Some musicians forget about God once they reach the top.

Not Kirk Whalum.

The Grammy Award-winning saxophonist believes his faith helped get him where he is today: a session player respected by top artists and a gospel musician whose work has received numerous accolades.

Tonight he’s in Bermuda, headlining the Jazz Masters Series concert at CedarBridge Academy. His hope is that his performance will help build the faith of his fans.

“Music is powerful like that,” he said. “It has the ability to take people away from their existential dilemmas, concerns or worries and give them a little vacation. That’s one of the main things I want people to get out of the performance, but another goal is just to represent whom I call ‘The Great Musician’, the Lord Jesus who I serve, worship and follow.

“I’m hoping people will be impacted by His love and feel His welcome and hospitality for His creation — every single one of us. That’s a big part of my life’s purpose when I’m able to represent Jesus in a way that points others a little closer to Him.”

The 57-year-old got his start performing around the age of 11.

He sang in the church choir for a year before he took up the saxophone. His father, “who was very forward-thinking and pushed the boundaries of tradition”, encouraged him to play the instrument at church too. “The church remains the launching pad for a lot of us, especially in the African-American community, because it provides exposure and an open invitation to people to share and develop their gift — with God’s people as your cheering section,” he said.

Despite that grounding, he didn’t really get to know Jesus until he went to a church camp. “I actually went to that camp at 15 looking for girls,” he said. “I ended up finding a Saviour as well as the girl. Her name was Rubystyne and she was 14. We started dating as teenagers and have been married for 36 years this August. So the vertical relationship that I was privileged to embark upon with the Lord Jesus that day was mirrored by a relationship with this Ruby girl and we’ve been able to raise our four kids, who are all grown and starting families of their own.”

His solo performance helped take Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You to the top of the charts, Mr Whalum has also played alongside Barbara Streisand, Al Jarreau, Luther Vandross, Larry Carlton, Quincy Jones and Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds.

Still, he’s most proud of his performances as a college student at Texas Southern University in Houston.

“This was in the 80s and people would get in their cars and drive all the way across town to hear my music. That’s something I consider, still to this day, to be such an honour and such an affirming thing,” he said.

“I always want to be in awe of that moment because people didn’t have to come out. And they didn’t just get in their cars to hear any old music, they came to hear me. Some of those people had only heard me playing by coincidence and decided to come out and hear me again. That still amazes me that people in Houston, Bermuda or anywhere else in the world will come out to hear me play.

“I’ve been able to play at some pretty cool events — like in South Africa in 1994 with Whitney Houston where we played in front of thousands upon thousands of people; I’ve played in front of dignitaries like Nelson Mandela [and] still I consider it an honour when the average person with a limited budget will spend their hard-earned money to hear me perform.”

Mr Whalum spent part of this week volunteering at a homeless shelter in Memphis. While there, he was reminded that no matter what our social standing, we are all special in God’s eyes.

“He still loves each and every one of us,” he said. “That day we ended up having a memorial service for one of the guys at the shelter there who passed away. He was like many in our town who are poor and don’t really have a lot and wouldn’t ordinarily be afforded a lot of dignity when they die, but we honoured him the best we could and, in that moment, that place became sacred. There weren’t any stained glass or big chimes or European art, but any place where you allow God in is a sacred place.” He promises he and his band will deliver a great show tonight.

“People may come out and hear a song they grew up with from Earth, Wind and Fire or Stevie Wonder, but the thing we do differently is we interpret these sounds and engage the audience from a more spontaneous point of view,” he said.

“When you engage with each other, the divine and the audience then you’re able to come up with something that’s fresh and new every single time and it’s never ever the same. I don’t know what people can expect or even what to expect myself from tonight’s show, but I just know it’s going to be good.

“It’s about being vulnerable and that’s a scary place to be, but it’s so important because people love it when it comes together and we can feel their energy and come up with a collaboration with them, the other musicians and with God as well.”

Sheila Smith, Gita Blakeney-Saltus, Toni Bari, Dennis Francis, Earl Leader and Shine Hayward will also perform.

•Tickets are available at the gate. Advance tickets are $65, available at Music Box, 27th Century Boutique, Magic 102.7FM and HOTT 107.5 Studios. Doors open at 7.30pm; show starts at 8pm.