What's Doing With Dave Koz? Christmas Carols and Cool Cruises!

It's that time of year again! Sax man Dave Koz is about to don his Santa cap and head out on his annual Dave Koz and Friends Christmas Tour. The jazzy holiday tour begins in Atlanta November 29, 2024 and runs through December 23 when it will wrap up in Modesto, CA. Accompanying Santa Koz on the tour will be guitarist and singer Jonathan Butler, saxophonist Vincent Ingala, guitarist Adam Hawley and singer Rebecca Jade who last year released an EP for the holidays called Just Another Christmas Album. Koz has a new seasonal release too, his eighth overall; it's the 25th anniversary edition of Dave Koz and Friends Christmas Ballads and fans attending the shows on this tour can expect to hear cuts from it like "Away in the Manger," "Silent Night," "Ave Maria," "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." The shows are structured to focus on holiday music including a set of Hanukkah tunes but also present non-holiday favorites from each artist. The Dave Koz and Friends Christmas Tour shows have long been a crowd-pleasing tradition; this year marks the 27th edition of the tour, making it the longest-running jazz-based Christmas tour ever. Here's the complete list of dates for the Dave Koz and Friends Christmas Tour:

11/29 - Atlanta, GA - Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
11/30 - Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall
12/1 - Sarasota, FL - Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
12/2 - Naples, FL - Hayes Hall Artis-Naples
12/3 - Jacksonville, FL - Florida Theatre
12/5 - North Bethesda, MD - The Music Center at Strathmore
12/6 - Newport News, VA - Ferguson Center for the Arts
12/7 - New Haven, CT - John Lyman Center for the Performing Arts
12/8 - Cleveland, OH - Connor Palace at Playhouse Square
12/11 - Warren, OH - Robins Theatre
12/12 - Chicago, IL - Auditorium Theatre
12/13 - Carmel, IN - The Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts
12/14 - Columbus, OH - Palace Theatre
12/15 - Detroit, MI - Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts
12/18 - Mesa, AZ - Mesa Arts Center - Ikeda Theater
12/19 - San Diego, CA - Balboa Theatre
12/20 - Cerritos, CA - Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts
12/21 - Cerritos, CA - Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts
12/22 - Palm Desert, CA - McCallum Theatre
12/23 - Modesto, CA - Gallo Center for the Arts

To purchase tickets for these shows go here. https://www.davekoz.com/tour

Koz has also been thrilling fans on the high seas with a series of music cruises for quite some time now. Earlier this year the Dave Koz and Friends at Sea cruises sailed in Europe, making stops in Greece, Malta and the Italian island of Sicily. Now Dave is offering an opportunity for fans to enjoy a cruise (or two) in 2025 in another part of Europe. The first of two back-to-back 2025 Dave Koz and Friends at Sea cruises will take place June 7-14, 2025 aboard Holland America's flagship and newest ship, the MS Rotterdam as she sails from Rotterdam in the Netherlands to Leirvik and Maloy in Norway and Husavik and Isafjordur in Iceland then ending in Reykjavik, Iceland. For those who really want to have a jazzy holiday at sea, the return voyage of the Dave Koz and Friends at Sea takes place June 14-21, 2024, sailing from Reykjavik to Rotterdam and stopping on the way at the same ports as on the first cruise.

As is always the case, Koz will have a stellar cast of musicians with him on the cruises. Scheduled to appear are guitarist Peter White, who spent 20-years in Al Stewart's band, keyboards player David Benoit, singers Erin Stevenson, Lindsey Webster, Haley Reinhart, Jenny Langer, Maysa and Rebecca Jade along with an all-star selection of fellow saxophonists including BK Jackson, Adrian Crutchfield, Eric Darius, Marcus Anderson, Mindi Abair, Michael Lington, Richard Elliot and Vincent Ingala. Also appearing will be Rick Braun, TMF (former members of Maze), Oli Silk, Mark Jaimes, Marcel Anderson, Kim Scott, Justin Hopkins, Jonathan Butler, DW3 and many others. DJ ReelSoul will keep the beats flowing and comedian Loni Love will bring the funny. A variety of special events and themed evenings will also take place, including "Cooking with Koz."

Cabins remain available for both Dave Koz and Friends at Sea cruises but they are going fast. Cabins may be purchased here.

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