11 minute read
Notes from the Publisher
DAVE KOZ
A magic carpet ride through the milestones of his unimaginable career leads him to A New Day
By Ken Capobianco
Unlike most jazz and pop musicians who have declined to release an album during this year’s pandemic because of the difficult logistics of recording and the inability to tour, superstar jazz saxophonist Dave Koz has embraced the challenges and is about to deliver new, original music to uplift his fans. On Oct. 9, the multi-Grammy nominee will release A New Day, an ebullient, spirited collection of songs, featuring an all-star cast of collaborators.
Photo: Colin Peck The dynamic record includes such jazz luminaries as David Sanborn, Bob James, Rick Braun, Jeff Lorber, Paul Jackson Jr., Brian McKnight, and Meshell Ndegeocello, among many others. The album is Koz’s 20th, and comes 30 years after his self-titled debut album, which launched his storied career. Recorded during the pandemic, the album is a big-canvas jazz album with a sonic crispness and rich musicality that defy the limitations of life during quarantine and social distancing. Koz understands that periods of crisis demand music to help people transcend the troubled times marked by grief and loneliness. “When the pandemic hit, I knew I had to make a record that’s sole purpose was to make people feel good, because that’s the way I’ve used music all through the pandemic to get by,” said the affable Koz, one of pop music’s most articulate and engaging personalities, via phone from his home in Los Angeles. “Music provides that kind of comfort and calm that other media just can’t provide. The idea that other people would use my music for the same reason I was, gave me purpose. “And it gave me something to do because we had to cancel all touring and the cruises this year. Like every other musician, I was grappling with how to express myself and maintain a connection with fans to stay sane. It was a project figuring out how to make an album completely virtual and make it sound like a cohesive musical statement, but it was important for me.” Creating the album under such trying circumstances was made easier because every musician he reached out to was free to work. “It helped that I had nothing else to do, and everyone was available,” Koz laughed. “I had multiple teams of producers working at the same time, so we had everything going on at once. We could be quite efficient. “Another key thing was we hired musicians who have played on hundreds or thousands of records––these are legendary musicians. Nathan East, John Robinson, Michael Thompson and Paul Jackson Jr. “They were available and looking for something they could sink their teeth into because they had all of this simmering musical energy. Since we couldn’t sit in a studio and produce with overdubs, I thought it was important to spend a little extra money. They all are expensive, but you get what you pay for. Those guys in their own home studios—unsupervised—were going to deliver tracks that I knew were going to be great. They don’t need producing. They just know intuitively what’s right for a certain song. And we got back these tracks that were perfect.” Without the ability to record with live musicians and feed off the vibe of great playing, Koz and co-producers Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers had to be nimble and meticulous as they put together the tracks submitted to them. They developed the songs that were written digitally by Koz and his collaborators as they traded melodic ideas, works in progress and basic tracks via the internet. The music is bright––the songs swing, bounce, inspire and resonate emotionally. Koz said each of the songs was written with a purpose and the one cover (The Beatles’ “Yesterday,” featuring the
wondrous Ndegeocello) was produced and performed to have special meaning, especially in a world that’s been turned upside down overnight. “‘Summertime in New York’ (with McKnight) was written on, I believe March 12, the day Tom Hanks and his wife came out and said they had contracted the coronavirus,” recalled Koz. “Broadway closed down. The NBA closed down. It was a pivotal day. And, meanwhile, my co-writers and I were writing this song that was not based on fear. It’s based on the joy of when we ultimately get to the end of all of this. We were focused on what it would feel like post-pandemic instead of focusing on the present and the fear and panic we were all feeling.” On the record is “Dr. Norm,” a buoyant tribute to his father, which was written during the quarantine while Koz could reflect on his parents and youth. “My parents have passed many years now, but I found myself with so much time alone. I really started to think about my parents and how they brought all their energy into my world,” Koz ruminated.
