Dave Koz has finally gotten the hang of The Birchmere and its crowd. Dave appeared at this venue for the first time back in October 2009 and seemed to be slightly taken by surprise at the way things roll at the club. People sit close to the stage; people talk to the artists in between songs; and people get into the music full force. So, when Dave Koz returned to The Birchmere with his band on a hot and steamy Wednesday night, he already knew what he was in for.
Everything about the evening was hot, not just the weather outside. Dave was accompanied by one of the best band’s out there. Brian Simpson on keys, Andre Berry on bass, Randy Jacobs on guitar, newcomer Tio Banks on keys, and homegrown, DC native Jay Williams on drums. This band was on fire!
Dave started out in the crowd of about 400 with “What You Leave Behind” from his latest release Hello Tomorrow. Just the way he was interacting with some of the concert goers, you could tell he was ready for some fun. After he made his way to the stage, he and the band kicked right into a fan favorite, “Together Again.” You could immediately see on the faces in the crowd, that everyone has a memory associated with songs from the past, myself included. This was the first song I heard Dave play live when I met my friends that are now the staff of SmoothViews! Heading right back into a track from the new CD, Koz and Randy Jacobs traded riffs on “Put The Top Down,” a tune perfect for a hot summer night in Washington, DC.
“Let It Free,” from the Saxophonic CD, was up next. Dave plays that little, curved soprano with such passion. He said he plays it because it makes him look bigger! What impressed me already was that he and the band were nonstop. Barely taking any breaks between songs, they were packing the nearly two hours with as much music as possible. “Anything’s Possible,” co-written with Brian Culbertson, gave that old-time jazz, smoky feel, especially with Dave on the tenor sax. For the romantics in the audience, “It’s Always Been You” was the slow ballad that Dave does so well. He pulled up a stool and wooed us all!
Another crowd favorite “All I See Is You” had Randy Jacobs and Andre Berry trading off and going after each other. The play between these musicians is always fun to watch. “Silverlining” gave Andre is time in the spotlight. The things that man can do with a bass are stunning! Dave then told the story about recording “This Guy’s In Love,” the Herb Alpert song from decades ago, and how Herb asked to be on it. Dave then summoned up all of his nerve and sang it. He has a sweet voice and did it justice. Before performing “I’ll Be There,” from The Dance, Dave asked each band member about first concerts they had been to and first albums bought. Dave’s was a 45 by the Jackson 5. The crowd got involved with singing along. Brian Simpson came out from behind the keys to play “It’s All Good” with DK alongside him. It’s always great to hear some of Brian’s own music.
A new arrangement by Andre Berry of “Love Is On The Way” was amazing. It had a strings intro and just breathed new life and interest into an old favorite. Very cool. “Bada Bing” gave Randy Jacobs his gymnastics opportunity! That man was all over the stage doing moves that hurt just by looking at them. What a fun song that is! And before it ended, Randy broke into the bluesiest guitar solo. “You Make Me Smile.” A Koz “standard” finished off the regular set and included dueling keys from Tio Banks and Brian Simpson. But the night ended with the encore song “Wanna Be Startin’ Something” by Michael Jackson. The crowd was on their feet, dancing, singing and making sure that Dave and his band knew that he was welcome at The Birchmere anytime.
