BY ANDREW DAVIS
Dave Koz has lived a life that many others would envy. As one of the world's top saxophonists, the sultan of smooth jazz has worked with many famous and talented musicians, including Celine Dion, Luther Vandross, Ray Charles and U2.
However, according to Koz, his life did not feel complete until he came out of the closet, which he did last year in a cover story featured in The Advocate. In an interview with Windy City Times, the Grammy-nominated musician talked about being out, working on his new CD and collaborating with the iconic Vandross.
Windy City Times: First of all, you're going to be here in December, right?
Dave Koz: Yes. Actually, all things considered, Chicago is probably one of the cities we spend the most time in [ when touring ] . We come in twice a year for at least two days each time. We've done that for the past five years and I don't think we've done that in any other city in the U.S.
WCT: I understand you're in the studio now recording a CD.
DK: Yes; it'll come out in February, as it stands now. It's a very special project and I hope that people will feel the same way when it comes out. I'm working with a legendary producer—Phil Ramone—whose career has spanned decades. He's worked with everyone from Billy Joel to Paul Simon to Barbra Streisand to Frank Sinatra to Gloria Estefan to Elton John.
I came up with this idea to do this dream project and it piqued his interest. There's a full orchestra and it features all the music of the movies—classic songs and a few themes. There's everything from 'As Time Goes By' to 'It Might Be You' from Tootsie to the theme from Cinema Paradiso. It's a mix of the classics and more modern songs but the key ingredient was melody.
WCT: How would you define 'smooth jazz?'
DK: It's an umbrella that houses a variety of styles. To me, it involves contemporary instrumentals with classic, smoother vocals. The classic vocals can involve people like Whitney Houston, Michael McDonald and Toni Braxton.
Smooth jazz is more of a radio format than a style. For example, you have a fantastic station there ( WNUA ) ; however, it sounds different than the station here [ in L.A. ] .
WCT: Now I have to congratulate you on your previous CD, Saxophonic ( released in 2003 ) . I saw that on SmoothJazz.com, the CD is still number five on the charts. Why do you think your CDs are so successful?
DK: Wow ... I didn't know that! [ Laughs. ] I really don't release CDs very often because I let musical ideas gestate. I don't want any fluff; I want to feel that every song is good and that they measure up to the standards I've set for myself. I want to create a lasting record that stands the test of time. Also, I only release them every two to three years. I want to feel like I'm saying something instead of just churning out music.
WCT: Yet there are others who apparently have a different approach. For example, Hilary Duff came out with a greatest-hits compilation after releasing two CDs.
DK: Well, some of that is painful in that it's marketing people coming up with concepts as opposed to artistry. The way we consume our music now is a lot different than [ a couple decades ] ago. My nieces, for example, play two songs on an album and they don't necessarily know the names of the songs. They'll say 'Play number four' or 'Play number eight.' It's a single mentality—and artists have become more disposable now.
This will be my ninth album and I haven't released my greatest hits yet because it doesn't feel like it's time.
WCT: Could you talk a minute about Dave Koz & Friends At Sea? I also understand that there's a Hurricane Katrina connection.
DK: Yes, there is. This is the first time we've ever done this. Cruising, I guess, is very popular now—although I haven't been on a cruise since I went with my family 20 years ago and had a miserable time. [ Laughs. ] I love my family but it was kind of odd. I heard that music-themed cruises were popular and someone came to me with an idea about hosting one. It would allow me to take what we do with our summer and winter touring and create that experience for a whole week at sea.
Dave Koz & Friends At Sea has a great line-up and it's all sold out; that's 1,800 passengers! [ Musicians in the line-up include Jeffrey Osborne, Patti Austin, Chris Botti and former NBA player Wayman Tisdale. ] People are giving up a week of their time so I'm not taking that for granted. There will be numerous performances and things you won't see anywhere else. You get to hang out with your favorite musicians.
We kept a couple cabins back. On Sept. 29, they went up for auction [ on eBay ] . One will go to The American Red Cross for Hurricane Katrina relief and the other will go the Starlight Starbright Foundation for seriously ill children.
WCT: You officially came out last year. How did other musicians react?
