Latest news with #SummerHorns
2 days ago
- Entertainment
Famed jazz group gives spontaneous in-flight performance amid delays
No one likes being stuck on an airplane longer than absolutely necessary, so when a famous jazz group aboard an Alaska Airlines flight was asked to help lift the spirits of their fellow severely delayed passengers with a live musical interlude, they happily busted out horns and played the unlikely venue. In a now-viral video, Dave Koz and the Summer Horns performed their rendition of Stevie Wonder's "You Haven't Done Nothing" in an impromptu concert amidst a slew of delays, diversions and timed-out staff en route from St. Louis to their next tour stop in Seattle. The moment took place in the wee hours early Tuesday morning on the tarmac after their flight was diverted to Boise, Idaho, the namesake saxophonist told "Good Morning America." That's when Koz said most people were "at their breaking point" and "this wonderful flight attendant" stepped in to see if their group would want to provide some in-flight entertainment. "Charlene was like, 'Can you guys play?'" fellow saxophonist Marcus Anderson added. "We end up getting our instruments out and everyone's excited and all these phones are coming out -- we're just thinking about giving people a great concert on an airplane." They selected a song from their show set list and played it with as many of the 16 band members who had carried on equipment, including more brass from Jeff Bradshaw on trombone, Evan Taylor on trumpet and Leo P on baritone saxophone. "All of us were involved and including our band members, even if they couldn't break out their guitars and basses, they were slapping along," Koz said. "People were clapping. It was great vibes. It was great energy," Anderson said, adding that little kids recorded the video and were already watching it back in their seats after they concluded. "We got the video content from people, and I said, 'Hey, Dave, I'm going to post it and share it.' By the time we get off the plane -- it was trailing close to maybe 200,000 views," Anderson explained of the initial explosion in social media interest. "It started skyrocketing." Collectively across Instagram and Facebook, at the of time of publication, the clip has amassed over 2 million views with thousands of comments hailing the smooth jazz legends for their "playover" performance. "We were just taking a moment trying to make lemonade with lemons, and it tasted very good," Anderson, whom Koz called "the future of the saxophone," said. "We brought the we brought the concert to all those incredible passengers, not just on stage, but on the plane as well." Koz said he's "never played on a plane" before that, whereas Anderson once performed a solo version of "America the Beautiful" on Fourth of July. Alaska Airlines did not immediately respond to request for comment. "This really taps into everybody's sort of frustration right now of traveling in the United States, where you feel so out of control, and this feeling of like you just don't know what to do," Koz explained. "We were able to sort of channel that energy and turn the vibe completely."
San Francisco Chronicle
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Jazz star turns tarmac delay into viral in-flight concert ahead of Napa show
A flight delay turned into an impromptu concert this week when jazz saxophonist Dave Koz and his band, stranded aboard a plane, treated fellow passengers to a surprise performance. Koz, a Grammy-nominated artist set to perform in Napa as part of the Blue Note Summer Sessions at the Meritage Resort on Friday, August 15, was en route from St. Louis to Seattle with his Summer Horns 2025 tour when their flight was diverted to Boise, Idaho, due to mechanical issues. As they waited for repairs on the Boise tarmac, Koz and his bandmates Marcus Anderson, Jeff Bradshaw, Leo P, Evan Taylor and Marcel Anderson broke out their horns and launched into a spirited rendition of Stevie Wonder's 'Haven't Done Nothing.' The performance, captured on video by Anderson, quickly went viral. 'Delay after delay after delay… frustrations turned into fun,' Anderson wrote in the caption. 'We pulled out our horns and brought smiles bright as the sun! Summer Horns turned a flight into a front row concert — because when you feel it, you play it.' Within 24 hours, the clip had garnered over 2.5 million views across Instagram and Facebook. 'This is your captain speaking. This flight has been rerouted to Funkytown. The seatbelt sign is off and you are hereby required to get out your seat and dance!' one person wrote in the comments. Another noted, 'Love this!! And everyone is actually enjoying themselves. That's the power of music!' Koz's career spans more than three decades with regular stints at venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and the Hollywood Bowl.