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“I think about my parents so much. They were great people, extremely nurturing. And that’s probably why I was thinking of them during that time because I missed that nurturing only parents can provide. “I wrote the song with Jeff Lorber, and it has the quirkiness that my dad had. He was extremely funny with a dry sense of humor. And the song has a sense of humor––it’s part cool and part goofy at the same time.” The song and title have a deeper meaning for the saxophonist, as Dr. Norm’s also is the incorporated name of the cannabis edible company run by Koz’s brother and sister in California. “They make cookies from my mom’s recipe,” he said. “My mother was a typical Jewish mother, who loved to make food for everyone out of love. And her main thing was chocolate chip cookies. “My sister built the business, which provides these edibles. And, honestly, the testimonials from people who use the cookies for better sleep or to alleviate pain are wonderful. So, it’s taking my parents’ medical background––my dad was a doctor and my mother was a pharmacist by trade––and their nurturing to another level while making people happy.” A personal high point during the making of A New Day for Koz came when he finally collaborated on writing a song (“Side by Side”) with Sanborn. “Reaching out to my number one saxophone idol, David Sanborn, who is a friend, was genuinely important for me,” he said with enthusiasm. “I talked to him early on and said, ‘Dave, let’s write a song together and record it’––we’d never done that before. We wrote the song with Rick Braun and Philippe Saisse. ‘Side by Side’ is about the fact that I could lean on my idol, who really showed up for me at this time. And I showed up for him. It’s about who we leaned on to get through this period of time.” The California native is moved by the milestones he has reached with the release of A New Day. He is extremely grateful to be able to say that he is 30 years and 20 albums into one of the most enduring and creative careers in popular jazz. “All of the milestones are very important to me because this career, which I never could have imagined, is like a magic carpet ride. I mean, how many people who try this get to do it for 30 years? So, I come from a place of supreme gratitude for all the people who’ve helped create this wonderful experience for so long.
“If it all ended tomorrow—and I hope it doesn’t—but if it did, I’d only be able to say two words, and that’s ‘thank you.’” Despite the enormity of grief and death as a result of COVID-19 and the deep racial unrest that has marked 2020, Koz remains optimistic and believes this is a transition period in our lives. “I intuitively believe we are going to a better place––that better times on all levels will come after this. You have to remember, I’m a very ‘the glass is half-full’ type person. I can’t imagine us going through this experience and not having it deliver us to a better place. “Just think of the magnitude of things we’ve had to deal with this year. We have a lot of work to do, but I think it will all be for the better.” He added that his positive outlook can be traced back to his upbringing. “Part of it goes back to the belief system my parents instilled in my brother and sister and I based on your own personal power and the idea that you create the life you want out of your own individual desires. And, I do believe that music helps smooth out that journey to where we are going.” Koz’s life and career have been dramatically altered by the pandemic. He said that he was forced to find new ways to connect with fans after having his touring and cruises canceled. He performed livestream concerts every Friday for more than two months and found them very gratifying. “I miss the road a lot, and having to cancel our cruises was very difficult for me. Probably the most challenging times of my life. It was so tough to navigate that,” he said. “The connection with the fans and playing music is so much a part of me. That’s like eating and breathing. That’s about giving happiness to people and getting happiness from them. It’s a two-way street. With the livestreams, I could feel their energy every Friday. That interaction with fans and all the comments were a real boost.” He said that he spent the quarantine period in his second home in Sausalito in Northern California, but he has driven back and forth between Sausalito and his Los Angeles home over the last few months. “Sausalito was a very nice place to be during the quarantine because I live in a cool little neighborhood with wonderful neighbors who look out for each other. It is much more of a small-town feel than Los Angeles.” Koz maintained that life during the pandemic has forced people to do more reflection about their lives and reconsider their priorities. And a lot of good can come out of that. “The quarantine forced everyone to re-evaluate everything. We all had to look at the manner and mechanisms of the way we live, and say to ourselves, ‘Is this still appropriate? Does it still work?’ I do believe that is happening in every aspect of our society.” The introspective musician feels we all have to find our own way as the world changes before our eyes, and we push on to seek a better tomorrow. “This year has made people think about all the things we thought would never change and then see them change overnight. The amount of change can be overwhelming when you think about it. “How do we hold on to everything for dear life when everything around us is chaos? You’re seeing more of what Michelle Obama calls ‘low-grade depression.’ I went through it. That feeling of ‘Who am I? What am I doing?’ “Everyone has gone through their own personal journey. Where this ends up, I have no idea, but I like to focus on the positive because it makes me feel better. Who knows what’s going to happen with the election or all the racial division? I know I like to fast forward into the future and pull where I am now to where I will be, and hopefully, it will all work out.” Koz is performing A New Day virtual album release, featuring special guests and plenty of surprises, on Friday, Oct. 9, at 4 p.m. (PDT). Tickets for this livestreamed event are $15 and include a digital copy of the new record, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Recording Academy MusiCares. For tickets, or more information on Koz, visit www.davekoz.com.
