Dave Koz's Passion Burns Brightly (This Time with Barry Manilow)

Currently opening for Barry Manilow on his "One Last Time" tour, Dave Koz is thoroughly enjoying the privilege of entertaining alongside a music powerhouse and singer/songwriter extraordinaire. In talking with EDGE, Koz shares the joy and experiences of working with his friend and colleague for what Manilow has coined, "one last time."

Koz is also reaching a career milestone this summer as he celebrates the 25th anniversary of his very first album. Here, he offers just what he has in store to mark this special occasion. If all this wasn't enough, this 'empire' man of the saxophone, has just recently opened a joint venture of entertainment and fine dining called Spaghettini Beverly Hills and the Dave Koz Lounge. His passion for music and those who make it is burning brighter than ever.

Working with Manilow

EDGE: What an honor to be a part of the 'One Last Time' tour with Barry Manilow. How did this come together for you to open his concerts?

Dave Koz: We've been friends for quite some time, maybe about fifteen years or so. He's been very kind to me. He sang on my albums and when I got my star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, he was the one who inducted me. I've played at his concerts and played on his albums. This time last year, he called and said, 'I'm doing this series of shows in the U.K.... arena shows and why don't you come on over and open them up for me?' I was like, 'Wow!' I didn't see that one coming.

We had the greatest time. We traveled together as he was kind enough to invite me to be a part of his traveling group. It was super, super fun. When they put together this tour for the United States, his manager called to say, 'Why don't we continue the fun and keep it going in the U.S.?' I jumped at the opportunity... getting calls like that from people you not only love but respect and admire and have learned so much from, those are the calls that really make your day.

EDGE: Definitely. I still enjoy his beautiful version of 'Moon River' off your 'At the Movies' CD.

Dave Koz: Yeah, it was really great to be in the studio with him. People don't realize how great a musician the guy is and he's an unbelievable musician. He has a tremendous commitment to not only his music but to his fans and his band to making the experience on stage super interesting and satisfying, every time he does it. This is not his first tour! He's playing the songs... all these huge hits people have heard before. How do you keep it interesting? How do you keep it growing? That's where his unbelievable ears come into play.

Wearing a different hat

EDGE: How has the experience been so far for you?

Dave Koz: This is a funny thing for me. I haven't been an opening act since the beginning of my career. It really is wearing a different hat. When I go out on stage, we have thirty minutes to warm that audience up for him. It's nice, because for me, I just have to worry about one thing. What can I do to get these people excited for him? That singular focus is something that is rare in my world (laughter) because I'm usually thinking about a ton of different things. This is a nice experience for me. I play thirty minutes and Barry was kind enough to ask me to be a part of his show, too. So, I play a couple of songs in his show and we end the show together.

EDGE: Oh, that's great. I didn't know that.

Dave Koz: It's a very integrated show. He's bent over backwards to make me feel comfortable. Not just him but his crew and his band. The audiences have been great, too. You can imagine, the lights go down at 7:30 p.m. and there's a huge roar of excitement. Over the loud speaker, you hear 'Welcome Barry's special guest Dave Koz' and people are expecting to see him, so I walk out there and I gotta be honest... they're not that happy to see me (laughter) because they thought, it was going to be him!

These people may know my name but the vast majority have never seen me do a show. It's my job to figure out a way to not only entertain them but put them in a great mood for him. The Manilow audiences have been so receptive to me and my band. They're really warm and by the end of that thirty minutes, I think we got them.

Favorite Manilow song?

EDGE: What's your favorite Barry Manilow song?

Dave Koz: That's a very unfair question. I go out every single night into the audience and sit for some portion of his show, just to watch. I would say... 'Weekend in New England' is my favorite.

EDGE: Neat. Mine is 'Could It Be Magic.' I honestly think of you as the 'empire' man. You have the Koz Wines, Dave Koz and Friends Cruises, your radio show, your web show, 'Dave' and now, Spaghettini Beverly Hills and the Dave Koz Lounge. Can you say, time management? You've got to be a pro at it. How do you keep so many things going, all at once? It amazes me.

