Walter Beasley | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Walter Beasley |
| Born | May 24, 1961 |
| Origin | El Centro, California, United States |
| Genres | Smooth Jazz, R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, professor, recording artist, performer, composer |
| Instrument(s) | Soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, voice |
| Labels | Shanachie Records Warner Bros. Records Mercury Records Headsup/Affable Records |
| Website | walterbeasley |
Walter Beasley (born May 24, 1961) is an American saxophonist, a professor of music at the Berklee College of Music, and founder of Affable Publishing and Affable Records.
Biography
Beasley grew up in El Centro, California. By the age of 13 he was singing in Spanish in a band called Los Elegantes, and he played in various bands and performed at clubs throughout middle and high school.
Beasley graduated from Berklee in 1984, and a year later took a short-term teaching position at the same school, which became a permanent career. He is now a professor at the school.
In 1987, he released his first, self-titled, album, and since 1998 has been one of the top ten best-selling African American saxophonists in the world. Having grown up as a fan of R&B and funk and trained in classical and jazz saxophone, his own style falls between contemporary R&B and contemporary jazz, a blend which has been called "smooth jazz".
He is not only an alto and soprano saxophonist and a singer, but also a composer and producer. He is the founder and CEO of Affable Publishing, and the owner of Affable Records.
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Label | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Jazz |
US Con. Jazz |
US R&B /HH |
US Ind | |||
| 1988 | Walter Beasley | — | 25 | 72 | — | Mercury/ Polydor/ PolyGram/ UMG |
| 1989 | Just Kickin' It | — | — | — | — | |
| 1993 | Intimacy | — | — | 56 | — | |
| 1995 | Private Time | — | — | — | — | |
| 1996 | Live and More | — | — | — | — | Affable |
| 1997 | Tonight We Love | 13 | 10 | — | — | Shanachie |
| 1998 | For Your Pleasure | 6 | 6 | — | — | |
| 2000 | Won't You Let Me Love You | 4 | 3 | — | 34 | |
| 2002 | Rendezvous | 6 | 3 | — | 19 | |
| 2003 | Midnight Love | 8 | 4 | — | 38 | |
| Go with the Flow | 7 | 4 | — | 23 | Affable | |
| 2004 | The Classics R & B Collection | 14 | 10 | — | — | Shanachie |
| 2005 | Greatest Hits! | 34 | 23 | — | — | |
| For Her | 10 | 5 | 88 | — | Heads Up | |
| 2006 | Live | — | — | — | — | Shanachie |
| 2007 | Ready for Love | 5 | 2 | — | 34 | Affable |
| 2008 | Sax Meditations | — | — | — | — | |
| 2009 | Free Your Mind | 15 | 5 | — | — | Heads Up |
| 2010 | Backatcha! | 13 | 9 | — | — | Shanachie |
| Live – In the Groove | — | — | — | — | Affable | |
| 2013 | Live in the Club | — | — | — | — | |
| 2014 | Sax Meditations ll | — | — | — | — | |
| 2015 | I'm Back | — | — | — | — | |
| 2017 | Blackstreams (EP) | 18 | 6 | — | — | |
| 2018 | The Best of Walter Beasley | — | 11 | — | — | |
| 2019 | Going Home | 15 | 7 | — | — | |
| 2021 | Meet Me at My Place | — | — | — | — | |
| 2023 | Do You Want to Dance? | — | — | — | — | |
| 2024 | Live and Blessed | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart. | ||||||
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot R&B/ Hip-Hop Songs |
Smooth Jazz Airplay | |||
| 1987 | "I'm So Happy" | 49 | — | Walter Beasley |
| 1988 | "On the Edge" | 79 | — | |
| 1989 | "Don't Say Goodbye" | 95 | — | Just Kickin' It |
| 1990 | "Just Kickin' It" | 67 | — | |
| 1993 | "If You Ever Loved Someone and Lost" | 63 | — | Intimacy |
| 2005 | "Coolness" | — | 2 | For Her |
| 2007 | "Ready for Love" | — | 1 | Ready for Love |
| "Why Not You" | — | 13 | ||
| 2009 | "Steady as She Goes" | — | 1 | Free Your Mind |
| 2010 | "Oh Yeah" | — | 3 | |
| 2011 | "Expressway" | — | 19 | Backatcha! |
| "The Call" | — | 20 | ||
| 2013 | "Groove in You" (live) | — | 14 | Live in the Club |
| 2014 | "Silver Lining" | — | 21 | Sax Meditations ll |
| 2015 | "I'm Back" | — | 1 | I'm Back |
| 2016 | "Hard Work" (Walter Beasley featuring Michael O'Hara) |
