Much as I love the sounds of my favorite girls, you know, Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus and SZA and also of Uhaw by Dilaw, I have now reached a point wherein I am in need of something else. And boy, am I glad I went looking because I found some treasures to feast my ears with. I mean if you need some slow, relaxing music, you will never go wrong with the sax artistry of Kenny G and Dave Koz.
The sax, full name saxophone, is a reed instrument which can be a lot of things. Ceremonial as in marching band, ethereal as in a Rhapsody by Debussy, cool jazz as in West Side Story or sad, sinister and sexy the way John Coltrane made it. The music of Kenny and Dave are in between those sounds. They make smooth jazz, no jerks, just a flowing sax making beautiful melodies.
Collaborations: The 25th Anniversary Collection by Dave Koz is a compilation album and his way of saying thank you to his favorite artists for being around these past 25 years. To fully appreciate Dave, you have to listen to his solo albums. I would recommend this though to first-timers at smooth jazz and those who just want to listen to some highlights of his successful career.
Standouts here are three never-before-released tracks. Good Foot which Dave composed and now performs with pianist Jeff Lorber. Then, there is the Game of Thrones Theme by composer Scott Bradlee. I do not think the sax existed in that kingdom during those mythical days but Dave makes it work. And a surprising choice, Let It Go from Frozen which I think is the first instrumental version of that Disney song, I have ever heard.
The rest are beauties, many of which you would want on repeat play. Somewhere ft. Anita Baker; Start Higher ft. Kenny G; When Will I Know For Sure ft. Boney James; So Very Hard to Go by Michael McDonald; (I Love You) for Sentimental Reasons ft. Rod Stewart; This Guy’s in Love with You ft. Herb Alpert; Can’t Let You Go (Sha La Song) ft. Luther Vandross.
All Over Again ft. Dana Glover; Let Me Count the Ways ft. Stevie Nicks; I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm ft. India. Arie and Trombone Shorty; and an all-star cast for All You Need is Love with Eric Benet, Johnny Mathis, Heather Headley, Richard Marx, Jonathan Butler, Maysa, Bebe Winans, Gloria Estefan and Stevie Wonder.
Speaking of Kenny G, the sax wiz who has sold over 75 million records worldwide, goes all originals in his latest release. Titled New Standards, the compositions in the album were inspired by the jazz ballads of the ‘50s and ‘80s eras, which hopefully will also become standards in the future.
I know, a lot of those 75 million records sold came from Kenny G’s instrumental versions of pop favorites. But remember, too, that his breakthrough came about with an original, Song Bird, which he also composed. So why not do a whole bunch of them. Besides, the collection sets a soothing, sexy mood and I do not know anybody who will argue with that.
The cuts will definitely sound unfamiliar at first but they all have that unmistakable Kenny G signature sound and it includes some stunners. Paris by Night, Rendezvous and Moonlight are so beautiful, I can already imagine them as the background score in romantic movies. Also included are Emeline, Only You, Legacy, Anthem, Blue Skies, Milestones, Two of a Kind and Waltz in Blue. Music lovers should not be without this one.
Coincidentally, the Christmas albums of Kenny G, Faith and Miracles and of Dave Koz, The 25th of December and This Is How December Makes Me Feel are piled among my favorite listens come Holiday time. After enjoying New Standards and Collaborations 25th Anniversary Collection, I might just take a peek at those Christmas joys one of these days.