Steve Cole, Kim Waters, And Jeff Kashiwa Perform As Sax Pack At Berks Jazz Fest

Saxophonists Steve Cole, Kim Waters, and Jeff Kashiwa take the stage at the 17th Annual Berks Jazz Fest in Reading, Pennsylvania this Saturday (March 24th), as the Sax Pack supergroup. In addition to their own tracks, the Sax Pack performs some new original compositions every show, which are written during an annual week together that they call the "Sax Pack Summit." The Sax Pack plays about 20 dates together every year.

"We see ourselves as a group whose sound has really developed along with our unique onstage rapport with each other," Cole told Smooth Jazz News. "Each one of the past three years before touring season begins, we pick a city and convene in our hotel rooms to not only work on a set list, but set up a mini recording studio to write fresh material that our fans can't hear anywhere else. Kim brings his keyboard, Jeff his computer and speakers, and I bring another computer and we go to work."

Kashiwa said that that Cole and Waters were his first choices for the project: "I had my A-list and they were at the top of it, for a number of reasons. First of all Kim Waters and Steve Cole are great players, great musicians, with great music, they have great songs on their CDs. But also they're great guys and they've been friends for years. And I thought, this is great way to spend some time, with some friends."

Cole's latest album, True, features all original compositions by the Chicago-based artist, as well as guest appearances by saxophonist David Mann, guitarist Jeff Golub, keyboardist Ricky Peterson, and percussionist Lenny Castro. It includes the singles "Metro" and "Take Me."


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