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In a career spanning nearly two decades, Dave Koz has established himself as a platinum-selling artist, humanitarian, entrepreneur, radio host, and instrumental music advocate. As the recipient of six Grammy® nominations, the list of artists who Koz has played with bears testament to his talent and includes such musical luminaries as Burt Bacharach, Ray Charles, Natalie Cole, Celine Dion, Kenny Loggins, U2, Michael McDonald, Luther Vandross, and Rod Stewart.
Born and raised in L.A.`s San Fernando Valley, Koz initially picked up the saxophone to gain entry into his big brother`s band. What began as a ploy became a lifelong obsession. Years later, after earning his degree in mass communications from UCLA, Koz decided to become a professional musician. Within weeks of that decision, he was recruited as a touring member of Bobby Caldwell’s band. It was during this time that Koz befriended keyboardist Jeff Lorber, who invited Koz to come play on one of his tours. That stint was followed by a fourteen-month tour with pop singer Richard Marx.
Signed to Capitol Records by Bruce Lundvall, Koz released his self-titled solo debut album in 1990. This was the first in a body of best-selling work, which includes the gold-certified Lucky Man (1993), Off The Beaten Path (1996), and the holiday-themed albums December Makes Me Feel This Way (1997) and Dave Koz & Friends - A Smooth Jazz Christmas (2001). His gold-certified fifth album, The Dance (1999), spawned no less than five Top 5 contemporary jazz hits. Saxophonic (2003) produced another four Top 5 singles and garnered Koz two Grammy nominations spanning two consecutive years.
In 2007, Koz released two chart-topping collections of standards. At The Movies, his lush, romantic celebration of timeless melodies from cinema, spent eight weeks atop Billboard’s Top Contemporary Jazz chart and was nominated for a Grammy in the “Best Pop Instrumental Album” category. Produced by the legendary Phil Ramone, and accompanied by a full orchestra, it features special guest performances by India.Arie, Anita Baker, Chris Botti, Barry Manilow, Johnny Mathis, Donna Summer, and Vanessa Williams. The album also includes several stunning instrumentals, including Koz’s moving rendition of “Over the Rainbow,” which received a Grammy nomination for “Best Pop Instrumental Performance.”
Memories Of A Winter’s Night, released in September 2007, is a festive collection of 12 holiday standards celebrating the wonders of the season. The album, which hit #1 on Billboard’s Top Contemporary Jazz chart that December, includes Dave’s duets with Kelly Sweet, Kimberley Locke, and Brenda Russell and also features Rick Braun, Peter White, and David Benoit.
Fans will be treated to Dave Koz At The Movies Double Feature CD + DVD in February 2008. It features Koz’s popular At The Movies CD with two never-before-released bonus audio tracks plus a new DVD capturing Dave and his guests making the album. A track-by-track commentary and exclusive artist interviews are also included on the DVD.
Dave serves as a radio personality in two different outlets: on weekdays, as the host of an afternoon radio show that airs in 20 markets across the nation, including Chicago, Philadelphia, Miami, Baltimore, San Francisco and Denver; and on weekends, as the host of the syndicated Dave Koz Radio Show, now in its eleventh year, in over 120 markets.
As an entrepreneur, Koz is
Biography Credit: www.davekoz.com/dfindex.html
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