Dave Koz: Good people around me to help me. I suffer a bit from ADD and if I'm doing one thing... I kind of get bored, so I like to always keep it interesting and mix it up a little bit. Truthfully, I feel very blessed because a lot of these wacky things you look at and the ones you just mentioned, these were things that I didn't say 'Oh, it's my dream to do this,' these are just opportunities that somehow came my way and I was like, 'Yeah, let's try it!' Some of those things have worked and some of them haven't. As an artist and human being, the goal for me is to always be open to trying new things. To be able to make left turns and right turns and not keep going on straight in my own lane. I like the idea of mixing it up and I've learned a lot, too.

EDGE: Will you share a bit more about Spaghettini Beverly Hills and the Dave Koz Lounge?

Dave Koz: The restaurant just opened up and we just had our three month anniversary. This has been a tremendous learning opportunity. I can't tell you how much I've learned in three months about hospitality, the inner-workings of restaurants... as a guest in a restaurant, you never think about the things that I've seen. Now, I've seen it from the inside and it's a whole new respect. The same, could be said about operating a music venue, too. That's what the uniqueness of this place is, a fine dining restaurant and a world-class music venue.

At Dave's Lounge

EDGE: It's a nice line-up of performers scheduled to entertain at The Dave Koz Lounge over the coming months.

Dave Koz: Yeah, we've had not just the people who have been on the list as our performers but people who just drop in and jump up on stage. My favorite being that Sir Tom Jones came in for dinner and surprisingly decided to sing a number. That's what we're open to and looking for. We're hoping that artists of all different genres will feel at home in this place. Come and have dinner and have a nice cocktail and if the mood strikes and you want to do something... this is the place to do it.

EDGE: You still enjoy a level of anonymity when you're out and about. That must be a blessing for you to be able to enjoy and do what you love and not be instantly recognizable. I know that you are recognizable to the thousands of people who enjoy your music, yet, at the same time, for you to be able to have that freedom is kind of neat.

Dave Koz: That's a very nice thing to say. I agree. I'm very lucky that way. I can have a completely private life and when I need to be on stage, I can have a very public life. At least for me it works... it's a nice balance. I'm always open to whatever life has in store ahead and if that should change, I'll go with it. For the vast part of my career, it's been really nice. Music is different than being a TV star or movie star or even the big pop stars. I play saxophone, so I'm a 'niche,' I'm a walking niche (laughter). I like that. I like not having to be always 'on.'

EDGE: Your 'Dave' webcasts are adorable and you present an opportunity to get to know the musical artists you have worked with and enjoy, a bit more in the presentation.

Dave Koz: That's it. I'm such a fan. Bill, I love being an advocate for the artists and love being a champion for the music that they make. So, in the ways that I have at my disposal, whether it's the Sirius XM show I do once a week or these little episodes, that I think nobody's watching or people might actually be watching...or at least, I know one is (laughs)... uh, you! These are ways of just letting people know about these great artists. We're not in People magazine, we're not in the newspaper. It's hard to know about this kind of stuff. It gives people an opportunity to know about these great artists.

Career rectrospective

EDGE: You have the 25th anniversary of your career coming up.

Dave Koz: Yes. That's coming up in the summertime. This summer of 2015 is the 25th anniversary of my first record coming out. We decided to do a little retrospective and that is to focus on the collaborations that have been a constant in my career, from the very first album to now. That's been one of the big constants. That's what this album is going to celebrate and some of the songs that haven't really been heard in a very long time, like the collaboration I did with Stevie Nicks, which was a dream come true. I love her. Plus, Luther Vandross, Rod Stewart, Barry Manilow and Stevie Wonder and Herb Alpert. It's almost like a 'greatest hits' but it comes from a different perspective. There will also be three new songs.

EDGE: So, are you in the process of letting your hair grow long to mark the occasion?

Dave Koz: No (laughter).

EDGE: I know...just kidding, as I remember your mane on the cover of your first record. Enjoy your summer and all the music.

Dave Koz: Thank you! It's always a pleasure talking with you. Thank you so much for the great interview.
Barry Manilow's 'One Last Time' tour with special guest, Dave Koz, continues with dates now in all major cities through June 17. For a complete list of tour dates, or Dave Koz's.