News
Tour Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 7, 2012
DAVE KOZ AND FRIENDS ANNOUNCES ITS 15TH ANNIVERSARY CHRISTMAS TOUR FEATURING SPECIAL GUESTS DAVID BENOIT, JAVIER COLON AND SHEILA E. AND INTRODUCING MARGO REY
Dave Koz and Friends Christmas Tour, a high-energy holiday tradition celebrating its 15th anniversary, will kick off its 2012 edition on November 23rd in Sarasota, FL with a return engagement at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. The tour is one of the longest-running Christmas tours.
Led by seven-time GRAMMY® nominee and saxophonist extraordinaire Dave Koz, this year’s run is featuring special guests GRAMMY-nominated pianist/composer David Benoit, who appeared in the original 1997 line-up and was instrumental in the tour’s creation; Javier Colon, who sang on Koz’s Saxophonic album and was the winner of the inaugural season of NBC’s hit television show, “The Voice,” and the inimitable drummer/percussionist/vocalist Sheila E. (Prince, Cyndi Lauper. Ringo Starr), who makes her debut in the Christmas lineup after appearances on previous Dave Koz & Friends summer tours, and introducing singer/songwriter Margo Rey. See below for itinerary.
Together the quintet will perform hits from their respective catalogues and jam on fresh, fun arrangements of seasonal favorites. As always, there will be surprises, but Koz hints that the production will take things to a new level and will include a special medley of “Peanuts” holiday music inspired by Benoit, who has paid tribute to Vince Guaraldi’s timeless music with several “Peanuts” themed albums.
Dave’s summer tour, featuring inspirational/R&B/gospel icon BeBe Winans as special guest, elicited stellar reviews. The New York Times observed: “He’s a musician of unflappable rhythmic aplomb, which he happily squares against the airtight funk of his band. And he’s a frolicsome performer, given to hip swivels and bowlegged squats, along with a constant rotation of tenor, alto and soprano saxophones.”
“Koz, of course, has become a concert staple in this town,” said the El Paso Times, noting that he has sold out nine shows in the area in recent years. “One reason Koz keeps drawing crowds here is that he never does the same show twice.” Dave Koz and Friends Christmas Tour comes to El Paso’s Plaza Theatre Performing Arts Center on December 13th.
Hello Tomorrow (Concord Records), Koz’s latest album, was nominated for a GRAMMY award for Best Pop Instrumental Album and was named the “Best Smooth Jazz Album of 2010” by iTunes and “Best Contemporary Jazz Album” at the 2011 Soul Train Awards. Produced by Marcus Miller and John Burk, Hello Tomorrow debuted at No. 1 on both Billboard’s Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart and iTunes’ Jazz Album chart. Dave has released 12 albums in the past 20 years, including four Christmas collections.
“I think the Christmas season gives us all a chance to go back in time, it’s so nostalgic—and music plays such a big role in bringing out that feeling,” says Koz. “It never ceases to blow me away, how much people love holiday songs—as evidenced by our 15th anniversary of this tour! This year especially, we’ll try to fit in as many favorites as possible and add our own unique touches along the way.”
Dave Koz And Friends Christmas Tour 2012
Unless noted with *, all dates are with special guests David Benoit, Javier Colon and Sheila E. and introducing Margo Rey
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11/23 Sarasota, FL
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11/24 Clearwater, FL
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11/25 West Palm Beach, FL
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11/27 Melbourne, FL
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11/28 Naples, FL
11/30 Atlanta, GA 12/1 Durham, NC
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12/3 N. Bethesda, MD
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12/4 Newport News, VA
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12/5 Morristown, NJ
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12/6 Cleveland, OH
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12/7 Columbus, OH
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12/8 Chicago, OH
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12/10 Denver, CO
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12/11 Colorado Springs, CO
*12/12 Ft. Worth, TX *12/13 El Paso, TX
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12/14 Santa Rosa, CA
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12/15 Rancho Mirage, CA
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12/16 Los Angeles, CA
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12/18 Las Vegas, NV
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12/19 Mesa, AZ
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12/20 Santa Barbara, CA
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12/21 Cerritos, CA
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12/22 Cerritos, CA
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12/23 San Francisco, CA
Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
Ruth Eckerd Hall
Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Arts King Center of the Performing Arts Philharmonic Center for the Arts
Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center
The Carolina Theatre of Durham
The Music Center at Strathmore Ferguson Center for the Arts Concert Hall Mayo Center for the Performing Arts Playhouse Square – Palace Theatre Palace Theatre
Chicago Theatre
Paramount Theatre
Pikes Peak Center
Bass Performance Hall
Plaza Theatre Performing Arts Center Wells Fargo Center for the Arts
Agua Caliente Casino Resort and Spa Nokia Theatre L.A. Live
The Smith Center for the Performing Arts Mesa Arts Center – Ikeda Theatre Granada Theatre
Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts Warfield Theatre
* Sheila E. does not appear on these two dates. Artists and dates subject to change.
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