Koz brings 'A Smooth Jazz Christmas' to Pechanga

By: JAMES CURRAN - Staff Writer | Wednesday, December 12, 2007 12:59 PM PST ∞

Dave Koz broke an eerie silence one night in his studio, and the results were just as haunting. For the saxophonist, an admittedly cheerful guy, his creation of "Memories Of A Winter's Night" came from reflecting on change in his family and how it could impact the holidays.

It also might have come from the melancholy feeling of a distinct lack of holiday songs for his fellow Jews.

"It wasn't so much difficult to write," said Koz, who will perform "A Smooth Jazz Christmas" tonight at Pechanga Resort & Casino and at Copley Symphony Hall in San Diego on Friday. "There are times when you're like a messenger. ... Five minutes later, there's a song. You listen to it and wonder where it came from.

"This was so moody, in minor (keys). It's maybe a little more adult, maybe something to do ... with my parents' passing."

Koz said he hopes the title track of the album ---- a one-song Hannukah tribute from a recording otherwise filled with Christmas standards ---- will make as lasting an impression on the audience. He already knows the holiday mainstays will be entertaining; Koz previously released a similar album and followed it up with a barnstorming tour akin to the current one.

Tonight's performance will be a little different than his first holiday season tour. He will also perform music from a motion picture theme album recently released. Moreover, the show will include special guests such as bassist Wayman Tisdale and former "American Idol" contestant Kimberley Locke.

Koz, a four-time Grammy Award nominee, said the saxophone is an ideal instrument to convey the various moods and tempos of holiday music.

"The saxophone in the right person's hands can be a very powerful instrument in terms of emotion," Koz said. "The sax, for me, has been my best friend."

Similarly, he said holiday music is as comfortable as a light-hearted gathering of friends.

"In general, what makes Christmas music so great is we hear it year after year and we still want to hear them because they're packed with emotions," Koz said. "They're part of people's lives, not just a nice series of notes."

Ironically, Koz asserts that many Christmas classics were written by Jews. Seeking to recognize his own faith through music, he originally found both frustration and humor in his first attempt to recognize the Festival of Lights.

"You could do 'Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel,'" he said with a laugh. "but ... there's just not that much good Hannukah music. I even went to my cantor and asked 'What have you got for me?'"

Koz has written two Hannukah songs, with "Eight Candles" an up-tempo song. He said the reaction from non-Jews was particularly gratifying.

"But ('Memories Of A Winter's Night') is more nostalgic, memories of my childhood more than a religous thing," Koz said. "It's about the thing I truly remember, family togetherness."

Tonight's concert continues another Koz tradition of sharing the spotlight with other performers. For example, Locke will reprise "Please Come Home For Christmas," which she sang on the new holiday album.

A top-three finalist on "Idol," Locke has credentials to hold her own on stage. The motion picture theme album had even more-storied vocalists ---- such as Johnny Mathis, Barry Manilow and Anita Baker ---- who will not appear on stage.

Koz said by recognizing that both singers and saxophonists convey emotion in a performance, sharing became an essential.

"We live in a vocal world," he said. "I love playing with singers, so it never felt like a competition. It allows me to play a little differently."

Moreover, Koz said some of the most exciting moments in his career has been securing duets with singers of such pedigree that "when they open up their mouths, you know who they are.

"Johnny Mathis? Whoo! He's one of a kind. To me, that was a dream come true. Same for Barry Manilow. When I first heard him sing ('Moon River') I thought, 'That's an instant classic.'

"The holiday CD features younger vocalists who will become icons, too ---- God willing."

One person who has constructed a career with depth without his voice is Tisdale, the former NBA forward who retired from athletics to pursue his love for music. Koz said Tisdale took "ribbing" from his former competitors when he left professional sports. Koz added Tisdale might have gotten much worse in a cutthroat music industry if he didn't have the requisite skill.

"(Tisdale will) be the first to tell you there are people who can play circles around him," Koz said. "But two of his biggest fans are Stanley Clarke and Marcus Miller, two of the biggest stars in bass. It didn't take long for (Tisdale) to establish himself. He's a winner."

If anything, tonight's concert will show Tisdale's tenacity in another manner. He had a leg replaced from the knee down with titanium as part of a battle with cancer. Koz said the tour "is his big return.

"(Tisdale) tackles everything with a winning attitude," Koz said. "He's our Christmas miracle."

What Koz said won't be divine intervention is the energy level at the shows in the region. The concerts in Temecula and San Diego are about two-thirds of the way through a 23-date tour that takes less than a month. The performers will arrive in Temecula after taking a red-eye flight from Detroit on Wednesday.

"I can assure you I'll be awake," Koz said with a laugh. "We're traveling like madmen for pretty much the month, but when it's show time, as long as there's an audience there, I have all the energy I need. And one thing I can tell you, I have no worries about the audience showing up in Temecula."

Dave Koz

Where: 8 p.m. Dec. 13

Where: Pechanga Showroom, Pechanga Resort & Casino, 45000 Pechanga Parkway, Temecula

Tickets: $40-$60

Info: (951) 303-2507