Saxophonist Walter Beasley Releases New EP “Tribute to Soul” | WATCH VIDEO!

“Coming” in hot! Soul/Jazz saxophonist Walter Beasley pays homage to his roots on “Tribute to Soul”

“Hold On, I’m Coming,” the latest single from the project, is moving up the charts.

BOSTON, Mass. (21 MARCH 2025): Billboard chart-topping saxophonist Walter Beasley was driving across the country after one of his concerts when an idea popped into his head that caused him to delay his trip. He reached out to his recording band who were only a few hours away from his next gig in Cincinnati and booked them to record “Tribute to Soul,” a five-song EP of R&B classics out now on Affable Records.

The songs Beasley reimagines on “Tribute to Soul” is the music from his formative years growing up.

“I went home to these songs because I was going through a lot of stuff at the time. This music helped shape my musicianship. I learned and was well schooled in classical music, and I remember asking, ‘What’s next?’ For me, that was going back to the beginning – go back to blues, go home to soul, go back to the music that I know and that moves me. There’s no point in me saying a whole bunch of stuff musically that doesn’t matter. What matters is the song, the music, the message. That’s what I’ve always tried to do in my career and that’s what this record is about,” said Beasley, who played soprano and alto sax and sang on the EP.

Beasley gathered his “cats” – guitarist Michael O’Hara, bassist Derek Doc Johnson, keyboardist Robert Johnson, percussionist Chase Williams, and drummer Ben Powers – in the studio and they played through the setlist. What you hear on the EP are first takes.

“The idea was to make some timeless music with the cats you know give you nothing but funk, soul, and the real, and that’s what happened. The energy is there; the mistakes are there. If the groove is there and people are bopping, leave it alone,” said Beasley, who added that the seed for the EP was planted while watching a documentary film on the seminal Stax Records label.

“Tribute to Soul” opens with “Hold On, I’m Coming,” the latest single presently climbing the charts that is an instrumental remake of the storming Sam & Dave hit from 1966.

Beasley’s faithful version of “Green Onions” retains all the groovy cool of the Booker T. & the M.G.’s 1962 original.

Vocalist Destiny Whited joins the fray on “Ballero,” a reboot of War’s 1974 joint mixing Latin rhythms and R&B grooves.

Beasley reminds us that he is an expressive crooner on “Come Live With Me,” which was the first single released last fall to tease the EP’s release. It is his interpretation of the romantic ballad recorded by Isaac Hayes in 1975.

“His (Hayes) version is absolutely perfect. I didn’t know the full meaning of the song until I got older. This is probably my favorite vocal performance from me because of the way I feel about Isaac Hayes. I wanted to do justice to the song, but I also wanted to do justice as it relates to the lyrics, which are very personal. I wanted to deliver it in the best possible way,” said Beasley, who also plays a sultry saxophone solo mid-tune that conveys longing.

The set closes with a revamp of Herbie Mann’s 1969 “Memphis Underground,” a backyard party jam that Beasley describes as being about watching your uncle and aunt getting up and dancing at a fun family barbecue.

Over the last three decades, Beasley has been a fixture on the Billboard top 20 contemporary jazz charts and landed three number one singles. Debuting in 1987 with a self-titled album, Beasley is a two-time Boston Music Awards winner, having been named Outstanding Jazz Artist and winning the Jazz Album of the Year for his 2003 release, “Go with the Flow.” Beasley’s present focus is honoring the music, the artists, and the epoch celebrated on “Tribute to Soul.”

“This EP reflects community, things we were going through as a people. It feels good and this is the best feeling project I’ve ever done.”

Beasley’s “Tribute to Soul” EP contains the following songs:

“Hold On, I’m Coming”
“Green Onions”
“Ballero”
“Come Live With Me”
“Memphis Underground”

For more information, visit https://www.walterbeasley.com.

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