DK: It's weird. I did it when I was 40. If I could have bottled the energy I spent worrying about what would happen if I came out ... just think what I could've done with that. My story is no different than anyone else's. I just got to a point where I wasn't willing to compromise anymore. I had been out in my personal life ( with my family, friends and co-workers ) but there was that one final step of coming out publicly.
I thought my whole world would change—but, actually, nothing changed. As a matter of fact, everything got better. I remember touring that summer and the attendance and record sales had been better than they had been in years. The rapport with the fans was just [ great ] . I had been kicking myself for not doing it sooner, but it's about timing. You have to do it when it feels right. It was a wonderful experience and I feel tremendously blessed. I feel like a whole person.
WCT: Out of curiosity, what did you think of Chicago rap artist Kanye West calling for an end to homophobia in hip-hop?
DK: The man is a lightning rod. First of all, he comes from a real musical background. I'll admit that rap music is not my forte, but I respond to artists who have a point of view—and his point of view involves positive social change. I have a lot of respect for him—especially since a lot of rap music points toward gays in a negative manner. Also, there's the Hurricane Katrina thing [ in which West said, among other things, that 'George Bush doesn't care about Black people' ] . He's able to see things and is not afraid to call people out on their shit, if you will.
WCT: Switching gears, what was it like working with Luther Vandross and what will you remember about him?
DK: Luther was a complete musician. People refer to him as a singer but he was committed completely to music and who lived for it. I miss him so much; he was a really special person.
I'm fortunate and blessed to say that he sang on one of my albums. He simply said 'Call me if you need me,' after having lunch with him. Then I wrote this song with my buddies in New York and I said, 'This song is so Luther Vandross.' ( It was 'The Sha La Song' from The Dance album. ) So I called him and he agreed to do it. I arrived at the studio 90 minutes early to make sure everything was set up for him and guess what? Luther was already there. I couldn't get him to stop singing; he kept coming up with these parts, over and over again. It proved to me that it didn't matter if he sang on his own songs or if he was with another project, he was going to give 100 percent. Besides, that voice—it was like no other voice.
Also, he put in the same sort of commitment to rehabilitation that he put into music. I saw him in this convalescing hospital. He was in bad shape but he was committed to getting back on that stage—and I'm so sorry that he never got to do that. I just feel so blessed that I got a chance to know that guy and to feed off some of that greatness, because he was great—and I mean great when you talk about the real heroes of the world.
WCT: I recently saw Patti LaBelle on The Oprah Winfrey Show and she said that it seemed that he felt 'it was time to go home.'
DK: [ Pauses. ] Well, I didn't know him like Patti LaBelle knew him. He was so incredibly close to her. I think you can learn something from that statement. It's a beautiful statement in that our time comes and ... in our culture, we're so afraid of death and what it means. The way she said that is such a beautiful way of putting it. We're all going to go home at some point; why not embrace it when it's time?
WCT: Well, I want to end on kind of a lighter note. You said in another interview that you chose the saxophone because it was the only instrument left to play in your brother's band. If you had first choice, what do you think you would've picked?
DK: Well, I actually chose other instruments beforehand, like the piano and drums—and I just completely sucked. It wasn't until the saxophone was kind of chosen for me that I felt an instrument that felt like part of me.
WCT: Like it was meant for you ...
DK: Yeah. It was just immediately natural and I became good on it quick. No matter how much I practiced on those other instruments, I just couldn't become good on them.
Whether you want to say that it was chosen for me or that I chose the saxophone, I ended up finding the right instrument. It's never let me down. It's like a primary relationship in my life in that there are periods of time where you take it for granted but there are times like when I went to South Africa and there were thousands of people singing my instrumentals. I took a minute, looked at the saxophone and said 'Damn! This piece of metal has brought me a lot of pretty amazing experiences.' I try to renew my vow to it each time I put out a project. It's a great vehicle for self-expression and it's provided a lot of help when I wasn't able to speak. This instrument allowed me to get those emotions out.
That's why music ( and art ) education is so important to me. It's usually the first thing to go when budget cuts come and that's a horrible thing to think about. If I didn't have the saxophone ... forget about having a career, Andrew. If I didn't have that instrument and that outlet, I don't know what would've happened. I think about kids growing up now and all the shit they have to deal with ... sometimes having a vehicle to help deal with inner turmoil is so important.
Koz will be in concert at The Chicago Theatre Dec. 17 and 18. For more information, see www.davekoz.com .
