JazzSearch: COMMON CONNECTION - HERB ALPERT & DAVE KOZ

Just finished listening to saxophonist Dave Koz’s captivating new issue – “Hello Tomorrow”; I follow Dave’s work but wow… I didn’t realize he hadn’t offered a program of original pieces in seven years! Thusly, my attention is drawn toward the only “cover” on the release, a version of “This Guy’s in Love With You” with a guest visit from the multifarious Herb Alpert, who originally recorded the song in 1968; The fact that both versions feature rare and strikingly similar vocal performances by each individual respectively got me to thinking about more similarities between the two jazz icons….

*Both were born in the last week of March and both are college educated, Jewish guys from Southern California… Alpert went to USC and played in the marching band, Koz graduated from UCLA, where you’ll find the Herb Alpert School of Music…

*Both Alpert and Koz have older brothers , talented musicians who provided the impetus for each to pursue careers in music..

*In 1966 Alpert co-founded A & M Records, Koz co-founded the record label Rendezvous Entertainment three decades later.

*Alpert owns a LA restaurant that serves fine wine…

*Koz lends his name to 3 varieties of wine from Napa Valley….

*Both Alpert and Koz are exceptionally philanthropic; The Herb Alpert Foundation and the Alpert Awards in the Arts with The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) supports youth and arts education as well as environmental issues and helps fund the PBS series Bill Moyers on Faith and Reason; For the past 15 years, Koz has served as Global Ambassador for The Starlight Children's Foundation, which helps children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses and life-altering injuries.

*Koz and Alpert are successful media figures – Koz is the host of radio & TV shows, was the leader of the band on the Emeril Lagasse Show and was a member of bands employed by the Arsenio Hall show and The Pat Sajack Show – which aired on CBS in the 1980’s; the first of many Herb Alpert TV specials also aired on CBS in 1967. In fact, Alpert sang This Guy’s in Love With You to his first wife, Sharon Mae Lubin, in a 1968 CBS TV Special (his current wife is singer Lani Hall). The song was not intended to be released, but after the television special, thousands called CBS to rave about the song which in turn convinced Alpert to release it as a single, just two days after the show aired (ahhh… those were the days….). The single topped the national chart for four weeks and ranked among the year's biggest hits.

And by the way, “This Guy’s…” is one of many songs written for Herb Alpert by Burt Bacharach; in 1998, Bacharach would appear as a producer and performer on a Dave Koz release called “The Dance”….

Check out a video of Dave's updated version of "This Guy's In Love With You..."