Nine-time GRAMMY® nominee and saxophonist extraordinaire Dave Koz will kick off his annual Christmas tour on November 25 - the day after Thanksgiving - with a return visit to Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota, FL, the first of six shows in Florida. Each year, Koz puts together a new, all-star lineup of artists for his holiday run,now celebrating its 19th anniversary. This year he will be joined by special guestsJonathan Butler, Ashford and Simpson's Valerie Simpson and Kenny Lattimore. Together, the four remarkable artists will put on a high-energy show filled with fresh renditions of holiday classics as well as other selections that capture the spirit of the season.

 

The 2016 holiday tour will include shows at the National Theatre in Washington, DC (December 3), New York City's Town Hall (December 6), the Chicago Theatre in Chicago, IL (December 11), the Plaza Theatre Performing Arts Center in El Paso, TX (December 13) and Koz's traditional two-night stand at Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts in Cerritos, CA (December 16 & 17). See below for itinerary. Tickets are available now at http://davekoz.com/tour/.

 

"By all rights, smooth jazz should own the holiday season, and the saxophonist Dave Koz is better positioned than anyone to make it so," said The New York Times in a review of his latest Christmas album, The 25th of December. The album, which features duets with top pop and jazz artists, spent eight consecutive weeks at No. 1 onBillboard's Current Contemporary Jazz Album chart. The 25th of December is available as a CD, download and on red vinyl at http://davekoz.com/shop/music/dave-koz-the-25th-of-december/.

 

"It's no wonder that some fans think of him as Santa Koz...When the curtain lifted Koz and his back-up band launched into 'Winter Wonderland,' rocking the song up and making it sound like something the Beatles would have put on one of their fan club Christmas albums in the '60s," raved AXS.com. The Indianapolis Star dubbed him "Mr. Christmas" and the Tampa Bay Weekly said, "Koz's high-energy shows have made him synonymous with the season."

 

Hallmark Channel's "Home & Family" invited Koz to join them for their 2016 Christmas in July celebration. View Dave's performance of "Please Come Home For Christmas" HERE.

 

The irrepressible Jonathan Butler, an "alumni" of the tour, has earned accolades in the R&B, contemporary jazz and gospel fields and recently released a new studio album entitled Free. Acclaimed vocalist Valerie Simpson co-wrote such classic hits such as, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "You're All I Need to Get By," "Reach Out and Touch Somebody's Hand" and "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" as half of the songwriting/performing/producing entity Ashford and Simpson. She recently released a new solo album, Dinosaurs Are Coming Back Again. GRAMMY-nominated singer/songwriter Kenny Lattimore - hailed by The New York Times as a "modern soul man" - has released seven solo albums, including his latest, Anatomy of a Love Song.

 

Dave Koz Christmas Tour 2016:

All dates are with Special Guests Jonathan Butler, Valerie Simpson and Kenny Lattimore

11/25 - Sarasota, FL @ Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall

11/26 - Miami, FL @ Knight Concert Hall at the Adrienne Arsht Center

11/27 - Naples, FL @ Hayes Hall

11/29 - Clearwater, FL @ Ruth Eckerd Hall

11/30 - Ft. Pierce, FL @ Sunrise Theatre

12/1 - Jacksonville, FL @ The Florida Theatre 

12/2 - Atlanta, GA @ Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre

12/3 - Washington, DC @ National Theatre

12/4 - Collingswood, NJ @ Scottish Rite Auditorium

12/6 - New York, NY @ Town Hall

12/7 - Warren, MI @ Andiamo's Celebrity Show Room

12/8 - Carmel, IN @ The Palladium

12/9 - Columbus, OH @ Palace Theatre

12/10 - Cleveland, OH @ Playhouse Square - State Theater

12/11 - Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre

12/13 - El Paso, TX @ Plaza Theatre Performing Arts Center

12/14 - Mesa, AZ @ Ikeda Theatre

12/15 - Tucson, AZ @ Fox Tucson Theater

12/16 - Cerritos, CA @ Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts

12/17 - Cerritos, CA @ Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts

12/18 - San Diego, CA @ Balboa Theatre

12/20 - Rohnert Park, CA @ Weill Hall at the Green Music Center - Sonoma University

12/21 - Modesto, CA @ Gallo Center for the Arts

12/22 - San Jose, CA @ City National Civic

 

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