Celebrated North Cowichan saxophonist Wayne Kozak honed his chops in Vancouver’s thriving jazz venues in the early ’70s, including the iconic Cellar, opening for the likes of Ornette Coleman and Herbie Hancock.
Kozak ended up landing a regular gig at the Cellar, opening for a host of touring jazz stars who played there when they toured the West Coast. He went on to become a mainstay of the Canadian jazz scene as a founding member of Cobra, one of Canada’s first fusion jazz groups.
Kozak, with bassist John Wade and drummer Peter Gillespie, will showcase his chops at Pat’s House of Jazz in Crofton’s Osborne Bay Pub on Sunday, May 12, when he plans to explore classic tenor sax trio tunes from such jazz greats as Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, Branford Marsalis and others.
Kozak, perhaps best known as the tenor man for the legendary Powder Blues Band, became a sought-after session musician and performer who worked with such stars such as Tina Turner, Tom Jones, Bryan Adams, Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, Loverboy and Randy Bachman.
He has also played with such West Coast luminaries as P.J. Perry, Bob Murphy, Ron Johnston, Don Clark, Oliver Gannon, Rene Worst and Pat Coleman.
Sunday’s performance, presented by the Chemainus Valley Cultural Arts Society as part of its weekly jazz series, begins at 2 p.m. Reservations are recommended.
Admission is $15. For reservations, call 250-324-2245.