Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Whether he was providing the foundation for a plethora of future hip-hop samples, basically becoming the godfather of smooth jazz or co-founding the supergroup Fourplay, keyboardist, arranger and producer Bob James has always made a tremendous impact since being discovered by Quincy Jones in the 1960s, who even at 85-years-young, continues to push the envelope of creativity.

Though saxophonist/songwriter and sometimes singer Dave Koz came up in the subsequent generation, he’s almost single-handedly become the same style’s contemporary ambassador to the world, while also making sure to reinvent himself every step from the early 1990s to now.

It turns out the two giants of their genre are longtime friends and were considering performing together on one of Koz’s many cruises, but James agreed on the condition they record something new together, in his living room of all places, resulting in a 7-inch vinyl to give to guests.

Thankfully, it sparked a super prolific second session and the entire “Just Us” album was born, which as the title suggests, is exclusively this pair of players, void of a backing band or additional accompaniment of any kind.

That’s exactly the tone James and Koz took at the immaculate Studebaker Theater in Chicago, one of just five cities they’re visiting on an extremely limited and often sold out American tour, summarized by the latter as “the way it was made is the way that it is played.”

Those fortunate enough to catch them were treated to 90 minutes of collaborations and a bit of improvisations, including the immaculately performed originals “Sommation” and “T W O,” plus the standards “My Ship” and “Smile.”

As far as Koz was specifically concerned, he shifted to lead vocals for Herb Alpert’s “This Guy’s In Love With You,” then back to sax on the personally-penned “You Make Me Smile,” each of which were soulfully and stunningly adapted to the stripped down occasion.

James translated both current and timeless tunes to similarly intimate contexts, such as “Fontaine d’Alice,” and of course, “Angela,” coming across like a truly breathtaking history book brought to life.

Their chemistry together reached a pinnacle come the CD bonus track “Sunny Side Of The Street,” leaving the audience speechless over the masterful musicianship and seamless interplay only an environment as exquisite as “Just Us” inside the Studebaker could provide.

For additional information on Bob James & Dave Koz, visit BobJames.com and DaveKoz.com.

Upcoming highlights at the Studebaker Theater include “Dreamgirls” (Mar. 29-30); “The Empire Strips Back”: A Burlesque Parody (Apr. 11- May 4); Yordano Y Su Banda (May 17) and “She Who Dared” (Jun. 3-8). For additional details, visit FineArtsBuilding.com/Studebaker/.

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