Smothviews recently caught up with saxophonist/entertainer Dave Koz on the streets of New York less than a month before the exciting release of his new studio disc Hello Tomorrow.  Koz looked in his rear view mirror to reflect on life, his career and some of the uncertainties that go along with it. He “puts the top down” on his new venture and embraces change as his career continues drive into the future.

Smoothviews (SV): Good morning Dave and welcome back to Smoothviews! I believe this is your third time with us now. Hello Tomorrow (which will be released on October 12th) is a concept album, as most of the titles indicate. Tell us a little bit about how the whole project came to be as you changed labels for the first time, and worked with some really talented musicians.
Dave Koz (DK):  Its really the beginning of my next chapter. After twenty years with Capital Records, and a lot of travel, and a lot of wonderful experiences, in many ways, I feel like this is the beginning of my career. And that’s a great thing.  I still have my interest and excitement and passion about music making.  But I didn’t want to make another “Dave Koz record.”  In fact, it’s been like seven years since the last album of original material.  So, I sort of let this one gestate until an idea hit me where I said, “Ok, now I can go out and make a record.”  And it hit me as a personal thing, because I had just been feeling this in my own life.  The more I talk to other people, the more I recognized that everybody was going through something similar.  Your life in 2010 looked a lot different than what you had planned -- so many changes on these massive scopes in every aspect of our lives. There’s not a sense of, “Ok, here it is, we’ve arrived.”

The game is constantly changing, and the rules haven’t really been written solid yet.  A lot of people are kind of uneasy.  You can see it in the stock market.  You can see it in politics.  You can see it in life in general.  There’s definitely much in my life that I was reflecting on.  So I used this album as a way of pushing through a lot of those discomfort zones.  And ironically I found a lot of comfort there.  Embracing the unknown and pushing through my fears and trying new things and new people.  

Everything was new on this project.  So it forced me to deal with that concept of change in a very real and direct way.  I came out the other side having been transformed, and a lot healing took place, and a lot of enlightenment, you know. I guess you hope for the best on every recording experience.  But I think on this one, more than any one I’ve ever had, it came together really quickly.  The writing, the producing the musicians, (all live musicians) very, very experienced were filled with life, energy and passion.  I came out on the other side and felt great about it.  My hope is that people who are going through similar things in this unfamiliar time... this can be a small piece of the puzzle of their awaking as well. 

SV: The first single “Put The Top Down” which features Lee Ritenour was released to the digital market first. How successful was that for you and how much fun was it to record?
DK: Well, Lee Ritenour is one of those guys who's an amazing musician, amazing human being.  I’ve wanted to work with him for a great, great long time.  So this is an opportunity to work with him and also have him bring that fiery guitar to a song that really is crying out for him.  We worked together on “Put The Top Down,” and it's like the perfect other voice for my saxophone.  I’m very proud of that.  He and I have known each other for a very long time but have never worked together before.  So this was a great opportunity to make some music.  I think it won’t be our last.   

SV: You are even featured on vocals again in a wonderful remake of “This Guy’s In Love With You,” and even have a surprise artist on trumpet. Tell us about the background here.
DK: Oh, we love that song.  It's a special song.  There’s a lot of energy attached to that song right now coming to me from a lot of different angles.  So I was very keen on trying it again and doing it. I’ve always loved that song, and thought it would make a great sax instrumental.  I had played it on saxophone for Burt Bacharach at an event not too long ago. It works so well. So I brought up the idea to my producers who loved the idea, and they said, “Now you’re going to sing this, right?”  And I was like, “Sing it? I’m not a singer!”  Marcus Miller, who was a huge part of this project along with John Burk, said, “Look, Herb Alpert was not a singer either, and he had one of his biggest hits with this. So you’re going to sing it.”  He created this very safe environment in the studio so I could feel comfortable.  We got a great vocal together.  Believe me, I understand, I’m not pretending to be Pavarotti here, Harvey. The singers of the world can rest assured that their positions are is safe. But this song is a special song that required some treatment that was emotional, sincere, authentic, and that’s something that I feel like I can do.

