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 Dave Koz |
 Candy Dulfer |
 Dave Koz |
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Story and photos by Andy Argyrakis Thirteen is far from an unlucky number for Dave Koz, who celebrates that very anniversary of his collaborative holiday tour this year, which comes on the heels of a recent star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and new label deal with the legendary Concord Records (Dave Brubeck, Ramsey Lewis, Chick Corea and countless others). The sax man's optimistically leaning new record Hello Tomorrow had no trouble blending in with holiday tunes of past and present, supported by yet another all-star cast of fellow contemporary jazz greats at a sold out Chicago Theatre (which sported the perfect balance of intimacy of elegance for the evening).Along with singer/guitarist Jonathan Butler, keyboardist/trombone player Brian Culbertson, saxophone player Candy Dulfer and a full backing band, Koz unfurled almost three hours of Yuletide cheer that was often times soft spoken, though never sleepy. After warming up with the leader's finger snappin' rendition of "Winter Wonderland" and a few other pleasantries, the whole team dived into a rousing rendition of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town," which morphed into a vibrant jam session that set the tone for a series of other improvisationally-wound favorites. Other early highlights including breezy versions of "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "White Christmas" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," all of which continued to usher in the spirit of the season, while also showing the artists' abilities to adapt age old arrangements to a more contemporary mindset. As has been the tour's ongoing tradition, there were also several original Christmas cuts (and Koz's Hanukkah-inspired "Eight Candles"), which weren't quite as familiar as the tried and true presented, but nonetheless evoked a feeling of warmth and comfort that only this time of year can bring. The set was also balanced with additional variety from everyone's non-seasonal solo catalogues, which despite falling outside the boundaries of the night's primary theme, were actually the best examples of everyone's instrumental proficiency. Take for instance Koz's funky "Put the Top Down" or Culbertson's cheery "That's Life," along with Dulfer's sassy "Lily Was Here" (penned by the Eurythmics' Dave Stewart) and Butler's gospel-infused "Brand New Day." In the end, variety within community made Koz & Friends' concert yet another success and a signal that the tradition will carry on as long as the leader's rolodex stays stocked with the genre's top stars. |
 Jonathan Butler |
 Brian Culbertson |
 Jonathan Butler & Dave Koz |
 Brian Culbertson |
 Candy Dulfer |
 Dave Koz |
 Dave Koz & Friends |