DAVE KOZ AND FRIENDS’ THE 25th OF DECEMBER IS NO. 1 ON BILLBOARD’S CURRENT CONTEMPORARY JAZZ ALBUMS CHART
Lead Single “All You Need Is Love” Enters Top 5 Of Billboard’s Smooth Jazz Songs Chart And Features Eric Benet, Johnny Mathis, Heather Headley, Richard Marx, Jonathan Butler, Maysa, BeBe Winans, Gloria Estefan and Stevie Wonder
Koz Performs On “Tavis Smiley” Tomorrow, November 14, And The “Home & Family” Thanksgiving Show On Hallmark Channel, Premiering On November 26
Dave Koz And Friends Christmas Tour 2014 - Featuring Special Guests Jonathan Butler, Christopher Cross And Maysa - Kicks Off On November 28 In Sarasota, FL And Includes December 7 Show At Best Buy Theater In New York City
For Immediate Release- November 13, 2014 - Dave Koz and Friends’ The 25th of December (Concord Records) is No. 1 on Billboard’s Current Contemporary Jazz Album chart, marking the GRAMMY®-nominated saxophonist’s seventh album to top the chart. “All You Need Is Love,” the album’s first single, has climbed into the Top 5 of the Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs chart. As noted in this chart story, Koz and Friends are the first artists to take this classic Beatles song into the Top 10 of any Billboard chart since the Fab Four’s Hot 100 run in 1967. The new all-star rendition features Koz along with Eric Benet, Johnny Mathis, Heather Headley, Richard Marx, Jonathan Butler, Maysa, BeBe Winans, Gloria Estefan and Stevie Wonder. You can view the lyric video for “All You Need Is Love” HERE and see The 25th of December album trailer HERE.
Koz will appear on “Tavis Smiley” tomorrow and perform two songs from The 25th of December: a solo version of “The First Noel” and a duet with Jonathan Butler on "O Holy Night." PBS will repeat the episode on Christmas Eve. Dave will also perform "The First Noel" on the “Home & Family” Thanksgiving show, premiering on the Hallmark Channel on November 26 and re-airing on December 1.
The 17th anniversary run of the Dave Koz and Friends Christmas tour will kick off on the day after Thanksgiving (November 28) at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota, FL, and include an evening at the Best Buy Theater in New York, NY (December 7), a return to The Plaza Theatre in El Paso on December 16 and Dave’s annual two-night stand at Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts in Cerritos, CA (December 19 & 20). See below for itinerary.
This year’s outing will feature Koz with three special guests: longtime friend and frequent tour mate Jonathan Butler, who has earned accolades in the R&B, contemporary jazz and gospel fields and is featured on The 25th of December, plus two artists who are new to the tour - GRAMMY-winning singer-songwriter Christopher Cross, known for such Top 10 hits as “Sailing,” “Ride Like the Wind” and “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do),” and Soul Train award winner/GRAMMY nominee Maysa, who has released 10 solo albums and collaborated with everyone from Stevie Wonder and Chaka Khan to Incognito and Angela Bofill. The uplifting, high energy show will feature the quartet’s fresh takes on holiday classics - including songs from The 25th of December - as well as other selections that beautifully capture the spirit of the season.
Dave Koz And Friends Christmas Tour 2014
All dates are with Special Guests Jonathan Butler, Christopher Cross and Maysa
11/28 Sarasota, FL Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
11/29 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall
11/30 West Palm Beach, FL Kravis Center - Dreyfoos Hall
12/1 Naples, FL Hayes Hall
12/3 Atlanta, GA Cobb Energy Centre
12/4 Newport News, VA Ferguson Center for the Arts Concert Hall
12/5 Morristown, NJ Mayo Center for the Performing Arts
12/6 New Haven, CT John Lyman Center
12/7 New York, NY Best Buy Theater
12/9 Bethesda, MD Strathmore
12/10 Greeneville, TN Niswonger Performing Arts Center
12/11 Columbus, OH Palace Theatre
12/12 Cleveland, OH Palace Theatre
12/13 Chicago, IL Chicago Theatre
12/14 Carmel, IN The Palladium
12/16 El Paso, TX The Plaza Theatre
12/17 Mesa, AZ Mesa Arts Center - Ikeda Theatre
12/18 Highland, CA San Manuel Casino
12/19 Cerritos, CA Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts
12/20 Cerritos, CA Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts
12/21 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre
12/22 Rohnert Park, CA Weill Hall at the Green Music Center - Sonoma University
12/23 San Diego, CA Balboa Theater