"I Believe" sends you back to that city called to mind in "Let it Free," only this time it's night and it's raining. This is the cinematic moment in which the lead (John Cusack maybe) is wandering the city and wondering how to win the girl back. Koz's playing is complete in the mix of despondancy with a touch of hope, that sound that tells the audience that "it's all going to be okay in the end."
"A View from Above" seals the deal. This is the album's happy ending, the point at which the couple stands on a balcony or roofdeck and embraces, then the camera does a skysweeping pan of the cityscape and fades to ending credits. This is where Saxophonic should end. But, as the name suggests, like Columbo coming back into the room to irritate somebody, the Curtain Call piece "One Last Thing" is the album's afterthought. "One Last Thing" isn't a bad piece of music, but it's something of a downer to end on.
All in all, Koz has another solid album on his hands with Saxophonic. His music is versatile--and I mean this in the best possible way--as it can be enjoyed by an active listener and functions just as well as background music at a party. . . or, yes, at a grocery store or in an elevator. . . It's music that's appropriate anytime and anywhere, basically. This isn't "snooze" jazz; it won't put you to sleep. Koz is telling you a story, if you're only willing to listen, to see it in your mind's eye.
I always know a Dave Koz piece when I hear it. It's a sound that's easy to pick out of the cacophony, probably because it's light enough to rise above it.
.jpg?t=20120527181101)
Article comments