Dave Koz

Offers Yuletide classics as musical comfort food that reminds us of good times and family

By Marcia Manna GRAMMY-nominated saxophonist and radio personality Dave Koz has hosted 22 Christmas tours and produced seven Christmas albums, including his recent release, Gifts of the Season.

It’s a rather long-standing commitment for someone who was born to Jewish parents and raised in sunny California. “It’s a head scratcher,” Koz admitted. “We celebrated Hanukkah. I never thought in a million years that I would be doing this much Christmas. But I always loved going to friends’ houses on Christmas Eve and enjoying the festivities. The music is what made me respond to the feeling of the holidays. I always loved the music. That never wavered for me.” When it comes to performing Yuletide carols, Koz stays close to the classics with upbeat, soulful selections from the American Songbook. The Gifts of the Season CD, available online, includes Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas,” “I’ll be Home for Christmas” by Walter Maurice Kaufman (aka Walter Kent), and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” penned by Johnny Marks. “There is so much meat on the bones of these songs,” Koz enthused. “They are like musical comfort food and a part of our humanity. They make us feel good and remind us of our past and our families––and hopefully good times in our lives. I always considered it a great honor to play this music at holiday time.” The idea to pay a musical tribute to the holiday season came about in 1997 during a time of loss. “My dad had passed away, and I was talking to David Benoit––actually interviewing him for my radio show,” Koz said. “His mom had passed away two weeks prior to my dad. We were really commiserating in this interview about how we would move on without these very important people in our lives. He said, ‘Why don’t

we honor our folks the way we know how––which is playing music.’ That was the first year of the Christmas tour.” The decision to launch a holiday-themed tour, Koz said, came from an “organic place.” It started with a half-dozen performance dates and a group of musicians who were real-life friends, intent on sharing holiday spirit. The combination resonated with audiences. “Brenda Russell came with us that first year, and the next year Peter White, and the next Rick Braun,” Koz remembered. “We just built it, and people made us part of their holiday tradition. Over the years, I ended up releasing a lot of holiday music as a companion piece to the tours.” This year’s Dave Koz & Friends Gifts of the Season Christmas Tour includes GRAMMY Award-winning songstress Melissa Manchester, guitarist-singer Jonathan Butler, Danish saxophonist Michael Lington and vocalist Chris Walker. They will visit 11 states through December for a total of 22 shows in 25 days. All four artists also appear on the new album, Gifts of the Season. Koz started his career as a sideman working with vocalist Bobby Caldwell, keyboardist Jeff Lorber and singersongwriter Richard Marx. In the 1990s, he began recording his own material, and when he was tapped to write a theme song for the 30th anniversary of the television soap “General Hospital,” he composed

“Faces of the Heart” with his older brother Jeff, also a musician.

The theme aired in 1993, and remained as the show’s title track for more than a decade. An engaging conversationalist as well as a musician adept at soprano, tenor and baritone saxophone, Koz helps to keep smooth jazz on the airwaves with the “Dave Koz Radio Show,” a syndicated broadcast since 1994. He also hosts “The Dave Koz Lounge,” airing Sundays on SiriusXM (satellite radio), and “Dave Koz & Friends Radio,” a channel on JAZZRADIO.com. Television and radio exposure enabled Koz to build a devoted fan base that encompasses multiple generations. But enduring collaborations have equally shaped his long career. There’s television producer Norman Lear, for instance, whom Koz describes as a “huge life mentor.” Koz is one of the guests invited to a late “guys night” hosted by the 97-year-old Lear every few months. “We have wines and an incredible dinner, and we retire to Norman’s patio, where we smoke cigars and make music,” Koz said. “It’s a wonderful, fun, late night. We have had John Mayer there, Bob Sagat, John Stamos, Rick Braun is a regular member, and Jonathan Butler. But, of course, Norman is the guy who holds court and puts it all together. You leave completely full and inspired. The conversation is smart and varied, and I feel blessed to be a part of that group.” Koz also is known for his full-ship cruise charters, and next year, more than a dozen artists are participating in the Dave Koz & Friends at Sea 2020 cruise, which visits Amsterdam and the British Isles in June. The two scheduled voyages are already sold-out, and there’s a waiting list for the next journey. Koz credits saxophonist Warren Hill, a participant in some of the earlier jazz-themed cruises, for inspiring a venture that has created a subculture of smooth jazz musicians and fans. “I learned the business and got to know how it all works,” said

