Karl Denson's Tiny Universe feels the flow at Buskirk-Chumley show

Hailing from sunny Southern California, saxophone player Karl Denson led his band of funky "cats" to the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave., Tuesday night with a clear goal in mind -- to get people dancing. \nWith his high-octane assault of hard funk and smooth jazz, he did just that and a little more. Performing for a crowd nearly half his age, the middle-aged jazzman injected them with a hefty dose of pure, honest, pulse-pounding soul.\nDuring the three-hour show, Denson played mainly tenor sax and flute, and throughout long jams he put down the brass and kept the beat with various percussive instruments, like cowbells and shakers.\nHis band, Tiny Universe, consisted of guitar, bass, drums, keys, trumpet and percussion. Throughout the entire evening, they maintained an energetic, upbeat groove, giving Denson ample opportunities to wail on his sax or lay down melodies with his flute.\nFrom the opening song until the encore, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe never let the tempo slide. Each song was packed with numerous solos and jammed out to the fullest extent. \nFew people remained idle in their seats, opting instead to cut a rug on the surprisingly large dance floor between the front row and the stage. Even Denson himself could not remain still. While either belting out a solo or listening to his band, he continually remained mobile onstage, shaking his hips to the endless groove. \nThe setlist for the show favored Denson's most recent release, Dance Lesson #2, and the album's title-track was one of the most hoppin' tunes of the night. It featured a shared solo between drummer Zak Najor and percussionist Mike Dillon. During the jam, Dillon rubbed the inside of a metal drum with a rag, making a scratching sound similar to turntables.\nDillon also played a xylophone during the tune, which added a unique dimension to Denson's sound. \nAnother highlight was a cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Power of Soul." Replacing Hendrix's licks with an onslaught of guitar and horns, Denson and his band extracted the funkiness nicely from the song, yet still kept it rocking.\nDespite a solid performance, Denson lacked strong vocals. While most of the songs didn't have any, those that did were crippled by his lackluster, somewhat unintelligible lyrics.\nHowever, while singing the original "Can You Feel It?," Denson reminded everyone that "music is good for your soul." And that it is.