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Crosstown Arts presents Kafé Kirk with Kirk Whalum and special guests Kevin Whalum and Alonzo Bodden in Crosstown Theater.

Thursday, December 12, 2024
Crosstown Theater
Doors open at 6:00 pm | Show begins at 6:30 pm
Tickets: General Admission $69 (plus fees)

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

Join Grammy-winning saxophonist Kirk Whalum for Kafé Kirk, an ongoing jazz series in Crosstown Theater featuring musical and spiritual collaborations with special guest artists. This very special performance will Kevin Whalum and Alonzo Bodden.⁠
⁠
KEVIN WHALUM⁠
Kevin Whale, a 35-year entertainment veteran from Memphis, is a preacher, published writer, and motivational speaker. His music has been featured on Sirius/XM Radio, and he has appeared on several of his brother Kirk’s albums. As a solo artist, Kevin has released two albums, Timetable and One Life to Love. He has also been a dedicated educator and performer at the Nashville Jazz Workshop, where he participated in the acclaimed “Jazz On The Move” series, presenting the life and music of jazz legends Nat King Cole and Billy Strayhorn.⁠
⁠
ALONZO BODDEN⁠
A regular panel member on NPR’s Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me, Alonzo Bodden has been making audiences around the country laugh for more than 20 years. Alonzo’s latest (2022) comedy special Alonzo Bodden: Stupid Don’t Get Tired, was released on YouTube by Helium Comedy Studios. In 2019, he starred in his fourth stand-up special, Alonzo Bodden: Heavy Lightweight, which premiered exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.⁠
⁠
KIRK WHALUM⁠
Soulful, passionate, stirring…these are the words most often used to describe Kirk’s music. Forged from his Memphis, Tennessee, gospel roots and his 1980s initiation into the thriving Houston, TX nightclub scene, Kirk’s big, rich tenor sound is unmistakably his. The ’80s were highlighted by Kirk’s stepping out of his blossoming sideman role and forming his own band. It was there that Kirk ultimately developed both his “voice” and songwriting in the crucible of the local club scene—especially at a rooftop club called Cody’s. It was also in Houston where jazz pianist Bob James “discovered” him and brought him on tour, which led to five successful albums with Columbia Records, including Cache, Kirk’s first #1 album.⁠
⁠