Kirk Whalum Opens Door To “The Basement”

For more than a year, Kirk Whalum has been teasing his fans with a feature on his website, www.kirkwhalum.com, called “The Basement” that he said would be worth the wait. Now the wait is over as the saxophonist unveiled the interactive feature this week that he says in a voice-over is “where the musicians hang out.”

"The Basement” features three areas – the Saxophone Practice Room, the Band Practice Room and, in a nod to Kirk’s deep faith, the Bible Study Room. The site is still a work in progress, but many items are already in place. For example, in the Saxophone Practice Room you can hear Kirk practicing his instrument, while in the Bible Study Room you can see a short video of his first Bible Study installment. The Band Practice Room is where Kirk will feature interviews with musicians he’s worked with. This month’s interview is with bassist Michael Manson.

"I'll be having interviews with people like Euge Groove and musicians in my band," Whalum says. "It’ll also have interviews with folks I know and enjoy their music. The site's basically for musicians who are either inquisitive, curious or actually are trying to learn from guys who have been out there doing it. And the basement is where my studio is, so I'm always going downstairs and working it out. I still practice a lot."

Whalum says fans are free to sign into his guest book and log any comments, suggestions, constructive criticism or requests.