From Jeff Lorber to Richard Marx, General Hospital to Desperate Housewives, saxophonist Dave Koz has spent the last 38 years blowing all over the place in the ever-turbulent music biz. His latest album, Just Us, a series of duets with pianist Bob James, comes out March 7 on his own Just Koz Entertainment label. The duo brings an evening of music and stories to Jazz Alley on April 1.

He recently took questions from the SGN.

Andrew Hamlin: What are your favorite stories from playing Seattle before? What are your favorite things about the city?

Dave Koz: Always hope for an extra day off, so I can explore all the city has to offer. Probably my favorite thing is head down to Pike Place, to walk around and catch some amazing energy there. And a stop to Ivar's for some fried clams is a must!

AH: What music, growing up, made you want to make music — which artists, albums, songs, concerts, TV shows, etc.?

DK: My parents loved the crooners: Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Ella. So I was exposed early to great songwriters, amazing pieces of music, and wonderful, heartfelt singing!

My dad took me to my first concert: Earth, Wind & Fire at the LA Forum. Once I saw that horn section, all the lights and pyro and staging, I was hooked.

AH: Who were your most important music teachers, and what were their most important lessons for you?

DK: Probably most influential was my first band teacher in middle school, Mrs. Brown. I was 13 when I picked up the sax for the first time. I was a very shy and awkward kid, as most 13-year-olds are! But she inspired all of us to just relax, have fun with the music, and not take it all too seriously.

I gained a huge amount of confidence with her as my teacher, at a time when I really needed that. I could communicate through the saxophone many of the feelings I had inside that I couldn't find words for.

AH: When did you first figure out your sexuality, and how did you grapple with it over the years?

DK: I knew that I was "different" from a very early age. I had internalized a great deal of shame and guilt, and didn't know how to really process it, as there was no one to talk to back then. And then HIV/AIDS started appearing. So much fear and isolation.

Slowly but surely, however, I got more comfortable with who I was and started my "rolling coming out." First with family, then friends, then finally in 2004, publicly, coming out in The Advocate magazine. That was a huge step I honestly never thought I'd make. But the timing was right, and I faced that fear head-on. It was probably the single best thing I've ever done for myself.

AH: What were the most important factors in your coming out?

DK: It was lots of years of therapy, healing the inside of me that needed healing. Gaining confidence in who I am, and finally recognizing the strength inside that I didn't know I had.

Not that I felt a "responsibility" to come out, 'cuz I didn't. But I am so grateful now that I did — it was a way to say to the world, "Here I am, this is me, and I am OK with it." And everything improved after I did it.

AH: There's a widespread perception that Gay is not good in jazz. Your thoughts on this? Have things changed over time?

DK: Yeah, strangely you'd think jazz as an art form would be very welcoming of people of all stripes. I have had a very warm reception in my world. But truth is, I know very few LGBT+ people in jazz. Not sure why. Hopefully this is slowly changing with the next generation.

More information about the upcoming performance is at https://www.jazzalley.com/www-home/artist.jsp?shownum=7654.