Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe
Ace of Spades, Sacramento
January 24, 2025
Photos by Paul Piazza
Saxophone legend Karl Denson breezed into Sacramento with Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe (KDTU), and not surprisingly, the band blew the roof off the Ace of Spades with a fierce, high energy show that left the Friday crowd sweating, smiling, and bopping into the cold January night afterward.
The 68 years young, high-energy Denson, who is also known as “Diesel,” is a master on the saxophone, flute and percussion and is known across the nation for his relentless approach. He has led KDTU for a little over twenty years and is also a founding member of The Greyboy All-Stars and currently works in another little band called The Rolling Stones. He also also toured or gigged with Lenny Kravitz, The Allman Brothers, Bob Weir among others. Denson is known for his forward-looking post-bop stylings on saxophone and is also featured on vocals.
Heading forward into the social uncertainty of 2025, one can say with pure conviction that if you go out to see any project that involves Karl Denson, it is going to be a show of the highest standard. After completing a regional whirlwind of a tour with the Greyboy All-Stars to end 2024, Denson had embarked on a great run with the latest version of the Tiny Universe. The only remaining member from the longtime lineup of the previous ten years on this night was keyboardist David Veith. But this newer lineup is as fierce as they come. It is also bound to change occasionally depending on the availability of the players. Anyone involved is also top-notch.
On this night, Alfred Jordan Jr. was on drums and he was a percussive force. Parker McAllister held down the groove on bass guitar and San Diego’s Ricky G snaked his fingers all over the six string. There was also the effervescent Ricio Fruge on trumpet as well as the fantastic Danielle Barker adding an extra wonderful dimension on vocals.
This septet came out cooking and ramped it up throughout the evening. Kicking things off with “Steamed Water,” the band got things percolating and then segued into “I’m Your Biggest fan,” the stalker classic, and then things amped up yet another level and stayed there for the rest of the night.
About midway through the set, the show’s opener Roge came out and joined the group for a rendition of his 2024 song “A Ra.” The Brazilian artist’s solo spot early in the evening went over well with the Friday night crowd. He has an excellent collection of songs and a crowd winning personality. It was pretty impressive that KDTU learned one of recent songs and gave it the full treatment. Barker stepped out on vocals later, exercising some vocal gymnastics on Celisse’s epic “Stop This Flame.”
So between original and covers, the band had a plethora of tricks up their collective sleeve. But it should be known that versatility is Karl Denson’s trademark. He can seemingly adapt and thrive in any musical situation. From his early career collaborations with Lenny Kravitz to his stadium touring days with The Rolling Stones (he was brought on after the death of Bobby Keys), he has thrived everywhere. He also excels at orchestrating tribute sets to some of the all time greats. These sets have included the music of Prince, the Beastie Boys and Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder. Perhaps, most notably, the group did a David Bowie tribute run with Bernard Fowler of The Rolling Stones on vocals that they called “A Diesel Insane.”
The Diesel maintains a relentless schedule between touring with KDTU and the Greyboy All-Stars and one thing is for certain, when he is playing anywhere nearby, you should rearrange your schedule and go check he and the band out.
