Dave Koz - Lucky Man

Saxophonist Dave Koz has become one of the most successful and beloved instrumentalists of his time, and helped establish smooth jazz as a musical force to be reckoned with. His career catapulted with 1993's Lucky Man, one of Koz' slickest and most commercial releases (which is not a bad thing by any means) to date. The album has an undeniably crisp and clean feel, akin to the color schemes used in the artwork. The musical styles range from funky and peppy, as in the opening "Shakin' the Shack," "Silverlining," and the evergreen "You Make Me Smile," to tender and sweet, as in "Faces of the Heart," "Lucky Man," and "Tender Is the Night," which features hypnotic vocals courtesy of Phil Perry. A definite highlight is the unstoppable and downright electrifying "Saxman," which features an A list who's who of influential saxophonists jamming along with Koz. The album also utilizes hip-hop scratches and beats on his wonderfully soulful cover of "Don't Look Any Further" (which features former C+C Music Factory belter Zelma Davis) and a gospel choir on "Show Me the Way." Closing with his wonderful and touching rendition of "Misty," Lucky Man is a must for any fan of contemporary and smooth jazz, and ranks as an absolute highlight in Dave Koz' enduring catalog. ~ Jose F. Promis, All Music Guide

Name Credits Alan Meyerson Mixing Alec Milstein Bass (Electric), Bass Alex Brown Choir, Chorus Allen Sides Engineer Bill Payne Piano Billy Moss Pre-Production, Arranger, Keyboard Programming Bob Loftus Engineer, Second Engineer Bob Mann Guitar (Acoustic) Booker T. Jones III Organ, ? Brad Cole Saxophone Arrangement, Arranger, Piano, Keyboards Bruce Lundvall Executive Producer Carl Haslip ? Carl Sturken Guitar (Acoustic), Arranger, Producer, Keyboards Carlos Rios Guitar (Electric) Charles Pettigrew Vocals, ? Chester Thompson ?, Organ Clarence Clemons Performer, Sax (Tenor), ? Claude Gaudette Drum Programming, Piano, Keyboards, Synthesizer Bass, Strings, String Arrangements, Bass Curt Bisquera Drums Dan Bosworth Second Engineer, Engineer Dave Koz Producer, Sax (Baritone), EWI, Chant, Sax (Soprano), Arranger, Keyboards, Vocals (Background), Guitar (Electric), Sound Effects, Drum Programming, Associate Producer, Sax (Tenor), Bass, Sax (Alto), Guitar (Acoustic) Dennis Lambert Producer, Vocals (Background), Arranger, Chant Doc Kupka ? Doug Rider Mixing, Engineer Ed Greene Drums Eddie Murphy Engineer Edward James Olmos ?, Narrator Edward Olmos Speech/Speaker/Speaking Part Eric Rudd Second Engineer, Engineer Evan Rogers Producer, Vocals (Background), Arranger Evelyn "Champagne" King Chant, Vocals (Background) Franne Golde Chant, Vocals (Background) Gabe Veltri Engineer Gabriel Moffat Engineer Gigi Worth Choir, Chorus Greg Phillinganes Piano Howard "Buzz" Feiten Guitar, ? Howard Willing Engineer, Second Engineer Jamie Seyberth Mixing Assistant Jean McClain Vocals (Background), Chant Jeff Koz Keyboards, Guitar (Electric), Bass, Drum Programming, Producer, Arranger, Guitar (Acoustic) Jeff Lorber Keyboards, Drum Programming, Programming, Producer, Engineer, Synthesizer, Arranger Jeff Pescetto Choir, Chorus Jeffery Fey Art Direction, Design Jeffrey Shannon Mixing Assistant, Second Engineer Jeremy Lubbock Conductor, String Arrangements Jheryl Lockhart Chant, Vocals (Background) Jim Champagne Second Engineer, Engineer Jim Gilstrap Choir, Chorus Jimmy Haslip Fretless Bass John "J.R." Robinson Drums John Barnes Piano John Chamberlin Mixing Assistant, Second Engineer John Pena Bass John Zaika Engineer, Second Engineer Katrina Perkins Chant, Vocals (Background), Choir, Chorus Ken Moore Piano Kenny Moore Piano Kimm James Second Engineer, Mixing Assistant Lenny Castro Percussion Leslie Smith Choir, Chorus Maceo Parker Sax (Alto), ?, Performer Machito Sanchez Percussion Mark Schulman Drums Martin Brumbach Engineer, Second Engineer Michael Fisher Percussion Michael Thompson Guitar (Electric) Mick Stern Engineer, Second Engineer Mona Lisa Choir, Chorus Monalisa Choir, Chorus Mort Koz Second Engineer, Engineer Nathan East Bass, Bass (Electric) Nick Els Engineer Oliver Leiber Guitar Paul Jackson, Jr. Guitar (Rhythm), Guitar Paulinho Da Costa Percussion Phil Perry Vocals Phillip Ingram Choir, Chorus Pino Palladino ?, Fretless Bass Ray Griffin Drums Ricky Lawson Drums Robben Ford Guitar (Electric), Performer, ? Robbie Buchanan Programming, Arranger, Keyboards Scott Morgan Photography Shelly Stewart Second Engineer, Engineer Stephen "Doc" Kupka Sax (Baritone) Steve Hall Mastering Steve Reid Percussion Teddy Castellucci Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric) Terry Young Choir, Chorus Thom Russo Second Engineer, Mixing Assistant Tim Carmon Pre-Production, Arranger, Keyboard Programming Tommy Steele Art Direction Tony DeTiege Pre-Production, Keyboard Programming, Arranger Willie Will Mixing Assistant, Second Engineer Yvonne Williams Choir, Chorus Zelma Davis Vocals, Vocals (Background)