Notes & Personnel Info |  | Personnel: Dave Koz (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); | | Brian McKnight (vocals, piano); Javier, Evan Rogers, John Stoddart (vocals); Jerry Hey (trumpet, flugelhorn); Brian Culbertson (trumpet, trombone, synthesizer, programming); Chris Botti (trumpet); Bill Reichenbach (trombone); Brad Cole (piano); Jeff Lorber (Wurlitzer piano, Clavinet, keyboards, electric guitar); Carl Sturken (keyboards, acoustic guitar, bass, programming); Jeff Koz (keyboards, acoustic guitar, programming); Michael Thompson (acoustic & electric guitars, E-bow); Paul Jackson, Jr. (acoustic guitar, sound effects); Marc Antoine (acoustic guitar); Tony Maiden (electric guitar); Alex Al, Nathan East (bass); John Robinson (drums); Bobby Caldwell (background vocals). | | Producers include: Jeff Lorber, Dave Koz, Evan Rogers, Carl Sturken, Brian Culbertson. | | "Honey-Dipped" was nominated for the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. | | The phenomenon of smooth jazz could not have taken hold the way it has without guiding lights in the form of artists who have found a way to peak through formulaic production. Dave Koz's sound is one of those beacons, an uncannily vocal-inflected saxophone (see "Love Changes Everything") that is shot through and through with potent emotion. Along with partner and fellow fusician Jeff Lorber on SAXOPHONIC, Koz has crafted a suite of tunes in three acts with a curtain call to boot. Of course, it also helps that Koz understands the centrality of a strong hook in pop music. Act II kicks of with "Let It Free" replete with one of those uplifting release choruses that seems destined for repeated airplay. "Saxophonic (Come On Up)" is a masterful blend of slinky grooves and sexy, cooing R&B. Also featured are supporting performances by Brian McKnight, Chris Botti, and Marc Antoine. With tight arrangements seamlessly blending the real (horns, guitars, drums, etc.) and the virtual (samples that include Lee Morgan's classic "The Sidewinder," processed instruments, and vocals), Koz and company have compiled a tasty menu of diverse moods, from the funky to the serene. |
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