"Smooth Jazz" saxophone king Dave Koz released a concept album in 2007 that featured guests (Anita Baker, Chris Botti, Vanessa Williams and India.Arie, among others) on six of the dozen tracks. Unfortunately, the result is just one step ahead of elevator music*, but details revealed in some "making of..." videos give some valuable insights of the decisions that go into producing an album. All the tunes were movie themes: The Pink Panther, Somewhere, As Time Goes By, The Summer Knows, Schindler's List, etc.*But that's just me -- the album sold like hot cakes.
In this video, Anita Baker recalls hearing Koz mentioning the incipient project on his syndicated radio show while she was talking on the phone. Of interest is the trial and error method of finding the right key and other details that led to the final arrangement of her track: Somewhere (West Side Story). Ms. Baker also reveals that she preferred "Moon River" (ick!) to "Somewhere," but that track ultimately went to Barry Manilow (double ick!).
In this revealing video clip, Koz interviews esteemed lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman, regarding their 1973 academy award Best Song winner "The Way We Were".
