Kim Waters

Hailed by jazz critics as one of the world’s best saxophonists, Kim Waters is a prolific American musician known for his romantic blend of smooth jazz. Despite having started playing the violin at the age of 8, Waters switched to his main instrument during his teenage years. Throughout his career, the sax virtuoso has played with legends such as Al Green, Isaac Hayes, and Teddy Riley. Waters made his official debut in 1989 with Sweet and Saxy and released a couple of successful smooth jazz albums during the 90s, most notably Love’s Melody (1998), a tribute to his daughters that came out via Shanachie Records. A decade later, Waters joined forces with fellow saxophonists Jeff Kashiwa and Steve Cole for the Sax Pack, a smooth jazz trio that went on to release three well-received albums. In 2011, he released This Heart of Mine, which featured a cover of R. Kelly’s “Love Letter” and Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind”. Following his departure from Shanachie, he signed with Red River Entertainment for My Loves (2013), which featured vocals by Waters’ wife, Dana Pope, and R&B singer Glenn Jones. Rhythm and Romance (2016) marked his return to Shanachie and reached Number 12 on the Jazz Albums chart. Waters spent the following years touring extensively throughout the US, paving the way for What I Like (2018) and Shakedown (2020), his 24th release as a band leader.