So, I wanted to send it to Herb Alpert to get his blessing on reworking his song.  I just heard it with different ears this time around.  With all the gay marriage stuff going on and all the craziness that seems to be around us... whether it’s the Mosque situation in New York... there’s still a lot of race relations problems in the country.  This song was just an old piece of music, but it had a simple, pure message, a poignant message about love.  And that’s why it’s on Hello Tomorrow .  I think we can go back and see the simplicity and pointency of certain things to take us to the future.  That’s why I wanted to get his blessing on taking this song that he made famous.  So, I sent it to Herb (who is one of my huge mentors) and he said, “Not only do I give you my blessing, I’d really like to play on this.”  And I was like, “What??!” So, it’s really a dream come true for me to be able to have Herb recreate those iconic notes of his that everybody knows.  That’s a full Hello Tomorrow moment.  

SV: Speaking of vocals, “Start All Over Again” seems to be at the heart of this whole project. Who penned these great lyrics with such a fine artist?
DK:  That’s a song that was written by my friend Dana Glover, and I had known that song for many, many years. Things in life seem to be increasingly more about timing in my life.. the right timing.  I was on a flight sitting next to Jonathan Butler last November going to Japan and just started to play that song out of the blue, totally random.  At the time I was really searching for what could be an anchor for this project, and there it was. I heard that phrase, “Hello Tomorrow” which is not the title of the song, but its in the chorus. And I said, “That’s the tree trunk from which all these other song branches will hang on.”  I immediately e-mailed Dana and said, “Here’s what I’m thinking, has anybody recorded the song?”  It was already five years old.  She said, “No, it’s been waiting for this moment.”  And all of the things that have happened as a result... people just totally focusing.  Not that many people have heard this song yet.  It was recently picked up by the producers of Desperate Housewives. That song, and Dana and I will be in the fifth episode of Desperate Housewives for this season. Dana plays one of the housewives who has this secret career as a singer, and she does a show at her cabaret where all the other housewives come to, and we play that song.  It will be in the fifth episode that airs on the 24th of October as they have said.

SV: On “When Will I Know For Sure,” you trade licks with your good friend Boney James. How did this one come about?
DK: Well, that was always written as a duet. I wrote it with my buddy Darren Rahn, who is a great saxophone player. And when we talked about that one we said it would be great if we could get Boney James, because it is written in the style that he is well known for.  But originally, I was playing the tenor part, and we were going to have him play soprano.  But when he came in the studio, that’s the way we did it.  And we had this great path.  And then I said to him as he was leaving, “Why don’t we try one path where you play the tenor (he’s so known as the tenor sax player) and I’ll play the soprano. He said, “Sure.” So he hooked up the tenor and I whipped out my soprano. We switched spots in the studio and the take that you hear is the take that we did. It was one take, boom. Definitely the roles needed to be played out that way.

SV: Speaking of friends, a couple of your summer tour mates join you on a fun little number called “Get Away.” What beach were you on when you wrote this one? Ha!!
DK: That’s a song I wrote with my long-time writing partner Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken in New York.  Honestly, that’s inspired by all the people that I see every year on whatever cruise we happen to be going on.  And not just that, but seeing people at our concerts...the fans of my music and this music in general.  We’re talking about people who understand the concept that sometimes you’re just constantly thinking about your problems and issues. Everybody has them. But occasionally, you have to take a vacation from them so you can come back to them with a renewed spirit.  So, that’s what that songs is really about.  It’s not sort of putting your head in the sand and saying “life is but a dream” and all the things I’m facing are nonexistent.  It’s sort of like “Put The Top Down” ... remembering that you have to get away whatever way you can.  It could be on a cruise, it could be in your back yard with a nice glass of chardonnay, or whatever it is.  It’s just giving yourself the gift of letting your mind stop for a minute. And invariably when you come back to the things you need to work on, your mind is much clearer.  So, that’s what that song is about.   

