For saxophionist Dave Koz, “Dr. Norm” isn’t just a track from the jazz musician's latest album A New Day, it's the name of his Los Angeles cannabis-infused cookies company based on his late mother Audrey's recipe.
The percussive, brass-fueled funk song, featuring guitarist Paul Jackson Jr., is both an ode to Koz’s late father, Dr. Norman Koz, and a nod to the edibles company (also called Dr. Norm’s) created by Koz and his siblings Jeff and Roberta Koz Wilson to honor their parents.
“‘Dr. Norm’ is a loving tribute to my dad, who passed away in 1996," Koz tells CelebStoner. "During quarantine, I found myself going to my parents for comfort way more than I even thought possible. They’re not here physically, but their auras definitely are. I always think of what my dad would say in any given situation. He was a dermatologist and my mom was a pharmacist and a beloved baker. In their lives, they both personified the importance of family and friends, were always nurturing and devoted to their loved ones.”
"Dr. Norm" was written and produced by Koz with his longtime friend and collaborator Jeff Lorber. The album also features Brian McKnight, David Sanborn, Bob James, Vulfpack's Antwaun Stanley and Me’Shell Ndegeocello, who plays bass on a cover of The Beatles’ “Yesterday.”
Koz reports cookie sales have been booming during the pandemic. “People order them for comfort, to reduce pain and to help them feel better in these uncertain times," he says. “It’s helping people who are finding it hard to sleep with their anxieties.”
Each package contains 10 chocolate chip or peanut butter cookies (10 mg of THC per cookie). They also offer 1:1 THC-CBD ratio cookies as well as lower-dose cookies (5 mg), tinctures, gummies and a muscle cream.
Koz first started smoking pot in junior high school "when you bought a bag and had no idea what was in it,” he recalls.
About Dr. Norm's, he jokes:
“This is my third time coming out. Seventeen years ago, I came out as gay, then I stopped dying my hair and let it go gray and now I’m revealed as the owner of a cannabis company. That’s enough for one lifetime.”
Koz vapes or smokes the occasional flower to chill and relax. Every now and then a melody will creep into his head while stoned that he just has to record onto his iPhone. “It’s usually nothing when I wake up the next day," Koz smiles knowingly, "but sometimes inspiration will strike and it will turn out to be a song.”
Dave Koz's Greatest Hits
• "Castle of Dreams" (No. 13, Adult Contemporary, 1991)
• "You Make Me Smile" (No. 20, Adult Contemporary, 1993)
• At the Movies (No. 86, 2007)
• Summer Horns (No. 84, 2013)
