Scenes from an Interview: Dave Koz

The Man, His Music & His Gift to the World

by Gus Mollasis

Just like the notes he plays in concert this soft spoken, smooth master musician returns to the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall on November 29 for his annual “Dave Koz and Friends Christmas Tour.” Sharing the stage with the GRAMMY-nominated saxophonist will be singer/guitarist Jonathan Butler, GRAMMY-winning singer-songwriter Melissa Manchester, jazz/soul saxophonist Michael Lington and singer/bassist Chris Walker.

As I chatted with this chart-topping artist, you can feel his thankfulness and appreciation for his musical gift. Yes, music is Dave Koz’s life and a big part of his heart, and he loves every minute he gets to share it with audiences around the globe. And I loved every minute I got to chat with this cool cat and listen to some musical scenes from an interview of his life.

When did you first fall in love with music?

The first album I ever bought…I remember taking it home on vinyl and listening to side A with headphones on my Hi Fi. It was Tower of Power’s Back to Oakland (1974). Once I heard that horn section, my whole head exploded. That was it. I had no idea at the time that music would become my life, but certainly that was the “aha!” moment.

When did you know that you had to do this for a living?

I think it was kind of all throughout my upbringing. I come from a medical family. Dad was a doctor and my mom was a pharmacist. But all three kids amazingly enough went into the music business. My parents were always very nurturing. Instead of saying “what’s wrong with you?” or “you want to be a musician?”, they were always very supportive. When you grow up with knowing you can follow your dreams, kids tend to do that. I was always kind of lost in a variety of creative endeavors—not just music. My parents could have had me put away for as many crazy things as I tried (laughs), but it was all under the banner of being a creative kid.

What are you most grateful for in life?

I played London recently for a week of shows and it hit me kind of hard what their country and our country is going through. Politics aside, you just have to acknowledge that these are strange times. It really hit me hard that essentially my job is to go and play music and put a smile on somebody’s face. That’s the end goal. While I was on stage looking at these people so far from my home in LA, I thought they’re engaged, enjoying it and inspired by the music. As I saw those smiles, I thought how grateful I was that this is my job. Some people call it dharma. It’s a real present to me. Instead of me doing it for them, it’s them doing it for me. I felt extremely gratified and grateful in that moment.

Touching on one of your famous pieces of music, what makes you smile?

I love hanging out with my family and friends. On a recent Jewish holiday, we had a big family dinner. We were all sitting around the table at my sister’s house with all my nieces and everyone. I thought about it. They were kids and now they are all adults. Now she’s 27. Back then my brother and I were writing that song when my sister went into labor. We took a break from writing and went to the hospital to meet this new little baby in our lives. We then went back and finished the song that became “You Make Me Smile.”

Finish the following:

When someone sees me for the first time, I hope they…

Feel the emotion that I put through each song.

If you’ve seen my show many times, then you know you always can count on me for…

A nice Jewish Hanukkah song amidst all the Christmas music.

Music to me is….

A lifeline.

If I couldn’t do this, I would be…

An architect.

A great musician will always…

Communicate their message.

You’ve been a part of house bands for Arsenio, Pat Sajak and Emeril Lagasse. What have those experiences been like?

Pat Sajak was one of my first gigs and I was playing alongside my saxophone idol Tom Scott. I had a chance to play with him five days a week on national TV. That was about as good as it gets. Soon after my first record came out, Arsenio, who is a huge jazz nut, approached me in an LA restaurant around the time the Cosby show was going off the air and said, “I like your music. Since one Cos is going off the air on Thursday nights, why don’t we get another Koz on the air on Thursday nights? Come and do a regular Thursday night sit in with us.” I did that for a little over a year. So Arsenio single handedly put me on the map. Same thing with Emeril Lagasse. Emeril is a musician. We know him as a celebrity chef, but he’s a musician in his heart. When I did his show, we’d tape two shows a day, and after the second show he would cook for us. If music is relegated to be a third class citizen on some shows, then it’s not as enjoyable. But when you work with people who have an appreciation for music then it’s always a great thing.

What’s your favorite part of the music business?

My favorite part even now after 30 years in the business is the live music experience. Nothing can ever replace that, however the size of the crowd—big place or small place. People come together united in music. To see the power that music still has to create bridges between people; to bring people together; and to unify. You see it right in front of you when you are on stage. And there is nothing that can ever take the place of that.

Tell us who you would like to collaborate with.

In my old age now, I’ve become an infiltrator—my plan is to infiltrate these bands. I want to know more about how they do it. Recently in New York City, I saw a band called Vulfpeck that’s basically playing instrumental jazz music. They headlined and sold out Madison Square Garden. There are so many wonderful young new artists on the scene that are making incredible forays into music and doing it on their own terms without record companies and gatekeepers. They’re having massive worldwide success. My new thing is less about superstars and what kind of big names I can work with. I want to work with these young and hungry wonderfully creative new talents that are on the scene and changing the rules daily of how we do our business.

What piece of music or contribution are you most proud of?

I’m going to say when I worked on my album The Dance. I had met Burt Bacharach on a writers’ retreat, and he agreed to write a song with me for my album. For a guy that grew up with Burt Bacharach blaring from the speakers in my house, my parents were just freaking out. They loved Bacharach. My dad had already passed, but my mom was still alive, and so I invited my mom to the recording session that started at 11 a.m. My mom was working and couldn’t get off work. I told her it was going to be a quick session and she needed to get out of work. She said she’d try. So, we’re at about two hours in at around 1 p.m. and we’re done. This is Burt Bacharach, not some no name. He’s got things to do. And I’m doing everything I can to keep him there until my mom gets off work so that she can come to the studio and meet her idle. It’s about 4 p.m. He stayed around three hours after the session just to meet my mother. My mom walked into the door and she had the biggest smile on her face. We took pictures. She told him how much she loved him and that was it. That memory will stay with me forever.

Where does good music come from?

In one word—honesty. If somebody is playing a song or singing a song, and it’s not even sounding all that great but it’s coming from a truly honest and authentic place, someone is going to hear it and like it.

Are great musicians born or made?

It’s a combo. A race horse has to be trained. I think in music it’s the same thing. Genius if it comes in pure form in a kid. It has to be nurtured, built and formed. I think it’s a combination of God-given talent and then the ability to shape it into a form that can be easily communicated to people.

When you play your Christmas show are you moved in a spiritual way?

After 22 years of Christmas shows and seven Christmas albums, I’ve realized Christmas is a feeling. A palpable feeling for us. You know the song “We Need a Little Christmas”. With this year especially, with all that’s happening in our world, Christmas is a chance for us every year to press the reset button. During the holidays, press that reset button. As we move into a new calendar year, we get righted on the scale and pointed north again in our daily lives. With all the craziness, we get off kilter and we lose sight of who we are. The holidays give us a chance to gain our composure and figure out who we are. The songs do that. Many of them are from the heyday of the great American songbook and from the greatest writers of all time.

Hopefully many years from now after all the notes have been played, how do you want to be remembered?

I’d like when people remember my name that they have a good feeling in their heart. They get good vibes associated with my name. If you were a fan or not, saw me once or at every year’s Christmas show, if you remembered me fondly with a smile on your face, then I would have done a good job.

“Dave Koz and Friends Christmas Tour” will be coming to the Van Wezel Performing Arts Center on November 29th. For tickets, visit vanwezel.org/boxoffice.