SV: There is definitely a real New Orleans feel to “Think Big” as you connect with your soprano, add a little trumpet, and then bring another good friend and co-writer in on trombone. Tell us about the background and inspiration for this one.
DK: That was a song that I wrote with Brian Culbertson, and I brought it to my producers and they loved it.  Marcus Miller not only plays bass and provides the foundation on which everything is built on this album... he not only provided the bass, b-a-s-s, he provided the base, b-a-s-e, a foundation that I really haven’t had on other recordings. The root, the bottom end goes so low (he’s so well known for that) that what happens is that you never worry about the structure of it... the foundation of whatever you’re creating.  He gives you this freedom to try these wild things on top and be as adventurous as you can.  You know the house and the foundation of the house ain’t going anywhere.  So you can build and build and build.  And that was the case.  

We call this the 'kitchen sink' song.  Everything including the kitchen sink (I know there’s a washboard on there that Lenny Castro plays).  It’s a song that really exemplifies there’s a bottom end there, and we were able to build these wonderful musical conversations as a tribute to the city of New Orleans and the spirit of New Orleans on that song.  It was great to hear Marcus play not only bass clarinet but b-flat clarinet, which you don’t hear him doing very often. Christian Scott, who is from New Orleans, is one of the wonderful young trumpet talents in the world of jazz today.  

SV: One of my favorites has to be “It’s Always Been You.” I really believe this may be one of the best songs you have ever written.  It begins slowly and continues to build to an emotional end.  Tell us a little bit about your work with Brian Culbertson here again on this future classic.
DK: Thank you very much Harvey.  I wrote a lot with Brian Culbertson.  We got into a groove on this album.  We just kept going.  I was actually starting to wonder if any of these songs were good, because they just kept coming easily, and I would send them to Marcus and John, and they would say that’s a good one too.  And then he finally said to me, “You have way too much material.  You better stop now.”  The process of this record was all about trusting... trusting what you’re getting and knowing that it’s right.  So once I got over that hump, I was in good shape.  Sometimes you figure when something comes so quickly and easily, it must not be good.  But that song really wrote itself.  And I think it came from a place, like this album as a whole, doesn’t feel like it came from me. I know that sounds funny maybe. I feel like it came through me rather than from me.

That’s a song, when I listen to it is a lot like “What You Leave Behind” (the album closer), which was a song that appeared in my head one day.  And I got it out, and I realized that, wow, that is a song is really about something else. I had a very emotional reaction when I first listened to it after it came out of me. I realized it was not mine, it was a song that was given to me as a tribute to two people who I had lost and loved, and who really left huge footprints in life -- Wayman Tisdale and the former chairman of Concord, Hal Gaba.  So immediately the title came to me, “What You Leave Behind,” as kind of a wish for all of us. That is truthfully what we all aspire to do in our lifetimes. That is to create a life that that outlives us. Those two gentlemen (who were good friends and mentors) are perfect examples of that concept.

“It’s Always Been You” has the same thing, with own personal journey with love, finding that connection with another person, finding that connection with God, or whatever it is that is your source, however you identify that, or with yourself. A lot of us are so disconnected from ourselves... that’s what makes it difficult to deal with a lot of things we’re being faced with right now.  We’ve lost that connection to who we are.  That’s where another song, “Remember Where You Came From” comments on as well.  All of these songs sort of put together, they all put another chapter in this book of Hello Tomorrow.  So, “It’s Always Been You,” however you define “you.” Whether it’s another person or God or yourself, that song is about connecting.  When you make that connection, it can be a very powerful thing, and a very helpful thing in living life. Living a present, connected, coherent life.