Koz has performed Koz, who soon thereafter hosted on stages all over the world, a cruise for five years for another promoter. “When that deal was up, on land and sea, during we started our own entity, and we have been doing that for almost every season. 10 years now.” Koz likens the cruise experience to a musical travel club. He says the smooth jazz community is made up of people who come from “the same heart space” and that translates to the guest experience. “Even if you don’t know one other person, you are among friends,” he explained. “You are brought together because of your shared love of music, and there’s a palpable feeling of unity and the power of music on those ships. I’ve been humbled by that over and over––to see how people who are completely different, young and old, gay and straight, Republicans, Democrats and every race––are bound by a shared love of music. People support each other in a way that doesn’t happen in regular life.” Last year, Koz hosted a cruise to Australia, and it’s the first place he would think of returning to for a non-working vacation. “Everyone is so friendly,” he said. “The food is amazing, and if you are a coffee fan, the coffee is unreal. You wouldn’t think of it, but Melbourne is becoming one of the coffee capitals of the world for us coffee snobs. It was the best I ever had.” Koz has performed on stages all over the world, on land and sea, during every season. And, nearly every year, he plays close to home at the Hollywood Bowl. The Dave Koz & Friends Summer Horns tour was staged there last summer with pals Gerald Albright on alto continued on page 18

continued from page 17 saxophone, trumpeter Rick Braun, vocalist Kenny Lattimore and trombonist Aubrey Logan. Koz first played the iconic venue in 1986, accompanying Lorber at the Playboy Jazz Festival. He fondly recalls the photograph taken backstage with his parents, who attended that show. “I still look at it because they were so proud in that moment,” Koz said. “I was born and raised in Los Angeles, and went there when I was a kid. It’s such a thrill but also this huge responsibility. On your way to the stage, there is picture after picture of legendary artists. The Beatles. Judy Garland. By the time you walk out there you are like, ‘Oh my God, I better not screw this up.’ I think that leaving that stage after having done a good job, it doesn’t get much better than that.” Hold on to your Santa hats, it does get better. A sure thing for putting Koz in a holiday mood is sharing a glass of his KOZ Rosé. “I don’t know much about wine, except I like to drink it,” Koz quipped. “Our partner is Whole Foods, and over the years, we have tried different varietals. They said it would be a great summer wine, and they were right. It sold-out, and they reordered it.” KOZ Rosé is available at Whole Foods in California, Nevada, Arizona and Hawaii. And, Spaghettini Fine Dining & Entertainment in Seal Beach, California, serves it in bottles autographed by the saxophonist. Koz donates proceeds from the sale of his signature wine to the Starlight Children’s Foundation, for which he has served as its Global Ambassador for more than 25 years.

The Starlight Foundation delivers entertainment items, such as gaming programs and virtual reality headsets, to seriously ill children and their families at more than 800 children’s hospitals in the United States. Studies have shown that Starlight’s gaming program creates a better hospital experience, and it contributes to feelings of mastery and achievement. The Starlight Virtual Reality headsets are customized, hospital-ready and come equipped with preloaded, age-appropriate content. “We do a silent auction on our KOZ Rosé cruise, and people donate so much money for auction items,” Koz said. “It all goes to Starlight; same thing with the wine. Through our generous fan network, we’ve raised more than a million dollars for Starlight to continue its mission, something for which I’m very proud.” This season’s $200,000 donation provides state-of-the-art Starlight Virtual Reality headsets to 100 children’s hospitals stationed along the route of this year’s holiday tour. “It’s inspirational. Not only are you drinking good, you are doing good,” Koz enthused. Now ’tis the season for Koz to do good, not only for charity, but for his fans, as he and his friends spread the holiday spirit nationwide during his Dave Koz & Friends Gifts of the Season Christmas Tour 2019, which kicked off on Nov. 29 in Florida and concludes in California on Dec. 23. For more information on Koz, his concerts, cruises, and a complete tour schedule, visit www.davekoz.com.

Photo: Cooper Hardwick

Photo: Irvan Risnandar

On Tour

Dec. 31 Rick Braun’s New Year’s Eve Getaway JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa

Tucson, Arizona www.RickBraunNewYearsEve.com 520-219-3381 (Sold-out. Waitlist only.)

Oct. 11, 2020 Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival Catalina Casino

Avalon, California www.jazztrax.com 866-872-9849