Released today, The Golden Hour captures the spontaneous combustion and wind in your hair carefree coolness that’s possible when musical masters of two different generations venture fearlessly off their regular career paths and hightail it into a live-in-the-studio setting with a powerhouse ensemble – including a five-piece horn section arranged by Prince’s chief horn arranger, Michael Nelson – to create a momentum-shifting project.
DOWNLOAD/STREAM THE GOLDEN HOUR
To celebrate its release, veteran saxophonist Koz and hipster funk/jam band guitarist Wong will play the entire album live from the rooftop of a houseboat on Minneapolis’ St. Croix River at sunset, accompanied by Wong’s 10-piece-band. The livestream concert can be seen on Looped tomorrow, June 12. Tickets, which can be purchased HERE, include a digital copy of The Golden Hour.
Minneapolis’ Star Tribune observed, “Koz and Wong is a seemingly unlikely pairing, as the guitarist noted last summer when Koz joined him onstage at Crooners in Fridley: ‘It's like Shaggy and Sting. Why are they doing stuff together?’ If the album is anything like that show, The Golden Hour should be a mix of finesse, funk and unstoppable passion.”
The album’s infectious first single, “Family Reunion,” was #1 Most Added at Smooth Jazz radio for two consecutive weeks. Praising “Getaway Car,” American Songwriter noted, “The jazzy and funky piece has a freeing, summer vibe, including everything from wild horns to groovy guitar." Rage Monthly said, “[‘Getaway Car’ is] a mix of Peter Gunn courtesy of Henry Mancini splashed with a bit of Herb Alpert and ‘Love Machine.’” Guitar World hailed “Today” as “seriously soulful.”
The video for the title track, which premiered earlier today on YouTube, gives fans a glimpse of the live-in-the-studio sessions for The Golden Hour. View HERE.
“It’s all about exploration,” adds Dave Koz. “The Golden Hour is on the edge of the day and night, just like we’re both on the edge of what is expected of us at this stage of our careers.”
Koz first became aware of Wong after the young guitarist urged fans to tag their posts from Wong’s live shows with #DAVEKOZ as part of his sly plot to secure an invite to perform on a Koz cruise. Shortly thereafter, Wong found himself on deck as an entertainer on a “Dave Koz & Friends At Sea” voyage. Now he’s a full-blown Koz collaborator – in addition to playing electric guitar on The Golden Hour, Wong produced the album and co-wrote 10 of its 11 tracks.
"The most beautiful part of what we have created on The Golden Hour is that while we’re both on the edge of our respective music scenes, we both brought to the session the energy of our live shows, which are very similar in a lot of ways,” says Cory Wong.
Koz will be returning to the road this summer with a fresh incarnation of his popular Summer Horns tour franchise. Wong will be touring Europe and the U.S. in the fall.
