Dave Koz

Saturday, August 13, 2011 | AT&T Main Stage | 6pm

Dubbed the ‘King of Smooth Jazz”, Dave Koz‘s repertoire, like that of both Kenny G. and Najee, incorporates instrumental treatments of familiar pop fare, as well as extended solo spots. He rapidly gained a wide audience with his debut album remaining on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz charts in 1990 for 25 weeks.  Koz also cites Pat Metheny, Stevie Wonder, Tom Scott, Michael Breckner, David Sanborn and Tower of Power as cherished influences.

Music – and more specifically, the saxophone – have been Koz’s primary survival tools since his childhood and adolescence in L.A.’s San Fernando Valley. He started playing as a means to land a spot in his brother’s band, but somewhere along the way he says, “the saxophone became my best friend, my most trusted ally, because it enabled me to communicate feelings that I didn’t have the words for. In many ways, it saved my life.”  

After earning a degree in mass communications from UCLA, Koz took the leap into a career as a professional musician – a decision that quickly led to touring gigs with vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Bobby Caldwell, keyboardist Jeff Lorber and pop singer Richard Marx. He signed with Capitol and released his self-titled solo debut in 1990. Noteworthy follow-ups included the gold certified “Lucky Man” in 1993, “Off the Beaten Path” in 1996 and three holiday albums – “December Makes Me Feel This Way” in 1997, “Dave Koz & Friends: A Smooth Jazz Christmas” in 2001 and “Memories of a Winter’s Night” in 2007. The gold certified “The Dance” from 1999 and “Saxophonic” released in 2003 each spawned five Top 5 hits on the contemporary jazz charts, and the latter album scored two Grammy nominations. An overall six-time Grammy nominee, he was honored in 2009 by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 

davekoz.com
myspace.com/davekozmusic