Koz headlines Coltrane Festival

Aug. 31—HIGH POINT — As much as jazz musician Dave Koz admires and was influenced by legendary saxophonist John Coltrane, he has never made a visit to Coltrane's old stomping grounds here in High Point.

Until now.

Koz, a much-celebrated jazz saxophonist in his own right, will be one of the headliners at the 12th annual John Coltrane International Jazz and Blues Festival this weekend at Oak Hollow Festival Park. Dave Koz & Friends, featuring some of his fellow musicians, will be the last act to perform Saturday evening, and Koz can't wait to take the stage.

"(Coltrane) was a huge influence, and I think that's one of the things that makes it such a privilege to play this festival that's named after him," Koz, who is 60, said during a telephone interview last week.

"He's arguably the best saxophone player of all time, depending on who's doing the measuring. The music I make is obviously very different from his, but he had a profound influence on me when I was growing up. So for this festival, when you're taking the stage at the John Coltrane Jazz Festival, you have to bring your A game. You can't phone it in."

Koz, a fixture on the smooth jazz scene for more than three decades, will share the stage with popular Dutch sax player Candy Dulfer, up-and-coming saxophonist Eric Darius and acclaimed jazz vocalist Maysa as part of his Dave Koz & Friends Summer Horns Tour.

"It really is a full, collaborative experience," Koz said. "The horn players do about 15 minutes together, doing our music. Even if it's my song, Candy and Eric play. If it's Candy's song, Eric and I play. We all just play together. Then Maysa joins us. Each artist gets a chance to have their own moment, and we'll have some duets sprinkled throughout the show, too. Hopefully, for the audience, it never gets boring."

Boredom seems unlikely with this powerhouse lineup, headlined by the platinum-selling Koz. His many accomplishments include nine Grammy Award nominations, a dozen No. 1 albums on Billboard's Current Contemporary Jazz Albums chart, numerous world tours, performances for multiple U.S. presidents, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, just to name a few.

A former rock saxophonist who toured with Richard Marx in the late 1980s and early '90s, Koz found his niche in smooth jazz, releasing his solo debut album in 1990. The album dovetailed nicely with the growth of smooth jazz radio stations, which came along about the same time.

"All of the big cities had smooth-jazz stations, they needed programming, and there I was," Koz said. "The format kind of came and went, but the fans never left."

That set the stage for a long, successful career for Koz, who has shown no signs of slowing down.

"It's been like a magic carpet ride," he said. "As long as people want to hear the music, I'll keep playing."

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