By ERIC SCHELKOPF
For the second year in a row, singer-songwriter Rebecca Jade will be ushering in the holiday season with jazz saxophonist Dave Koz.
Jade will be part of his 25th anniversary Christmas tour alongside fellow musicians Rick Braun, Peter White and Keiko Matsui. The tour will make a stop Thursday at The Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State St., Chicago.
The show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets are available through Ticketmaster.
I had the chance to talk to Jade about the upcoming show and hew newly released album, “A Shade of Jade.”
Q – I know that last year you were on the Christmas tour with Dave Koz. You must have liked being part of the tour.
Any chance that I get to work with Dave and whoever he has lined up is always wonderful. When he invited me to come back, I was very flattered and grateful.
Myself and Jonathan Butler are the only two vocalists he’s had back-to-back on this tour, so I take that as a very big compliment.
Q – Is there a favorite Christmas song that you like performing?
I’m not really doing anything that I did last year. They’re all kind of new songs.
One song that Dave asked me to learn was the song “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm.” That’s a song I actually had never sung.
I thought this was a really cool opportunity for me to lean a band new song that is so beautiful. It is on one of his Christmas albums that featured India Arie.
So I’m grateful to be singing it.
Q – And of course, your latest album, “A Shade of Jade,” came out in October. It seems like it’s getting a lot of play and I know the video for the song “What’s It Gonna Be” has 128,000 views on YouTube to date.
The video has a basketball theme. A lot of people might not know about your background.
The fact that you received two awards – “Best Music Video” and “Best R&B/Funk/Soul Song” – for the song at this year’s San Diego Music Awards must make you feel pretty good.
Absolutely. I’m very grateful. I wanted to pay homage to the athlete side of my being. That is why we we did the basketball themed video.
I felt like the song could be an empowering kind of song. I like songs that are encouraging.
Q – Following the car/pedestrian accident you were in, you had to give up your dream of being a professional basketball player and you literally changed gears as far what you were going to do with your life. The song seems to reflect what you went through.
Yeah, it’s for me, definitely. Also, I wrote this song before the pandemic, but a lot of people dealt with some tough times during the pandemic.
Without even of course knowing the pandemic was going to happen, the song is geared toward people who have just dealt with tough times and yeah, including myself. We endure, we go through tough times but we can get through the other side.
I truly believe that.
Q – During your career, you’ve performed with a lot of notable people, including Shelia E. and Sir Elton John. What did you gain from those experiences? Did they give you any advice?
Performing with Elton John was a one time thing. It was an amazing experience performing at the Oscars.
The experience itself was incredible. I toured with Shelia E. pretty regularly for four years was amazing.
I just learned from watching and just seeing how she maneuvered and how she was on stage.
I tried to take as much of that and kind of make it my own.
Q – I understand that your mom was a professional jazz singer. Does your love of jazz music come from her?
Definitely. Growing up, my mom was a jazz singer and she still sings in choirs and at church now.
When I was really young, she definitely exposed me to a lot of great music, particularly jazz. But she also listened to Patti LaBelle and Barbra Streisand.
We also listened to a lot of Latin music. I was partly raised in Puerto Rico.
Stevie Wonder was also big in the house along with Ella Fitzgerald. I was really exposed to lots of wonderful music.
She didn’t force me into it. I kind of just got into the business by chance, maybe because I was exposed to music at a young age.
Her and my husband are my number one fans.
Q – Do you have any dream collaborations?
Living legend Stevie Wonder would be a dream for me, if I could go as big as I want to.
Q – Why would you want to work with him?
Because his music to me is so eclectic and I know so many of his songs. He’s an incredible songwriter and musician.
His music is fascinating and interesting and timeless. And he has a catalog that is incredible.
I would love to just be in the room with his genius and see if soak up any of it. I would love to have that kind of a career where I can create some music that is hopefully everlasting.
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