10

GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE December 9, 2005

evening'sout

A new vision

Dave Koz on Bill Clinton, coming out and his ninth Christmas concert

by Kaizaad Kotwal

Renowned saxophone sensation Dave Koz will be regaling Columbus and Cleveland audiences this month with his smooth tones as part of his ninth "Dave Koz and Friends: A Smooth Jazz Christmas Tour." He will perform with special guests like vocalist Patti Austin, pianist and composer David Benoit and guitarist and vocalist Jonathan Butler.

Koz has sold millions of CDs worldwide, including two holiday albums, December Makes Me Feel This Way and A Smooth Jazz Christmas. The albums feature classics such as "White Christmas," "The Christmas Song" and "Santa Claus is Coming to Town."

His 2003 release Saxophonic earned him a third consecutive Grammy nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Performance and a second NAACP Image Award nomination. He also recently collaborated with Rod Stewart on "Isn't it Romantic" for Stewart's Great American Songbook series. One of his most recognizable tunes is "Faces of the Heart," the theme for the long-running ABC-TV daytime drama General Hospital.

Koz is currently recording his next album with producer Phil Ramone and it's slated for release in early 2006.

Kaizaad Kotwal: What are the origins of your last name?

Dave Koz: It is a Russian name and both my parents' ancestry stems from there. I was actually in Moscow last May and it was pretty intense, making music for audiences in the place where my ancestors came from.

Was that your first trip to Russia?

I was there in 1984, but back then it was a very different country. Today, Moscow is a very fun, cosmopolitan, young and vibrant city.

You are very well known in the U.S. today. Are you as well known internationally?

I have pockets of recognition. In Asia, I have toured extensively including Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines. We have been very well received in South Africa and parts of South America. I love playing in the U.S. but I also want to more and more take my music abroad and cross all those cultural barriers.

What has been your most memorable concert in the U.S.?

Oh my, that's a hard one. Well, this wasn't a concert strictly speaking, but it would have to be my proudest musical moment, when I played for President Clinton in 1996 and then got to introduce my parents to him. It was amazing that through my music I got to introduce my parents to the President of the United States.

Clinton himself plays the sax, so did he join you in playing?

No, he didn't have his sax there. But I did get a message from one of his aides who was with him on Air Force One, shortly after my White House gig, and he told me that Clinton was listening to the autographed CD of my music that I had given him. That was really cool.

What is this current tour about?

It is our ninth annual Christmas tour and our fifth visit to Columbus. It is an old style show like a variety show with a Christmas theme. We play holiday music, our own compositions and there's lots of comedy. Here's the funny part: I am Jewish and have been doing nine years of Christmas songs.

But this tour is also special in another way. My mom, who I was extremely close to, passed away four weeks ago exactly to the day as we speak. I know that her spirit is being felt on this tour, especially because she was also close to all the other artists on the tour. So there's an extra sense of poignancy to this

tour.

Do you remember the first time you picked up a saxophone?

Yes. I was thirteen years old and in seventh grade and I wanted to be in my brother's band. They didn't have a saxophone player and so my only hope of getting in was to pick up the sax. I tried other instruments like the piano, guitar, drums, but I completely sucked at them. The sax was the first instrument that felt good in my hands.

What drew you to the sax?

It is a great vehicle for self-expression. When I was growing up I was dealing with a lot of stuff. The sax was my best friend. When I wasn't able to speak about a lot of stuff, I used the sax to express myself. It was my mirror too.

Was that "stuff" your struggle with sexuality?

Yes. I am forty-two now and I grew up in a time when it was very different than it is for today's generation of gay youth. They have so many good role models all over the place. Then again, I had it better than the generation that came before me. I didn't come out to my family till I was in my twenties, as I was dealing a lot with issues of shame, and so I immersed myself in music.

So when you came out was it to be a role model?

No, that wasn't the reason. If that is the byproduct then that's good. I came out because of the necessity to be a whole person. I saw no need to keep that separate from the other aspects of my life. I couldn't see why I couldn't have it all on the same page. The great irony is that I spent all these years worrying about it, and after I came out not only did it not make things worse, but it all became better. Hearned that authenticity, showing up for life true to every aspect of who one is, can never be a bad thing. My career, my family relationships and friendships blossomed.

What is your wish for 2006?

Actually Jonathan Butler said what I have been thinking very well on stage the other night. I would like us all to have new vision in 2006. I hope that we can prioritize what's really important to the world, because right now that is all so skewed. We are so obsessed with Paris Hilton, Nicole Ritchie, Nick and Jessica. Let's talk about some real shit! We've been lulled to sleep and we need to look at the problems existing here and around the world in a more serious way.

CAPA will present Dave Koz and Friends in Columbus on Wednesday, December 14 at 7:30 at the Palace Theatre, 34 West Broad St. Tickets are $27-$62 at 614-431-3600 or 614469-0939.

They will also perform in Cleveland on Friday, December 16 at 7:30 pm in the Palace Theatre at Playhouse Square Center, 1515 Euclid Ave. Tickets are $35-$50. For tickets and more information visit www.Playhouse Square.com or call 216241-6000.

God is still speaking at

LIBERATION

United Church of Christ

An all-inclusive Community of Faith

Sunday Worship 10:30 am

Sunday School 10:30 am

13714 Madison Avenue Lakewood, Ohio 44107 www.liberationucc.org 216-521-5556

GAY PEOPLE'S

Chronicle.com

Among the roses

Young Hilary Stevens (Moynan King) and Willa (Anne Diehl) share an intimate moment in the fields of the past in Mrs. Stevens Hears the Mermaids Singing, directed by Linda Thornburg.

The film version of May Sarton's semi-autobiographical 1965 novel brings to the screen the story of an elderly lesbian poet, Hilary Stevens, who, while being interviewed by two writers, keeps seeing scenes from her past.

As her thoughts turn to her previous muses, her lovers, she must also provide support to the suicidal grandson of her neighbor, a young man who has trouble coming to terms with his own sexual orientation. Luckily for him, Stevens has some experience in that arena, as an explicitly lesbian novel she wrote in the 1920s practically drove her underground, she is now far more comfortable in her own skin.

After winning awards at the Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival, the Fire Island Film and Video Festival and the Pikes Peak Lavender Festival, Thornburg brings the film home to Columbus, where it will have two screenings on December 11. The first screening at 1 pm is $10. The 4 pm screening includes a post-film reception and party at Club 202, and tickets are $25.

The screening will be at the new Drexel Campus Gateway Cinemas, 1550 North High Street. For tickets, go to www.ladyfestohio.org or call 614-545-2255 for more information.

Anthony Glassman