Ravinia 2025 Issue 5

TheWrite Stuff Karl Denson rolls the universe for the singularity of dance jams BYANDYARGYRAKIS KARL DENSON IS WELL-TRAVELED over more than two-and-a-half decades fronting Tiny Universe, and in accounting for co-founding The Greyboy Allstars, joining Lenny Kravitz’s formative band, and even touring as part of The Rolling Stones since 2014, it adds up that the esteemed saxophonist and flutist has graced a solid majority of the music stages in America. On Tuesday, August 12, the veteran will finally add Ravinia to his vast repertoire, turning the intimate Carousel Stage on the spacious Lawn into a delightfully sweaty dance party filled with jazz, funk, and jams of varying stripes. Denson got on the horn with Ravinia Magazine for a glimpse into an ongoing love affair with the Windy City, the secret sauce that circles his primary group’s adven- turous orbit, branching out in an upcoming Afrobeat direction, and some seriously unbelievable collaborative encounters. RAVINIAMAGAZINE • AUG. 4 – AUG. 17, 2025 6