Top to bottom:
Friends and mentors JEFF BRIDGES , RAVI SHANKAR ,
and JACKSON BROWNE in San
Diego, 2010; Kozlowski in Cuba meeting FIDEL CASTRO
with SANDRA
presentation using his music. One night I dreamed he came to see it, and through somewhat magical circumstances, he showed up at my doorstep three days later with his entourage.” That began a decades-long collaborative relationship, with Kozlowski documenting Shankar’s life and work through film and multimedia presentations, sharing the musical stage with him and managing his archives. For Shankar’s 75th birthday in 1995, he coproduced with George Harrison a fourCD box set of Shankar’s work, titled In Celebration. Kozlowski also produced a documentary on Shankar’s life, Sangeet Ratna (meaning “Jewel of Music”), which was shown at his memorials around the world when he passed in 2012. “There’s this guru/disciple relationship where the guru takes on the student for life,” Kozlowski says, describing their bond. Images of Shankar adorn the walls of his loft. In one, the 5’2” Shankar poses with Kozlowski, a gentle giant at 6’4”. In another, Shankar smiles alongside Jeff Bridges and Jackson Browne— all three are godfathers to Kozlowski’s beloved 12-year-old daughter, Lily. “Ravi gave Lily her middle name, Kalyani, which means ‘blessing,’” says Kozlowski. “He taught me about finding the moment, dedication, and the improvisational aspect of life.” A second path led Kozlowski in the direction of filmmaking. It started, oddly enough, at the moment where Kozlowski’s life took a detour from the Summer of Love in Haight-Ashbury to a Santa Barbara monastery on Garden Street in 1970. “I went from free love and music to being a celibate monk for four years, sleeping on a plywood plank,” he says. “They needed someone to do their audio recording, so I joined their staff and produced multimedia for their presentations.” “I was paid $15 a month plus room and board, so I definitely wasn’t in it for the money,” he laughs. “The gift of that time is that I was able to focus on learning and perfecting the techniques of my craft.” Kozlowski later opened a postproduction facility in Santa Monica that eventually became Pacific Ocean Post. “Haskell Wexler, a legendary cinematographer and Montecito resident, took me under his wing,” he says. “And Jac Holzman, founder of Electra Records, mentored me as I made the journey from a technical creative person to CEO. Then I sold the company in 1998 so
1999; JACKSON
BROWNE CHEVY,
Santiago, Cuba,
2009. Opposite: KHAMPA DEVOTION ,
Eastern Tibet, 2001.
S A N TA B A R B A R A
PHOTOGRAPHS: ALAN KOZLOWSKI
Feature - Alan K HAY, Havana,