Twenty-two years after releasing his first
Christmas-themed set, GRAMMY®-nominated saxophonist Dave Koz takes a very
different stylistic approach on his new holiday album, Gifts of the Season. The
11-track collection will be released on Friday, October 11, via Just Koz
Entertainment, Inc. Produced by Darren Rahn (Wayman Tisdale, Toby Keith, Bob
James), the album brings a buoyant, soul/funk/pop feel to Christmas classics
across different eras, and sheds new light on their rich musicality and lyrical
depth. Closing out the set is “A Prayer for Peace,” a new song penned by Koz.
Gifts of the
Season is the ideal companion piece for the 22nd Annual Dave Koz & Friends
Christmas Tour – a whirlwind of 22 shows in 25 days – with Jonathan Butler,
Melissa Manchester, Michael Lington and special guest Chris Walker. All four of
Koz’s tour mates appear on the new album. Butler and Lington are also releasing
Christmas albums this fall so – in a first for the tour – the shows will
feature material from three brand new holiday albums. The run kicks off on
November 29 at the Van Wezel in Sarasota, FL and includes shows at Tilles
Center for the Performing Arts in Brookville, NY (December 8), the Plaza
Theatre in El Paso, TX (December 16) and Cerritos Center for the Performing
Arts in Southern California (December 20 and 21). Tickets are available at
www.davekoz.com. See below for itinerary.
“One of the
reasons I continue to record this music and tour every year is that the
holidays are a reminder for all of us about the things that matter. It’s a time
when we seem more capable of living our best lives,” says Dave Koz. “It’s easy
to get off course during the rest of the year, especially the way the world is
these days with all of its antagonism and intolerance. The holidays help bring
us back to center. That’s what ‘A Prayer for Peace’ is also – a way to express
that music is perhaps our one last vestige of uniting people who may be at odds
in other areas of life.”
To bring an
added warmth to the songs, Koz and Rahn recorded the basic tracks in the
producer/musician’s Denver studio, then visited the guest artists to record
them in their home studios. “We wanted to capture them at their most intimate,
powerful best,” explains Koz.
Approaching
Mariah Carey’s “All I Want Is You” as a soulful ballad, GRAMMY winner Melissa
Manchester changes the entire emotional trajectory of the song. Koz notes,
“It’s one of the most played holiday songs on the radio, but because it’s so
up-tempo, it’s easy to overlook that it’s got a lot of meat on its bones.
Melissa’s version makes you stop and pay attention.” Likewise, pairing the
intensity of Michael Lington’s alto saxophone with Koz’s tenor fuels an
explosive funk/soul romp through “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.”
Jonathan
Butler brings his gritty, soul-gospel energy to classics from two different
eras: a groovin’, African chant-spiced version of the nearly 70-year-old “It’s
Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas” and a swinging, festive bounce through
Donny Hathaway’s 70’s smash, “This Christmas,” which features Koz on soprano
sax and Rahn on Wurlitzer and Hammond organ. Singer, bassist and former Al
Jarreau musical director Chris Walker also knocks it out of the park,
delivering the perfect blend of solemnity and classic soul power on a
sparsely-produced rendition of “Mary Did You Know.”
Another
vocalist Koz is excited to showcase on Gifts of the Season is Matt Cusson, whose
Take-6-like vocal textures combine with Koz’s cool tenor to bring renewed
poignancy to “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” Koz and Rahn’s dance-jam spin on
Wham’s mid-80’s smash, “Last Christmas,” makes it one of the album’s most
compelling instrumental tracks. “Never in a million years did I think it would
make a great vehicle for the sax,” Koz says, “but it was such a blast to play,
so funky and danceable.” See below for
the album’s full track listing.
“The title
Gifts of the Season is personal to me on many levels,” he adds. “It’s not about
the presents under the tree, but the gift of showing love and appreciation. As
I approach the 30th anniversary of the release of my debut album, nobody is
more surprised than I am by the career I have had and all the ongoing support
from my fans. I have been blessed with so many gifts and, in turn, I am honored
to have the opportunity to share the gift of music with people around the
world.”
Saxophonist
extraordinaire Dave Koz has racked up an astoundingly impressive array of
honors and achievements: nine GRAMMY® nominations, 11 No. 1 albums on
Billboard’s Current Contemporary Jazz Albums chart, numerous world tours, 13
sold-out Dave Koz & Friends At Sea cruises, performances for multiple U.S.
presidents, a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and more. A Platinum-selling
artist, Koz is also known as a humanitarian, entrepreneur, radio host and
instrumental music advocate.
Jonathan
Butler - The youngest
of 13 children, Jonathan Butler grew up in Cape Town, South Africa, ruled by
Apartheid and segregation. Butler began his singing career at age 7. He
released his first album in 1973 and won the Best New Artist GRAMMY in South
Africa the following year at age 12. More than a decade later, Butler moved to
London, England after signing with Jive Records and released his first album
internationally. The self-titled set went Gold in 1987 in the United Kingdom
and in the U.S. He received GRAMMY nominations for Best R&B Song for his
R&B-pop vocal hit “Lies” and for Best Jazz Song for the instrumental “Going
Home.” His new album, Christmas Together, is due out October 4.
Melissa
Manchester - Following
her stint as a founding member of Bette Midler’s Harlettes, Manchester
established herself as a solo artist 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, netting
her two Oscar nominations, and recorded by such artists as Barbra Streisand,
Dusty Springfield, Alison Krauss and Roberta Flack. On her latest album, The
Fellas, she pays tribute to iconic male artists such as Frank Sinatra, Dean
Martin, Nat King Cole, Johnny Mathis and Tony Bennett.
Michael
Lington - Although he
grew up in Copenhagen, Michael Lington was massively influenced by the soul
music that emanated from Memphis, TN. At age 20, he made the fateful decision
to move to the U.S. and is now regarded as one of the world’s top contemporary
soul and jazz saxophonists. In his remarkable career, he has charted more than
20 hit singles and performed at some of the world’s most prestigious venues. He
recently recorded his first Christmas album, A Foreign Affair Christmas, which
features numerous special guests, including Vince Gill and Dave Koz.
Chris Walker - Born and
raised in Houston TX, Chris Walker began singing before he began speaking. He
got his start in church, performing as a member of his family gospel group, The
Walker Brothers. He has played with such jazz greats as Ornette Coleman, Art
Blakey, Bob James, Jimmy Heath, Cassandra Wilson and others. He served as
musical director for Regina Belle and also for seven-time GRAMMY Award winner
Al Jarreau. Walker’s latest album, We’re In This Love Together Celebrating Al
Jarreau, is out now. It features many smooth jazz greats, including Dave Koz.
Track
Listing – Gifts Of The Season
It’s
Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas feat. Jonathan Butler
O Come All
Ye Faithful
White
Christmas
Last
Christmas
Mary Did You
Know featuring Chris Walker
I’ll Be Home
For Christmas featuring Matt Cusson
Rudolph The
Red Nosed Reindeer feat. Michael Lington
This
Christmas featuring Jonathan Butler
All I Want
For Christmas feat. Melissa Manchester
Winter
Wonderland
A Prayer For
Peace
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