DAVE KOZ & FRIENDS SUMMER HORNS TOUR

Ever since Dave Koz created his Summer Horns tour in 2013, featuring some of the world’s finest saxophonists performing with Koz, the show has been one of the highlights of the summer jazz schedule.

For the high-spirited tour this year, the ninetime-Grammy-nominated saxophonist shares the stage with his longtime friends Dutch alto-horn player Candy Dulfer and instrumentalist-composerproducer Eric Darius, while much-heralded vocalist Maysa appears on select dates to perform some of the vocal songs with the sax titans as well as her own music.

It’s a show built for summer fun, with music heavy on funky party tunes geared to get the audience up and in the groove.

“This is a very high-energy, party, let-your-hair-down, and dance show,” said Koz about the collaboration. “That’s always been the intent for the tour, and this year it’s extra funky. For the first time we are having a DJ on the stage. Russell Gatewood is touring with us, so he’ll add another layer we never had.”

Koz has also chosen a great band to accompany him and his guest artists: Randy Jacobs on guitar, Chris Snowden on bass, Carnell

Harrell on keys, and Jamie-Leigh Schultz (the sister of South African multi-instrumentalist wunderkind Justin-Lee Schultz).

The group will perform songs from each artist’s catalog and both of Koz’s Summer Horns albums, Dave Koz and Friends Summer Horns and Summer Horns II From A to Z. The good-natured smooth jazz mogul and philanthropist said all three horn players spent many hours carefully curating the music al menu for maximum energy and excitement.

“We tailor-made a set list that plays to our individual strengths and the time of year—summer—that we’re playing. We had meetings about the set and our own repertoires and the Summer Horns records, but we really spent months figuring out the set to create the best summer tour any of us has ever done. That was our commitment from the very beginning.”

Koz, who had recently returned from his three, seven-day, full-ship charter cruises to Spain, Portugal and Morocco, emphasized that the show is true to the roots of Summer Horns.

“The inspiration for the albums and the tour initially was the passion—let’s say collective—of all the horn players who have been involved to do an homage to all the great horn bands we grew up listening to like Earth, Wind & Fire; Tower of Power; Chicago; Blood, Sweat and Tears; Sly and the Family Stone, and so many others.

“They were incredible bands that had those unbelievably tight horn sections. They added so much fuel to the musical fire of my youth. That was the golden era of music to me, and I always wanted to do the project, and it morphed into a summer show.”

This summer, he enlisted Dulfer and Darius for the sax summit in part because they all have an easy rapport and musical chemistry. Koz said he has great admiration for them as musicians and people, noting he had a long history with both.

“I met Candy in the mid-’90s, so she’s a dear friend of mine and one of my favorite saxophone players,” he said. “I don’t know many people who are as funky as Candy. She’s one of the first women in jazz who pushed forward and broke the glass ceiling of jazz and created her own lane.”

The 40-year-old Darius was a fan of Koz before becoming one of his most esteemed peers. “Eric was 11 years old when I first met him. His dad brought him backstage to meet me in Clearwater, Florida,” Koz reminisced.

“He was a young sax player who wanted to meet me, and here he is now as one of the premier saxophone players and best performers. I call him the ‘Energizer Bunny’ of smooth jazz—he has so much energy, and this marks the first time we are doing tour together.”

Koz added that he knew they’d have no problem creating something special and unique.

“We’ve spent a lot of time together because Candy has been a mainstay of our cruises, and Eric has been on a lot of them. The chemistry starts from friendship and mutual respect.

“Both of them have a tremendous amount of experience playing in horn sections and with other horn players.”

The mercurial Darius spoke about the tour after playing the first two shows in Florida. He was overflowing with enthusiasm about the performance and crowd response.

“The first shows were amazing,” Darius said. “They were more incredible than I imagined they’d be when we first started talking about this tour.

“I’ve always been big admirers of both Candy and Dave, and for all of us to come together is like a dream come true. And being in front of my hometown fans—I’m from the Clearwater-Tampa Bay area—was extra special. The chemistry we have established even after just three shows is magical.”

Darius emphasized that the musical dynamic among the three saxophonists was so electric that he couldn’t wait for audiences across the country to experience the live-wire show.

“We are all proficient at what we do, we inspire each other. Candy will do a song, and that will fire up me and Dave, so it will make us take things to that level. It becomes interchangeable energy from one of us to the next, but there’s no ego involved—just us sharing our love for the instrument.” continued on page 16 continued from page 15

This is the first time Darius has toured with Koz, a musical idol of his youth, so the tour has special meaning for him.

The much-heralded vocalist Maysa appears on select dates to perform some of the vocal songs with the sax titans as well as her own music.

“Ever since I met Dave, he’s been nothing but so warm and inviting, and we’ve developed this great friendship. But I never thought I’d be touring with him and have the opportunity to share the stage. We are creating magic. I’m blessed to be a part of it.

“Dave is such a visionary who’s always looking to raise people up, and I’m so thankful to be asked to be a part of this. It means so much.”

The musicians will perform in various types of outdoor and indoor venues, so Koz expects each show will have its own flavor.

“It’s a mix of winery dates, outdoor festivals and indoor theaters,” Koz said. “It’s a great mix, and each night gives us an opportunity to tailor each show for that audience. The great thing about the United States is each place has its own personality, and they all respond differently.”

The saxophonist will be updating his fans about the tour on his various social media accounts, which he runs himself instead of having a team like most artists.

“I like to have that engagement with people,” he said. “It’s important— the one-on-one connection. Taking breaks is a good thing at times, though, because social media can be noisy, but when you come back, you do it with renewed energy and spirit.”

Koz, who will be releasing an EP of Disney songs in the fall and performing on his annual Christmas tour—marking its 26th year— later this year, celebrated his 60th birthday in the spring. It was a milestone he embraced.

“I had a small get-together with my family and very close friends. It was very intimate—maybe 20 people—and exactly what I wanted.

“I’ve had an incredible life so far—and I mean this with every fiber in my being—it’s been a magic carpet ride, so this is just the gravy years. I look at this as the beginning of the third act of my life.

“The first two acts have been unbelievable, but I don’t want to repeat them. I want to do something different, but I’m not sure what that entails at this point. However many years I have left, I will create more challenges for myself and put smiles on the faces of people in the way only music can do.”

The 22-date Dave Koz & Friends Summer Horns tour, which kicked off on June 30 in Jacksonville, Florida, continues through the summer, then concludes with two shows at Thornton Winery’s Champagne Jazz Series in Temecula, California, Sept. 23-24 (www.thorntonwine.com).

For more information on Koz and this tour, visit www.davekoz.com.