Singer/Saxophonist Kenneth Whalum

Craft cocktails and small plates begin at 6:00 pm.

Middle C Jazz has General Admission seating available on a first-come basis. We also offer preferred seating for our Baby Grand members. 

KENNETH WHALUM
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In addition to extensive and highly regarded work as a session and touring saxophonist, Kenneth Whalum is a solo artist -- a singer, songwriter, arranger, and producer -- who specializes in atmospheric and pensive alternative soul. He established himself in the latter half of the 2000s through affiliations with Diddy, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and Maxwell before he stepped forward with To Those Who Believe (2010), an independent jazz date. 

Whalum, a Memphis native, is part of a deeply musical family. He started with drums, but in middle school switched to tenor saxophone, and further honed his talent in church. After high school, Whalum relocated to New York to study at the New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, and got a major break when Diddy enlisted him to be part of the band that toured in support of the 2006 album Press Play. Within three years, Whalum was a seasoned session musician heard on a trio of albums that topped the Billboard 200: Beyoncé's B'day, Jay-Z's American Gangster, and Maxwell's BLACKsummers'night. Whalum's work during this time was showcased most prominently on Jay-Z's "Roc Boys (And the Winner Is...)," which he also arranged, and Maxwell's Grammy-nominated "Pretty Wings."