Summer Horns

Summer Horns

Summer Horns

Summer Horns

CD

$12.99 
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Overview

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

Product Details

Release Date: 06/11/2013
Label: Concord
UPC: 0888072341722
Rank: 58465

Tracks

  1. Always There
  2. Got to Get You Into My Life
  3. Rise
  4. So Very Hard to Go
  5. Hot Fun in the Summertime
  6. Take Five
  7. 25 or 6 to 4
  8. Reasons
  9. I Got You (I Feel Good)
  10. You Haven't Done Nothin'
  11. God Bless the Child
  12. Summer Horns

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Dave Koz   Primary Artist,Flute,Sax (Alto),Sax (Tenor),Sax (Soprano),Sax (Baritone)
Mindi Abair   Primary Artist,Sax (Alto),Sax (Baritone),Featured Artist
Gerald Albright   Primary Artist,Featured Artist,Sax (Alto),Sax (Tenor),Sax (Baritone)
Richard Elliot   Primary Artist,Sax (Tenor),Featured Artist
Tracy Carter   Piano,Keyboards,Wurlitzer
Paul Brown   Guitar,Steel String,Guitar (Electric)
Mel Brown   Bass
Jonathan Butler   Featured Artist,Vocals
Jeff Carruthers   Guitar,Keyboards
Lenny Castro   Percussion
Roberto Vally   Bass,Bass (Acoustic)
Jeffrey Osborne   Vocals,Featured Artist
Randy Jacobs   Guitar
Rick Braun   Trumpet,Flugelhorn,Featured Artist
Ricky Lawson   Drums
Eric Mondragon   Vocals (Background)
Nick Lane   Trombone
Michael McDonald   Vocals,Featured Artist
Brian Culbertson   Trombone,Featured Artist
Jay Gore   Guitar
Marco Basci   Organ,Keyboards
Sean Billings   Trumpet
Khalid Woods   Guitar,Keyboards,Synthesizer Bass
Darren Rahn   Keyboards,Synthesizer
Jon Woodhead   Guitar
Lee Thornberg   Trumpet,Trombone,Flugelhorn
Damon Reel   Vocals (Background)
Frank Selman   Guitar
Billy Mondragon   Vocals (Background)
Greg Adams   Trumpet,Flugelhorn

Technical Credits

Darren Rahn   Producer,Arranger,Engineer,Drum Programming
Tracy Carter   Rhythm Arrangements
Paul Brown   Mixing,Composer,Engineer,Producer,Rhythm Arrangements
Tony Vin   Hair Stylist
John Burk   Executive Producer
John Lennon   Composer
Jeff Carruthers   Engineer,Drum Programming,Rhythm Arrangements
Ronnie Laws   Composer
Maurice White   Composer
Robert Lamm   Composer
Philip Bailey   Composer
Rick Braun   Composer
Brian Culbertson   Composer
Andy Armer   Composer
William Jeffrey   Composer
Stevie Wonder   Composer
Gerald Albright   Horn Arrangements
Gordon Goodwin   Arranger
Dave Koz   Composer,Executive Producer
Mary Hogan   A&R
Grady Walker   Engineer
Larissa Collins   Creative Director
Randy Alpert   Composer
Michael Stever   Copyist
Marco Basci   Drum Programming,Horn Arrangements,Rhythm Arrangements
Johnny Lee   Engineer
Monica Schweiger   Stylist
Nikki Nouvelle   Make-Up
Khalid Woods   Engineer,Drum Programming,Rhythm Arrangements
Stephen "Doc" Kupka   Composer
Sylvester Stewart   Composer
Charles Stepney   Composer
Lee Herschberg   Mastering
Tom Scott   Horn Arrangements
Paul McCartney   Composer
Paul Desmond   Composer
Billie Holiday   Composer
Arthur Herzog, Jr.   Composer
James Brown   Composer
Carmen Grillo   Engineer
Emilio Castillo   Composer
Greg Allen   Design,Photography,Art Direction
Greg Adams   Horn Arrangements
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