| Kanawha Plaza
June 24, 2005
It wouldn't be summer without attending a Dave Koz & Friends Smooth Summer Nights concert. So when the saxman didn't have Washington, DC on his tour schedule, I decided to hit the road and head two hours south to Richmond, VA. Richmond is host to the summer series, Fridays at Sunset held at Kanawha Plaza, in the heart of the city. It was a great blend of music and warm, breezy weather.
This year Dave's friends included guitarist, Marc Antoine; legendary vocalist, Jeffrey Osborne; and an opening act with saxman, Praful, and his band. Praful, known for his Euro-chill music, played for just under an hour. His set included songs such as “Sigh,” from his debut CD, One Day Deep, and introduced the tracks, “Moonglide” and “Naked,” from the new album, Pyramid in your Backyard. Singer, Joey Diggs, joined in on background vocals. The crowd was very receptive to the music and gave Praful and his band a reason to hopefully come back to Richmond.
After a brief break the main attraction kicked in. The moment Dave Koz and his band hit the stage to the sounds of “Shakin' the Shack,” the crowd went wild! The band included Brian Simpson (keyboards), Stevo Theard (drums), Tony Maiden (guitar), and the return of Bill “Rubberhand Man” Sharpe on bass. Dave went right into “All I See is You,” which sent the crowd into a frenzy with DK, Tony & Bill all getting totally funky. Then Dave slowed the pace down a bit with the classic “You Make Me Smile.”
Marc Antoine joined Dave on stage and played “Mediterraneo” and “Sunland,” two crowd favorites. Jeffrey Osborne, who was definitely the one that most of the audience came to see, came out singing “I'll Be Around.” Dave joined him on stage and played “Love Changes Everything” while Jeffrey and Joey Diggs provided vocals. “You Should Be Mine” (the woo-woo song) got the crowd on their feet and provided the audience participation. Jeffrey Osborne even came out into the sea of screaming women to see if there were any talented singers out there. He found a couple of them! Marc Antoine came back and played a new tune from his upcoming CD due out in August and then went into “Mas Que Nada” with Praful on flute.
Dave, who said he is working with Phil Ramone on the new CD which will be movie themes, played “Somewhere Over the Moon River.” Yes, that's right… a blend of "Somewhere," "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "Moon River," with Joey Diggs again on vocals. The get-on-your-feet song, “Together Again,” was a true crowd pleaser and had folks dancing. The evening ended with Jeffrey Osborne's “On the Wings of Love” and “Stay With Me Tonight.” It was a treat to see Dave and Praful playing saxes together. They all were having a blast!
Once again, a terrific Smooth Summer Nights show from Dave Koz & Friends. Now I know for certain that the summer season is here. Let the concerts begin.
- Bonnie Schendell
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