Bob James & Dave Koz - Just Us

Bob James and Dave Koz — Just Us

Contemporary jazz icons Bob James and Dave Koz mark a unique milestone with this aptly titled duo album Just Us, a piano and saxophone-only collection of fresh originals and colorful re-imaginings of Great American Songbook standards.

Rooted in their decades-long friendship and driven by an adventurous spirit of creative camaraderie, this album delves into a spontaneous, organic soundscape ripe with dynamic new possiblities. What sets Just Us apart from other groundbreaking albums is the emphatic spontaneity of its inception and evolution. Koz had invited James to be a performing guest in the main showroom aboard the Seabourn Ovation in September 2024 as part of Somma Italia, the saxophonist's inaugural Somma Cruise, a luxury extension of the popular two decades of the mega-popular Dave Koz Cruise. James agreed on one condition — that the two create a pre-recorded new product to give to attendees to complement their overall experience. The two decided to record brand new music together — and each person aboard the ship received a 7-inch vinyl record inside a decorative sleeve as part of their swag.

Recorded weeks before the voyage at James' house in Traverse City, MI (known as "The Cherry Capital of the World") the promotional recording featured the two songs that now kick off and provide the foundation for Just Us — the lilting, soulfully swaying James original ballad "Sommation" (whose title cleverly references the cruise) and an elegant, passionate rendition of the standard "My Ship," inspired by the pianist's memory of Miles Davis' 1957 arrangement of the classic from the 1941 Broadway musical Lady in the Dark by Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin.

This album is now available as a limited edition 180-gram vinyl record. Every record also includes a pristine high resolution download, and a limited edition Just Us poster!

 

1. Sommation

2. My Ship

3. T W O

4. All The Way

5. Fontaine d'Alice

6. The Naked Ballet

7. Smile

8. Rue de Rivoli

9. Protea

10. New Hope

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