VIA PRESS RELEASE | “The beauty of duets is that there is no where to hide, and trust is the connecting ingredient. This collection from pianist Bob James and saxist Dave Koz is a beaut, filled with communication and lyricism.” —Jazz Weekly
When two-time GRAMMY® Award winner Bob James and nine-time GRAMMY nominee Dave Koz released Just Us earlier this year, critics and fans alike recognized the album as a milestone in both artists’ careers as it claimed the No. 1 spot on the Luminate Current Contemporary Jazz Albums chart.
Today, the pre-order launched for the limited edition vinyl of Just Us. Just Us is completely unlike anything either artist has ever recorded. It’s raw and unplugged with just the saxophone and piano only, on every song. They recorded most of the tracks in the living room of James’ Traverse City, MI home, setting up a mic for Koz’s alto and two soprano saxes next to Bob’s grand piano.
This special release features Just Us pressed on Audiophile Grade Heavyweight 180 gram vinyl and a limited edition poster. Signed vinyl and an Ultimate Signed Limited Edition package, which also includes a signed limited edition CD with the bonus track “Sunny Side of the Street,” are also available for pre-order here.
On the heels of their well-received Just Us mini-tour, James and Koz will play a sold-out show at Myron’s at The Smith Center in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 4. The contemporary jazz icons, who recently performed at the GRAMMY Museum® in Los Angeles after a Q&A session led by Tavis Smiley, will be sharing stories and performing strictly as a duo on piano and saxophone, just as they do on the album.
JAZZIZ recently selected James and Koz as its first guests for the inaugural episode of their Join-In podcast, an exclusive, subscriber-only JAZZIZ experience that puts listeners in the room with today’s leading jazz artists, allowing them to ask questions and engage directly with featured guests.
Jazz Weekly said, “The beauty of duets is that there is no where to hide, and trust is the connecting ingredient. This collection from pianist Bob James and saxist Dave Koz is a beaut, filled with communication and lyricism.” Vents magazine hailed Just Us as “One of the best Albums of ’25.”
The Urban Music Scene observed, “Despite their phenomenal chart history, who might have thought Koz and James would team to face unfamiliar territory—a strictly acoustic duet setting without the safety net of a trusted group of musicians….revealing the duo’s natural storytelling connections.” Smooth Jazz Therapy praised the album as “a timely reminder of the contribution these two musical icons have made….Spanning genres, moods and styles Just Us is music for grown ups and comes highly recommended.”
Lead single “New Hope”—an elegant, deeply emotional reminder that we can be optimistic and dare to dream, even in uncertain times—is one of seven new original compositions found on Just Us. The album also features three standards—“My Ship,” “All The Way,” and “Smile.”
“Even through our decades of friendship, I don’t think we could have made this album before this moment,” explains Bob James, known as both a hip-hop icon and the godfather of smooth jazz. “We were emboldened because for a long time we didn’t know we were even making an album. Everything was about our natural musical kinship, represented by the piano and sax in all their full, beauty, glory and nakedness. Where else can you hear these instruments without any sonic competition?”
As Dave Koz shared in this interview with Patty Peterson for Minneapolis’ Jazz88.FM, “We were just two friends in a room making music for ourselves.”