SV: Marcus Miller is with you through most of the album and wrote a beautiful new song for you entitled “The Journey” (which I was fortunate enough to hear live in May) It is another emotionally laden gem that allows you to really shine. How has this one been received by the fans and what is the background on it? (I love the bass clarinet on this one by the way….)
DK: Marcus gifted me with that song.  He said, "I wrote a song for this project." And he came over and had a little demo, and he played it on his bass clarinet (the melody).  He said, "Ok let me teach it to you." And I said, “No I got it.”  I took my alto saxophone, he played the track again, and played the sax verbatim exactly what he did.  This is not an easy song.  Then I realized in that moment he had given me a song that I will be playing for the rest of my life.  A very big piece of my life right there unfolding.  Not only did I say thank you, I started playing it in our live shows, which we did and really, really enjoyed it. That song has so many peaks and valleys like life itself.  That’s why we really called it “The Journey.”  When you take a listen to it, however you define your journey, there’s a lot of push and pull and twists and turns.  It’s an old adage but one that always bears repeating which is, “It ain’t about where your final destination is (we all know where the final destination is), the thing is to enjoy the ride while you’re here” and enjoy all the twists and turns and ups and downs and backs and forths.

SV: You team up with your old buddy Jeff Lorber on the snappy “Remember Where You Came From.” How much fun was this to record?
DK: It  was a great project to include on the album because Jeff Lorber, as you may know, Harvey... I wouldn’t be where I am without Jeff.  I always like to have him represented on my albums.  We wrote the song which is a lot like a lot of the songs on the album that just sort of came together so quickly.  He had this track he was working on, and I came over on my soprano sax, and he played it for me, there was the melody, and boom, it was done. It was one of those effortless things.  Then to have him to come in and showcase what he does on the piano was great as well.  What I feel is that that song has a “retro” feeling to it; it has this sound that reminds me of late seventies, early eighties records.  And Jeff’s just an encyclopedia of music.  The song... not only does it take you back musically... hopefully it takes you back to remembering where you came from, which is a pretty heavy title when you think about it.  Where do we come from?  That’s one aspect.  The other is the fact that so much of our lives, we think about these are our lives and we’re living them.  I noticed in my own life, I really didn’t think as much about all these.  This generation after generation of people that you can look to that are my ancestors, that are my family line alone who made huge sacrifices in their lives so that I can live my life right now.  So that’s why it is on the album.  That’s why it’s there for me and hopefully for others to remember that it’s not just about us. It’s all those people, and all those years, all those lives that were lived so that we could experience what we’re experiencing now.  And the other aspect of “Where You Come From” is where “you come from, like where are you coming from?  When we’re talking, it’s like knowing who you are, knowing where you’ve been, and all the things that come before you and speaking from that truth, if you will.    

SV: In November you roll out an all star lineup for your annual Christmas tour. Tell us who you have onboard, and how that’s coming along.
DK: It's pretty spectacular, and I’m very excited about this.  Brian Culbertson will be back.  He hasn’t been with us since 2003.  Jonathan Butler will be coming back.  Jonathan is such a staple at Christmas time.  Last year we did something that was kind of going back in time.  And now we’re going way forward a very modern, very up-tempo, very exciting (shows). I would say this is going to be one of the most energetic Christmas shows we’ve ever had.  With Jonathan and with Brian, and then we added -- first time ever that I’ve added --  another saxophone player in the line-up.  It’s not really struck me as the right thing until the idea of Candy (Dulfer) came along.  I’m so excited about that.  I’m such a huge fan of hers.  She’s going to bring a whole new energy to our tour.  So I’m very much looking forward to that.

SV: Speaking of “onboard,” it is less than twelve months before your Dave Koz and Friends at Sea sets sail in August for Alaska.  Can you give the fans a little insight as to what they can expect?
DK: If anyone has been on our cruises they know what it’s all about.  It’s like a floating backstage.  It’s marinating in the music.  Hanging out with your favorite artists.  Truly a once in a lifetime experience in every aspect.  So it’s not just about the concerts, its about the other twenty-two hours in a day where there’s all kinds of activities.  It’s really, really spectacular.  So this is why I was very excited about... for a new option for us that has never been done before, and that was Alaska in 2011.  And I just found out that we are over ninety percent filled out, which is really a nice shot in the arm that people would want to have this kind of experience this time around.  And where we’re going to go in 2012 will blow people’s socks off.  I’m very excited. 

