KIM WATERS

Saxophonist, composer and producer Kim Waters is a trendsetter in the world of contemporary jazz. He has scored ten #1 hits, recorded 13 chart-topping albums and sold over a million records, placing him among the top 5 best selling instrumentalists in contemporary jazz. During his 16-year career, Kim Waters has paved the way as one of the premiere architects for Urban Smooth jazz, a soulful blend of R&B and jazz, of which he is the reigning king!

"When I first emerged on the scene as a recording artist, there was no smooth jazz but there was support for my music on R&B and Urban radio and that support has only continued to grow," says Waters, who in recent years has enjoyed considerable airplay on Urban AC radio with his projects like Streetwize and Tha’ Hot Club, which reinvent chart-topping hip hop, R&B and reggae hits with a jazzy twist. For Waters his formula is simple. “I make music for everybody from eight to 80!

Kim Waters’ thirteenth recording as a leader, All For Love, is a collection of ten songs, mostly original compositions, that illuminate the saxophonist’s trademark eloquent and warm sound and his ability to craft an engaging mix of mood-drenched ballads and funky up-tempo numbers.

There are also upbeat and uplifting numbers like “Dream Machine” penned by label mate and guitarist Chuck Loeb and Waters’ own “Happy Feeling.” In the words of Jazziz Magazine, “The man can play, and his relatively subtle approach to this music continues to add a sense of sensibility to the smooth-jazz airwaves….”

“In the tradition of his main influence, Cannonball Adderly, Kim Waters possesses that special ability to communicate with a broad audience while ‘saying something’ at the same time,” says Shanachie Entertainment’s Jazz A&R Danny Weiss. “In his collaboration with Maysa on the Aretha Franklin classic ‘Day Dreaming,’ he can do a tasty Jill Scottish treatment of a classic, and on a song like ‘Sideways’ he can stretch the boundaries and still "communicate" and keep the groove going. Kim Waters has a special knack for zoning in on the groove and the melody. It sounds simple, but it isn't. With All For Love, he has refined it to an art form.”

Kim Waters is the epitome of cool. He says, “I'm really easy going, nothing really drives me crazy.” JazzTimes Magazine hails Waters' sax stylings as "effortlessly expressive.” As much as Kim Waters is at home in the studio, he is equally at ease during his live performances.

“My live shows are where the music really comes alive,” he says. "I love playing live shows and the more I do, the better I get in terms of taking chances with the music, developing the show, and giving the fans a new experience.” The Washington Post said after one of Waters’ live shows, “In a world overcrowded with smooth-jazz reedmen, Waters is as smooth as they come…Waters did not disappoint his fans.”

Born into a musical family, the Maryland native picked up his first instrument, the violin, at the age of eight. "That didn't go over well with the fellas," says Waters, who later found his calling on the alto and soprano saxophones at 13.

The former all-star high school basketball high point guard slam dunks another winner with All for Love and it is truly from the heart. Waters concludes, “The most rewarding things is to be able to contribute something of value to the world which affects people positively and makes them happy and music has that ability like nothing else.”





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