Their mission is to brighten the lives of sick children, not just here in the U.S. You’ve been serving as a global ambassador for the Starlight Children’s Foundation for more than two decades - what drew you to them?
Overall, it’s like musical comfort food.Ĩ. Everyone has that song that will - the moment you hear it - take you right back to a particular moment. And I have tremendous respect for the people who wrote the music, because these are the same people who wrote what’s in the Great American Songbook, and that’s music that will never go out of style. Growing up in America means growing up with Christmas music. Given the time of year, the fact you’ve put out a Christmas album, and that you have your annual tour, what does Christmas music mean to you? My favorite thing is turning new people on to it.ħ. The big takeaway from the 25th anniversary is that there are still people interested in hearing me play! I feel very blessed that somehow me blowing through this metal tube, this plumbing, has struck a chord with people. Any big realizations after a quarter-century of being at a level where you’re putting out albums and touring? Those were the two guys who were very well-established artists and they took a chance on me.Ħ. And there was another guy named Bobby Caldwell.
It was really one guy, Jeff Lorber he saw something in me. How did you move from Randy & Company to having a career so far beyond backing a wedding singer?īeing born and raised in Los Angeles, I was exposed to a lot of people and a lot of opportunities. The saxophone became my best friend and most trusted ally and confidant.ĥ. I was going through so much crap as a 13-year-old, like most 13-year-olds, but I didn’t have the ability to talk to anyone about what was going on in my head and in my heart. That and it’s just such a fascinating instrument. So your brother’s comment was what led you to pick up the sax? I remember my dad had come to pick me up from my drum lesson one time - I think I was about 10 - and the teacher pulled my dad close but I could hear him when he said, “You might want to think about sports for Dave because it’s just not going to happen.”Ĥ. I had tried drums and piano and had displayed no discernible musical talent at that point. My brother told me the only way I would get in the band was if I played the sax. I saw how much fun they had - making money playing on the weekends and not having to sling burgers and fries - so I said, “That’s for me.” Except I didn’t play an instrument. My older brother had a band, which was called Randy & Company, that played weddings, bar mitzvahs and frat parties. Even when that first record came out I never thought that I would be doing it for this many years. To me this whole career has been kind of a big surprise. I started when I was 13 and when my first album came out I was 27. You recorded Dave Koz 26 years ago, but how long have you been playing saxophone?įorty years. He’s also back with his annual holiday tour, which kicked off the day after Thanksgiving and ends just before Christmas, when he and guests Jonathan Butler, Valerie Simpson and Kenny Lattimore appear at the City National Civic in San Jose on December 22.ġ. Koz released Collaborations: 25th Anniversary Collection, last year on Concord Records. During that quarter-century, he’s also been nominated for nine Grammy awards, has had nine albums reach number 1 on Billboard magazine’s Current Contemporary Jazz Albums chart, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He’s been renting a cozy getaway home here for most of the 25 years since recording his debut solo album Dave Koz in 1990. Internationally known jazz saxophonist Dave Koz is a native of Los Angeles, but has most often found his muse and inspiration in Sausalito.