Summer Horns Dave Koz Artist

{|Summer Horns|} is the first studio album from {|Dave Koz|} since 2010's {|Hello Tomorrow|}. That said, it's not solely billed to him. The and Friends on the bill refers to three other contemporary jazz saxophonists: {|Gerald Albright|}, {|Mindi Abair|}, and {|Richard Elliot|}. Produced by {|Paul Brown|}, this is a big up-front horn section record, full of jazz, funk, and R&B covers, alternately by {|Greg Adams|}, {|Tom Scott|}, {|Gordon Goodwin|}, and {|Albright|}. The four-sax line is augmented by brass in various places, too. While {|Brown|}'s production sound stays within the genre of contemporary jazz -- it's both clean and bright -- the feel is all groove. Early on there is a finger-popping open-road vibe in the take on {|Herb Alpert|}'s Rise, and an atypical jazzy read of {|Sly Stone|}'s Hot Fun in the Summertime, with {|Brian Culbertson|} adding a trombone solo and chorus vocals by {|Jonathan Butler|} and {|Jeffrey Osborne|}. {|Abair|}'s lead alto on the cover of {|Paul Desmond|}'s iconic Take Five is slippery and warm, and rides the time signature beautifully; the multi-horn arrangement by {|Goodwin|}, with its layered and interweaving solos and upright bass in place of the piano and drums, is a nice touch. {|Michael McDonald|}'s vocal on {|Tower of Power|}'s So Very Hard to Go is every bit as soulful as the {|Motown|} covers on his own records. {|Koz|}'s lead alto breaks are tasty. {|Adams|}' chart substitutes elegance for grittiness, but the emotion remains. While {|Chicago|}'s 25 or 6 to 4 and {|James Brown|}'s I Got You (I Feel Good) suffer a tad for their lack of wildness, both have interesting guitar touches and fine solos by {|Koz|} and {|Albright|}, respectively. Led by {|Elliot|}'s expressive tenor, {|Charles Stepney|} and {|Earth, Wind & Fire|}'s Reasons is a groove-laden midtempo babymaker and a set high point. {|Rick Braun|}'s trumpet solo and {|Butler|}'s gospel moaning vocal turn {|Stevie Wonder|}'s You Haven't Done Nothin' into one of the set's dancefloor shakers. {|Albright|}'s horn chart is funky, chunky, and righteous. The lone original here is the title track. It's pure contemporary jazz, with {|Koz|} delivering a nice soprano solo followed by {|Elliot|}'s fine tenor break. {|Lenny Castro|}'s percussion and {|Roberto Vally|}'s bassline keep the groove fluid and deep. {|Summer Horns|} doesn't pretend to be anything other than it is: a good-time record that sounds like it was as much fun to make as it is to listen to. ~ Thom Jurek