Dave Koz Tours for Xmas, Plans New Record

On the heels of his Smooth Summer Night Tour, saxophonist Dave Koz announces the eighth annual Smooth Jazz Christmas Tour, with guitarist Norman Brown, keyboardist Brian Culbertson and vocalist Brenda Russell. The 21-city tour begins in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. on November 26 (the day after Thanksgiving) and concludes on December 22 in Long Beach, Calif. Tour dates:

11/26 • Ft. Lauderdale, FL • Broward Center For the Performing

Arts

11/27 • Melbourne, FL • Maxwell C. King Center For Performing Arts

11/29 • Naples, FL • Philharmonic Center For The Arts

11/30 • Clearwater, FL • Ruth Eckerd Hall

12/1 • New Orleans, LA • Orpheum Theatre

12/2 • Washington, DC • DAR Constitution Hall

12/3 • Baltimore, MD • Lyric Opera House

12/4 • Philadelphia, PA • Tower Theatre

12/5 • Tom Rivers, NJ • The Ritacco Center

12/8 • San Antonio, TX • Majestic Theatre

12/9 • Palm Springs, CA • McCallum Theatre

12/10 • San Francisco, CA • Nob Hill Masonic Center

12/11 • Los Angeles, CA • Kodak Theatre

12/12 • Dallas, TX • Nokia Theatre

12/14 • Cleveland, OH • Playhouse Square Center

12/15 • Cincinnati, OH • Taft Theatre

12/16 • Detroit, MI • Detroit Opera House

12/17, 18 • Chicago, IL • Chicago Theatre

12/19 • Columbus, OH • Palace Theatre

12/21 • San Diego, CA • Symphony Hall

12/22 • Long Beach, CA • Long Beach Terrace Theatre

Capitol Records, Koz’s longtime label, released the tune “Let It Free” to radio on September 13. “Let It Free” is the third single from Saxophonic, Koz’s current album. Both “Honey-Dipped” and “All I See Is You,” the two previous singles, had lengthy runs atop the smooth jazz radio chart. “Honey-Dipped” spent eight weeks at number one, while “All I See Is You” was number one for 10 consecutive weeks.

Koz, who hosts a morning radio show on the Wave, 94.7-FM in Los Angeles and a nationally syndicated weekly smooth jazz radio show, is currently working on Golden Slumbers II: A Father’s Love, the follow-up to 2002’s Grammy-nominated Golden Slumbers, which was the first release from Rendezvous Entertainment, an independent label Koz co-founded.

Koz recently joined a host of smooth jazz stars paying tribute to legendary R&B vocalist Luther Vandross on Forever, for Always, for Luther. The album, released last month, will raise funds for diabetes care and research. (Vandross guested on Koz’s 1999 release, The Dance, which spent more than 100 weeks on Billboard‘s Contemporary Jazz chart.)

Originally Published September 21, 2004