At The Movies

Description

Concept discs tend to go one of two ways--they dance around a theme, causing listeners to draw their own conclusions about how well the album hangs together, or they come on strong. Sax man Dave Koz's At the Movies floats mellifluously into the second category. From the moment Judy Garland's voice comes keening through the crackle of "Over the Rainbow," we're transported directly into the cinema alongside Koz and a handful of high-wattage friends. Only in Koz's theater, the music is at times more heart-tuggingly pretty than we remember. "Moon River," from Breakfast at Tiffany's meanders gracefully before Barry Manilow surfaces to lend a languid, signature-smooth vocal. "The Shadow of Your Smile" from The Sandpiper sends ripples of bittersweetness down the spine straight through the soul. In a surprising standout track, India.Arie snakes her vocal to Tootsie's "It Might Be You" around Koz's sax so winningly you half-wish she had sung the original. Koz himself is no slouch here, either: six instrumentals belong to him exclusively, some so lush it seems a shame do-overs aren't on Oscar's radar. --Tammy La Gorce