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 Brenda Russell |
 Peter White |
 Dave Koz |
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Story and photos by Andy Argyrakis For those who follow contemporary jazz, the annual Dave Koz & Friends Christmas tour is an institution, which just hit its twelfth year on the road and doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon. At a just shy of sold out Auditorium Theatre, the famed sax man who's been called "the second coming of [David] Sanborn," reunited with the outing's original cast, which meant some jazzy and soulful accompaniment from talented pals Rick Braun, David Benoit, Peter White and Brenda Russell.Though the entire roster's teetered between both of those genre's charts throughout their careers, they united under mostly sounds of the season, but added their own flourishes on a combination of tried and true standards, plus original tunes (culled mostly from Koz's trio of Yuletide persuasions December Makes Me Feel This Way, A Smooth Jazz Christmas and Memories Of A Winter's Night). After early communal renditions of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" and Nat King Cole's immortal "The Christmas Song," the musicians rotated between center spotlight but often accompanied one another in various combinations to keep the crowd on its toes. Koz carried the show with vibrant renditions of "Winter Wonderland" and "White Christmas," both of which are incredibly common tunes, but were nonetheless presented in his unmistakably smooth style. Trumpet player Braun brought a Herb Alpert-vibe to the original "Tijuana Dance?," while guitarist White showcased meaty chops alongside Koz throughout the sole Hanukkah cut "Eight Candles." As the sole vocalist of the evening, Russell brought the house down when belting out the new "Christmas Card," augmented by pianist Benoit's sentimental temperament. That latter artist also soared throughout a Vince Guaraldi medley of Peanuts' songs, including the timeless "Christmastime Is Here" and "Linus and Lucy." For a dose of variety, the show also included a handful of non-holiday cuts from all the performers, with Koz's breezy instrumentals like "You Make Me Smile" providing some toe-tapping diversions. From a vocal perspective, the wide-ranged Russell dazzled with her old school smooth groove "Piano In the Dark," as well as the personally penned "Get Here" (made famous by fellow soul siren Oleta Adams). Sans a few indistinguishable ballads and drowsy jams, Koz and company packed plenty of brassy (and sometimes sassy) appeal that confirmed their top spots in the current jazz scene, along with mounting crossover appeal. And after two hours and some change, it was safe to say they steered the audience towards the season's spirit in a generally refreshing, technically impressive demonstration of instrumental (and occasional vocal) precision. |
 Dave Koz & Friends |
 Dave Koz & Friends |
 Dave Koz |
 David Benoit |
 Rick Braun & Brenda Russell |