DAVE KOZ AND FRIENDS CHRISTMAS TOUR 2013 to Visit PlayhouseSquare, Today

Eight-time GRAMMY nominee Dave Koz always celebrates the holidays in a big way, entertaining thousands of his closest friends in a jaunt that takes him from coast to coast. In what has become an annual holiday PlayhouseSquare visit, Dave Koz and Friends Christmas Tour 2013 performs December 6 at 7:30 pm in the Palace Theatre. Tickets are on sale now at playhousesquare.org, 216-241-6000 or the PlayhouseSquare Ticket Office, priced at $65, $50, $35 & $10 Smart Seats.

Fresh off the sold-out Dave Koz and Friends at Sea Mediterranean cruise and a show at London's Cadogan Hall, Dave now celebrating his holiday tour's 16th anniversary, featuring: renowned singer Oleta Adams (who first came to prominence when Tears for Fears asked her to appear on their The Seeds of Love album and who has released eight acclaimed CDs of her own, crossing effortlessly between R&B, jazz, popular and gospel music); Jonathan Butler (the first black artist played on white stations in his native South Africa and who has since earned accolades in the R&B, contemporary jazz and gospel fields); and Japanese-born pianist/composer/producer Keiko Matsui (who has shared the stage with everyone from Stevie Wonder to MiLes Davis).

Year after year, fans return for an uplifting, high-energy show that offers fresh, unexpected takes on seasonal favorites and hits from each of the artist's careers.

"Dave Koz = Christmas," said the El Paso Times. "As anyone who has seen more than one of Koz's shows can attest, there's a different energy each time he performs because he shares the stage with a rotating cast of characters." "Not only did [Koz and Friends]...revamp the tinsel and garland mainstays, they offered an array of non-holiday tunes that beautifully captured the spirit of the season," noted the Dallas Morning Newsin a review of last year's show. "Though the cast changes every year, the warm feeling remains the same," observed the Palm Beach Post.

"I Got You (I Feel Good)," the brand new single from Dave Koz and Friends Summer Horns (Concord Records), goes to radio this week. The San Jose Mercury News called Koz and Friends' rendition of the JAmes Brown classic "a funk-filled fun fest" in a review of the album, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Current Contemporary Jazz Albums chart in June 2013, marking the renowned saxophonist's seventh No. 1 album. It spent five weeks atop the chart and is still in the Top 10.

Fellow saxophone players Gerald Albright, Richard Elliot and Mindi Abair joined Dave on Summer Horns, which pays tribute to the great horn sections that fueled hits by such artists as JAmes Brown, Earth Wind & Fire, Chicago, Tower Of Power, Blood, Sweat & Tears and Sly & The Family Stone. "Got To Get You Into My Life," the collection's first single, spent seven weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Smooth Jazz chart and was recently nominated for a Soul Train Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Performance.

For the past 19 years, Koz has served as global ambassador for the Starlight Children's Foundation, an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses and life-altering injuries. Dave's KOZ Wines has partnered withCalifornia Pizza Kitchen (http://www.cpk.com) to offer restaurant guests a chance to raise a glass and make a difference. For a limited time,KOZ Wines will donate a portion of the proceeds from the sale of its delicious Pinot Noir and White Wine Blend at participating California Pizza Kitchen locations nationwide to Starlight Children's Foundation (www.starlight.org.).

For more about Dave, visit www.davekoz.com or find him on Twitter: @davekozmusic and Facebook.com/davekozmusic.