SV: Next week (September 22nd) marks the one year anniversary for when you received your star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. How has that day changed your life over the past year?
DK: (laughing) Well, I don’t think it’s really changed my life except for providing me one of those surreal memories that I always refer back to when I’m having a particularly challenging day, or things are may be not going the way I would like them.  I can often find myself in my mind wandering back to September 22nd 2009 with all those people, and all those friends, fans and family.  It’s just amazing, I mean surreal is the only way to describe that.  It’s always lodged there in the memory for my life, and it’s there in my memory that I can pull out when I need to.  It’s there in the sidewalk.  You can go visit anytime you want.  Not that I have. (laughing)

SV: You teamed up with country music great Toby Keith to honor our good friend, Wayman Tisdale. Both the song and video have been unbelievable. Can you share your thoughts on that?
DK: Well, that’s Toby Keith.  I was only happy to just be a part of that.  Toby is one of those extremely special human beings.  They had a very good relationship.  They were great friends (he and Wayman).  He came up with this idea.  He wrote the song the day heard that Wayman had passed.  He wrote the song, he called me, called Marcus, and invited us to be a part of it.  I was like “of course.”  Now I got a chance to meet him and find out what kind of person he is, and he made me a fan forever.  There’s a guy who truly is a human being in every aspect of the term.  He’s just a soulful, sweet, kind and very spiritual person and just loved Wayman.  Then to invite me to be a part of the Academy of Country Music awards when he did that song live... that was extremely special.  The fact that the song gave Wayman and his message, (that’s what I was telling you about before) what you leave behind.  He was such a huge person, no wonder that he’s been gone for over a year now, his star is shining brighter.  He’s just one of those souls that will be around us for a long time, because he lived such a huge life. Huge man, with an even bigger heart.

SV: As we finish up today, you’re always working on new projects and continue to be one of the busiest artists in the industry.  Is there anything on the back burner that you’re working on that you can share with us this morning?
DK: Right now I think it’s full steam ahead on about the Hello Tomorrow project.  But I am thinking about the kind of things I’m interested in as far as new projects.  Just so happens that I had dinner last night with one of my oldest friends -- been knowing each other for probably thirty years. And he is one of the foremost opera composers in America and in the world.  His name is Jake Heggie.  We have been talking about doing a project together.  Now you may think that opera and saxophone... how’s that going to work? Well, there’s going to be a way.  If it makes sense, and our passion is hewing it, there’s going to be a way to make that happen.  And that’s what I’m all about right now.  It’s coming up with music.  It’s all about music that matters, music that connects, music that heals and inspires.  If it doesn’t fit in a category, but it does what I just said it could do, then I’m all for it.  Now that’s what drives me anymore.  Creating another record just because it’s time to make another record... it’s about creating music because the music needs to be out there.  It needs to be created.  I’m very open.  So who knows, it might be an opera saxophone record, or who knows, but we’ll find out.

SV: Well thanks so much again for taking time to be with us today. We want to wish you and the new album much, much success in the future and “tomorrow.”
DK: Thank you for all you do with Smoothviews.  I’m very honored to talk with you, and very happy.  I am extremely pleased that you would give this new album such nice generous exposure.  We’re all in this together.  Music is in such an interesting state right now.  You want to talk about change, like we talked about before.  Music was sort of the first of the entertainment industry to really  start that morphing process, and it hasn’t yet landed.  It doesn’t show any signs of remotely landing, or know what it’s going to be.  So we’re all in this together, especially when you’re talking about instrumental music.  We all have to support each other and get the word out to the fans, because we know that the fans are there.  So we have to get that information to them so that they know there is a new project is out there.  It’s a long-winded answer to say, thank you.

SV: Thank you Dave.