| Jazz |
Just Us: Bob James and Dave Koz, in the Art of Listening
In an era where contemporary jazz often leans toward polish, volume, and technological sheen, Just Us feels almost radical in its simplicity. It is an album that resists categorization, preferring dialogue over display, intimacy over production. And perhaps that is precisely what makes this collaboration between Bob James and Dave Koz so quietly compelling.
After changing computers, I had lost touch with Dave Koz. As it turns out, the beginning of 2026 brought that minor run of bad luck to an end. Contact was reestablished, and soon after, this remarkably beautiful album arrived in my mailbox. Some listeners may be surprised to encounter Dave Koz in a register that feels unfamiliar at first, less expansive, less overtly groove-driven. As for me, I have long admired his musicianship, and I was not surprised to find him here, in close conversation with one of my most inspiring and revered musicians: Bob James.
Many years ago, Bob James released a magnificent solo album, Dancing in the Water, a record I still treasure and return to regularly. I mention it because Just Us feels like a natural extension of that aesthetic philosophy. Two musicians. Two artists. Two distinct ways of thinking about music, meeting not in competition but in convergence. The result is a duet that is moving, tender, and quietly poetic. The repertoire reflects this openness, drawing from multiple musical lineages, Bob James and Dave Koz, of course, but also Charlie Chaplin, Kurt Weill, and Ira Gershwin, suggesting a shared reverence for melody, narrative, and emotional clarity.
Just Us is, above all, a tribute to music itself, the kind that reaches beyond genre and speaks directly to the heart and the soul. Beauty here resides not in virtuosity alone, but in balance, in the fragile architecture of an acoustic duet. This format may well be one of the most demanding challenges two musicians can undertake. There is nowhere to hide. Every breath matters. Every pause carries weight. James and Koz seem fully aware of this, pushing one another toward deeper levels of interpretation, drawing openly on their classical training, allowing silence to function as meaning rather than absence.
That said, listeners expecting the high-gloss sheen of Dave Koz’s larger, rhythm-driven productions may initially feel disoriented. The album unfolds slowly, deliberately, asking for patience and attentiveness. Yet that very disorientation quickly reveals itself as the album’s greatest strength. Just Us is not designed to impress instantly; it is designed to resonate, to linger, to reward repeated listening.
The art of composition and arrangement plays a central role in how this album was conceived. While their approaches here differ markedly from the structures that define their respective solo projects, those differences are precisely what give Just Us its coherence. Dave Koz, more jazz-oriented than ever, is recognizable not by stylistic markers but by tone alone: precise, lyrical, and restrained. Bob James, the undisputed master of harmonic elegance, responds with authority that never feels domineering. Instead, the music breathes as a conversation between equals.
What makes this collaboration particularly satisfying is that it feels long overdue. For years, I found myself wondering what an album pairing Bob James and Dave Koz might sound like. The answer, it turns out, is disarmingly simple: it sounds inevitable. The remarkable thing is not that it works, but that it took so long to happen.
I often speak of elegance when writing about albums, and Just Us stands as a textbook example. On one side, Bob James, universally respected, with a career that defines musical longevity with integrity. On the other, Dave Koz, who for decades has filled concert halls worldwide with his unmistakable sense of groove and connection. Despite their extensive discographies and countless collaborations, neither artist sounds complacent here. Quite the opposite. Just Us feels like a deliberate act of renewal, uniting compositional beauty, the sheer pleasure of playing, and a deep love of musical art.
There is little need to expand the canvas further. I will simply direct readers to the respective websites of these two artists, with one assurance: Just Us is an album you can purchase with your eyes closed. It may not shout for attention, but it will speak, gently and persistently, to both your heart and your soul.
Thierry De Clemensat
Member at Jazz Journalists Association
USA correspondent for Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief – Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, January 10th 2026
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Thanks to Dave Koz!
Musicians:
Bob James, piano
Dave Koz, saxophone (alto & soprano)
Track Listing :
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
11. Sunny Side of the Street (bonus track – CD only)
Produced by Bob James, Dave Koz and David Marchione
Engineered and Mixed by David Marchione at Unicorn Studio, Traverse City, MI
Mastered by Alex DeTurk at The Bunker Studio, Brooklyn, NY
Piano Technician: Rolf von Walthausen
Assistant Engineer: Jamey Tate