Karl Denson hopes the crowds who come to the Old Town Pub this weekend to see Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe bring their dancing shoes.

“We’re kind of in the fifth generation re-establishment of Tiny Universe,” Denson said by phone last week. “We have a female singer, we’ve focused on that and we’ve gone in that direction a little bit. We’re just trying to tighten up the show and get people dancing all the time.”

Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe blends fusion jazz with R&B, soul and rock’n’roll. Denson will lead the talented group, which includes singer Danielle Barker, to the stage at the Old Town Pub for two performances this weekend. Doors for both shows open at 7pm, and the band will be on stage at 8pm on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets can be purchased for $45 in advance or $50 at the door, while supplies last.

“I like to call it soul jazz,” said Denson, who plays saxophone and flute and also sings.

Over the course of his career, Denson has toured with top musicians over the past decade, including singer-songwriter Lenny Kravitz and the Rolling Stones.

“Having Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe come to the OTP is beyond flattering,” said Séan Regan, owner of the Old Town Pub. “We work hard to provide a great setting for artists to enjoy our space. We always want them to feel at home. We want our guests to feel the same way. Of course, it has to do with the price of admission, but it’s also such an intimate experience with an artist like Karl Denson that you can’t get anywhere else. … The idea that the Rolling Stones saxophonist was interested in playing at the OTP is just silly. The fact that it actually happened is the real proof that our work is being noticed here. We are grateful.”

Denson said his musical influences began early and he remembers older family members introducing him to Motown and soul.

“I had older brothers and sisters, so I benefited from their taste in music,” Denson said. “My brother right above me became a jazz player when I was about 11 or 12, so I started listening to jazz and that got me into playing saxophone. I listened to John Coltrane, Yusef Lateef and Rahsaan Roland Kirk and guys like that.”

Denson’s musical career took him from performing with Fred Wesley of James Brown’s band and Parliament-Funkadelic to the Greyboy Allstars in the 1990s before leading to the formation of Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe in 1998.

“I worked hard on Tiny Universe all these years,” Denson said. “Then 10 years ago, Lenny (Kravitz) was having dinner with Mick (Jagger) and heard that Bobby (Keys) was sick, and (Lenny) threw my hat in the ring.”

Denson calls his time on tour with the Rolling Stones his paid vacation, and when Denson isn’t playing with Mick and the Stones, he focuses on bringing music to his fans with Tiny Universe.

Denson released his last album, Gnomes and Badgers, in March 2019, but said he is involved in many different things and hopes to have a number of new songs out by the end of the year.

“We play a lot in Colorado,” Denson said. “We’ve been going to Steamboat Springs since probably 1995. … I’ve spent a lot of time there over the years. We’ve done a real ski tour every year where we’ve played a couple of nights in each resort and skied a little bit. Who knows, maybe I’ll come back this year. I’ve got new skis and I’m trying to make it 20 days.”