slgckgc · CC BY 2.0

Koz built a career in smooth jazz starting with his 1990 solo debut, earning nine Grammy nominations and a Soul Train Music Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Artist, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2009. Beyond performing, he has hosted a syndicated radio show since 1994, founded the Rendezvous Entertainment label, and opened a Beverly Hills restaurant and music venue named for one of his albums — building an entire ecosystem around a genre often dismissed by critics but sustained by a loyal audience.