent albums include #Lovecovers (2017) peaking at #2 on the Billboard Jazz Chart, and Humanite (2019) peaking at #10 on the Billboard Jazz Chart. In addition to his many solo projects, Kirk was also a member of the popular soul/jazz group, BWB, which features Kirk as the “W” of the group with Rick Braun (Trumpet) and Norman Brown (Guitar). Their 2016 album entitled, BWB, hit #2 on the Billboard Jazz Chart.
A twelve (12) time GRAMMY® Award Nominee, Kirk won his first GRAMMY® Award (2011) for “Best Gospel Song” (“It’s What I Do”––featuring Lalah Hathaway) alongside life-long friend and gifted songwriter, Jerry Peters. Kirk has worked on a number of film scores, including for The Prince of Tides, Boyz n the Hood, The Bodyguard, Grand Canyon and Cousins. In a career spanning decades, Kirk has a sound that is uniquely his; it is a sound that leaves an indelible imprint on the listener!
KIRK WHALUM Tickets & Current Schedule of Shows
Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club’s 2023 Schedule of Shows now includes 9 NEA Jazz Masters, 45 GRAMMY® Award-Winning Artists, 38 Blues Music Award-Winners, and a comprehensive list of talented musicians with 435+ GRAMMY® Award Nominations amongst them. Tickets for KIRK WHALUM at Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club on Friday July 7 at 7 & 9:30 P.M., as well as the current list of 2023 shows, can be found on Ticketmaster and Jimmy’s Online Event Calendar at: https://www.jimmysoncongress.com/events.
ABOUT JIMMY’S JAZZ & BLUES CLUB
The mission of Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club is to provide guests a one-of-a-kind, world-class experience featuring serious jazz and blues music served with exceptional cuisine. Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club features a spectacular and visually breathtaking environment engineered to deliver the highest quality acoustics while utilizing state-of-the-art production, sound and lighting technologies. Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club is located within a beautifully restored 1905 building at 135 Congress Street in the heart of historic downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire. For more information visit www.jimmysoncongress.com or follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JimmysJazzBlues and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jimmysjazzblues/.
PRIVATE EVENTS AT JIMMY’S
An architecturally breathtaking center of arts and culture in the heart of historic Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club offers a rare and spectacular venue to host important corporate functions, weddings, intimate or large-scale social gatherings, private parties, and memorable celebrations. The team at Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club put heart and soul into creating a stunning full-service event space with new state-of-the-art production, sound & lighting technologies delivered with outstanding next-level culinary experiences. Our high-touch approach with professional and experienced event staff ensures that everything is tailored to exceed your expectations. To start a conversation about hosting your event at Jimmy’s Jazz and Blues Club, please call us at 888-603-5299, or fill out Jimmy’s Private Event Request Form.
JOIN THE TEAM AT THE LABRIE GROUP FAMILY OF RESTAURANTS
Motivated by a commitment to culinary and hospitality excellence, founders Michael and Peter Labrie and their leadership team understand it is essential to seek out talented team members for each of The Labrie Group family of restaurants — Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club, The Atlantic Grill, The River House, and Rio Tequila Cantina — all in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Career opportunities and current job openings can be found at www.TheLabrieGroup.com.