— | 17 | |
| 2017 | "Don't Say a Word" | — | 8 | Blackstreams |
| "Now What" | — | 18 | ||
| 2018 | "Come on Over" | — | 15 | |
| "Funky Boy" (Byron Miller featuring Walter Beasley) |
— | 24 | Byron Miller – Psychobass 2 – The Gift | |
| "Skip to My Lew" | — | 4 | I'm Back | |
| 2019 | "The B-Spot" (Byron Miller featuring Walter Beasley) |
— | 2 | Byron Miller – Psychobass 2 – The Gift |
| "It's Alright" | — | 3 | Going Home | |
| 2020 | "Aqui" | — | 24 | |
| "Real Love" (Bryon Miller featuring Stevie Wonder and Walter Beasley) |
— | 22 | Byron Miller – Psychobass 3 – Real Love | |
| 2021 | "The Beasley Strut" | — | 16 | Meet Me at My Place |
| 2023 | "Nice and Easy" (Walter Beasley featuring Najee) |
— | 2 | Do You Want to Dance? |
| 2024 | "Funk Foot" (Walter Beasley featuring Phil Davis) |
— | 3 | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart. | ||||
DVDs
Educational
- Sound Production for the Saxophone (Affable Publishing, 2003)
- Hip-Hop Improvisation (Affable Publishing, 2003)
- Circular Breathing with Walter Beasley
- 14 Steps to Maximizing Your Performance (for Saxophonists)
- Walter Beasley's Performance Workshop
- Walter Beasley presents Vocal Performance
- Improv Using Pentatonics
- Performance Insight
- Playing Blues
- Resolution Warm-Up
- Using Vibrato
- Improvisations and Delivery Clinic
Live
- Walter Beasley Live at Scullers (Affable Records, 2003)
- Live in the Club (Walter Beasley, 2013)
Books
- Performance Insight for Musicians
- Nice and Easy Cookbook
- Performance Insight (for Musicians) Vol. II
- Quotes For Grown Folks
APPs
- Walter Beasley Smooth Jazz Alarm App
- Walter Beasley in Concert Transcriptions
- Music Lessons by Walter Beasley
- Hip hop Improvisation
- Walter Beasley Transcriptions
- Circular Breathing
- Sound Production for Saxophone
- Sax Meditations
Awards and accolades
- 2001 Boston Music Awards, Outstanding Jazz Artist
- 2001 Berklee College of Music Trustee Award for advancing the mission and values of the college
- 2001 South Middlesex Men's Club Leadership Award for community service and support of youth development in music.
- 2001 SESAC National Performing Activity Award for the song "Comin' at Cha"
- 2002 SESAC National Performing Activity Award for the song "Rendezvous"
- 2003 Boston Music Awards, Jazz Album of the Year (Go With the Flow)
- 2013 Forever Ink Achievement Award
- 2019 Boston Music Award for Outstanding Jazz Artist
- 2023 Soul Tracks Reader's Choice Award, Instrumentalist for the Year
References
- ^ a b Beasley, Walter (December 20, 2007). "Walter Beasley's Official Site: Professional Profile". Retrieved February 23, 2009.
- ^ Lebovitz, Susan Chaityn (January 22, 2006). "Beasley on the sax". The Boston Globe. Retrieved February 23, 2009.
- ^ a b c d Cox, Kevin (March 15, 2007). "Boston-based saxophonist helps keep jazz alive". The Boston-Bay State Banner. Vol. 42, no. 31. Archived from the original on June 20, 2007. Retrieved February 23, 2009.
- ^ a b "Faculty Biography: Walter Beasley". Berklee. Retrieved February 23, 2009.
- ^ a b Rowland, Hobart; Bob Burtman (May 23, 1996). "Saxy Stuff". Houston Press. Retrieved February 23, 2009.
- ^ Buckley, Michael (February 5, 2009). "Music Box: Big Head Todd brings heartfelt rock to D.C." HometownAnnapolis.com. Retrieved February 23, 2009.
- ^ Lowenthal, Kevin (August 12, 2005). "Onstage, his smoothness turns funky and soulful". The Boston Globe. Retrieved February 23, 2009.
- ^ "Walter Beasley: Jazz Albums". Billboard.
- ^ "Walter Beasley: Contemporary Jazz Albums". Billboard.
- ^ "Walter Beasley: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard.
- ^ "Walter Beasley: Independent Albums". Billboard.
- ^ "Walter Beasley: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard.
- ^ "Walter Beasley: Smooth Jazz Airplay". Billboard.
- ^ "Walter Beasley's Official Site | Selected Discography and Equipment". Walterbeasley.com. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
- ^ "Walter Beasley's Official Site | Fact Sheet". Walterbeasley.com. Retrieved May 2, 2012.