The Greyboy Allstars light up The Mint

The Greyboy Allstars //
The Mint – Los Angeles
December 12th, 2013 //

If there’s one man responsible for the survival of West Coast boogaloo, it’s no doubt Karl Denson.

For the last two decades, the saxophonist, who also doubles on flute, has played an integral role in pushing the boundaries of the soul-jazz landscape.

But since getting his start with Lenny Kravitz, Denson owes much of his success to The Greyboy Allstars, which originally found inspiration in 70’s soul and funk that you could hear San Diego’s DJ Greyboy spinning around town in the mid 90’s.

Nowadays, DJ Greyboy (otherwise known as Andreas Stevens) no longer remains a part of the band’s equation, but Denson and his posse — featuring Robert Walter on keyboards, Elgin Park on guitar, Chris Stillwell on bass and Aaron Redfield on drums — are still going strong 20 years later.

Touring in support of 2013’s Inland Emperor, the group’s first studio album in six years, the quintet took a trip up the coast earlier this month for two shows at The Mint in LA. Josh Herwitt caught the band in action during its second night at the small jazz club.