Saxophonist Dave Koz talks music, touring and the magic of Christmas

Saxophonist Dave Koz is spreading the Christmas spirit this holiday season with a new album and his 22nd annual Dave Koz and Friends Christmas Tour.

The multiple Grammy-nominated, openly gay jazz artist has been in the music business for nearly 30 years, keeping busy not just with his music, but with radio shows, cruises, wine and more.

Koz was first inspired to pick up the saxophone when he was 13 years old out of a desperate wish to join his brother’s band.

“After driving my brother crazy for two years, he let me be in the band and that was my job for many many years, but I never thought that it would be my living,” Koz says.

Koz described himself as a “practical kid,” saying he went to college and planned on getting a “regular job,” but that the universe had a different plan for him.

“When I graduated, there were a couple of people who showed up that saw something in me that I didn’t know was there. So, they nurtured that and next thing I knew I got signed to Capitol Records and I was making my first album. I was very surprised,” Koz says. “I still am, actually.”

He released his first album, “Dave Koz,” in 1990 and has been making music ever since.

Koz said that his newest album, “Gifts of the Season,” which came out on Oct. 11, harkens back to the beginning of his musical career, having a contemporary jazz sound with pop, R&B and funk elements.

“I have veered in many different directions over the years as an artist, but with this album, it was a return to those roots,” he says. “It was fun to just make a high-energy, very fun album, featuring many wonderful guests — all of the people on this tour as well.”

The first Dave Koz and Friends Christmas Tour was conceptualized in 1997, when Koz interviewed pianist David Benoit for his radio show.

On the episode, they discussed how both Benoit’s mother and Koz’s father had passed away within a few weeks of each other, so neither of them were looking forward to the holiday season.

Benoit suggested that they go on a holiday tour and remember their parents by playing music. Koz jumped at the opportunity.

“That first year we had a small number of shows and they were not very well attended,” Koz says. “But it was really heartfelt shows, obviously for the subject matter. And people loved it and they wanted us back and it grew the next year, and grew the next year, and here we are 22 years later still going strong.”

This year, the show features several special guests touring and performing with Koz — all of whom also appear on Koz’s latest holiday album.

“In my heart, I’m a collaborator,” Koz says. “I love working with other people. They inspire me to push myself a little bit more and to come up with new things that I probably wouldn’t have thought of on my own.”

Joining Koz on this tour will be Jonathan Butler. Butler, the youngest of 13 children, grew up in Cape Town, South Africa during Apartheid. The Grammy-nominated performer started his singing career at age seven, released his first album by age 12 and became the first black artist played by white radio stations in the racially segregated South Africa.

Along with the holiday tour and appearing on Koz’s Christmas album, Butler released his latest album last month, a holiday-themed LP titled “Christmas Together.”

Melissa Manchester will also join Koz on the road. A New York native, Manchester studied songwriting with Paul Simon, was discovered by Barry Manilow and was one of the original Harlettes — Bette Midler’s popular back-up singing trio.

Manchester has landed on the Billboard charts with Top 10 hits like “Midnight Blue,” the Grammy-nominated “Don’t Cry Out Loud” and the Grammy-winning “You Should Hear How She Talks About You.” Her songs have been heard in motion pictures — nabbing two Oscar nominations — and recorded by such artists as Barbra Streisand, Dusty Springfield, Alison Krauss and Roberta Flack.

Also along for the ride is singer and guitarist Chris Walker. Walker knows his way around a bass guitar, he’s even able to play it upside down just like his guitar hero, Jimi Hendrix. Walker got his start in his hometown of Houston, Texas as a member of his family’s gospel group, The Walker Brothers.

Walker is best known for his hit singles “Take Time,” “Giving You All My Love” and “How Do You Heal a Broken Heart.” He served as musical director for legendary performers Regina Belle and Al Jarreau, the latter of which he dedicated his most recent album to. “We’re In This Love Together – A Tribute to Al Jarreau “ was Walker’s way of honoring Jarreau, who passed away in 2017, and features an array of artists including Koz.

Michael Lington rounds out the group. Lington is a jazz and soul recording artist who has worked with the likes of Manilow, Michael Bolton, Aaron Neville, Little Richard, Taylor Dayne and more. The Danish-American saxophonist and singer even performed at the royal wedding of a future Danish king.

With 10 albums under his belt, Lington decided to also get into the holiday spirit this year and released his first-ever Christmas album, “A Foreign Affair Christmas,” which features an appearance from Koz himself.

“So big picture, I would say that collaborating with other artists has been the best aspect of my career,” Koz says.

An aspect of Koz’s career that had him worried was when he decided to come out publicly as a gay man in 2004. Koz says while he worried about coming out for a long time, he finally felt comfortable sharing his identity with his fans.

“I feared it so long and I created this mountain that I thought I would never be able to get over. The most beautiful thing was going through the experience and getting on the other side of the mountain and looking back and realizing there was no mountain there at all. I had just created this big, huge thing that was nonexistent. [Getting over the fear of coming out was] the best thing I ever did.”

Koz also says that everyone embracing and accepting each other is a big theme he wants people to take away from his tour, as Christmas music brings people together in what he describes as “a hard few years.”

“While I never really like to talk politics because I don’t think there’s a win there, I think you’d have to be living under a rock to not see all the tension in the air in our country right now,” Koz says. “So Christmas and the holidays — when they come around on the calendar, it’s like a chance for us to all take a step back, take a big breath and be reminded that we’re all human beings and we could all be a little bit more humane to each other. It’s a chance to hit the reset button and I think music can inspire people to do that better than words.”

Dave Koz’s latest album “Gifts of the Season” is available now on most major music streaming services. The 22nd annual Dave Koz and Friends Christmas Tour will be traveling the U.S. until the end of the year. For more information on concerts, albums and appearances, visit DaveKoz.com.

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