PlayhouseSquare Welcomes Dave Koz, 12/4

PlayhouseSquare's holiday season is never "official" without the annual visit from Dave Koz, his friends and A Smooth Jazz Christmas 2011! December 4th at 7:30 pm, in PlayhouseSquare's Palace Theatre, saxman extraordinaire Koz will be joined by fellow smooth jazz artists: Rick Braun (trumpet), Jonathan Butler (singer/songwriter/guitarist) and Candy Dulfer (alto sax). This talent-times-four is set to entertain with a catalog of their individual hits, plus songs of the season (and maybe a few surprise musical collaborations!).

With a career spanning 20 years and a dozen albums, Koz has established himself as one of the most prominent figures in contemporary music. But for as noteworthy as his body of recorded work and as entertaining his live performances and other past accomplishments might be, Koz finds himself in an era of dramatic and sweeping change.

But he embraces this era of change - and even the uncertainty that comes with it, noting, "I'm excited to be with a new record label after nearly 20 years, but it's reflective of a larger change for me personally, and there's always some apprehension that comes with big changes. The more people I talk to, the more I realize there are millions of people with a similar story - the loss of a job in an economic downturn, the end of a marriage, the beginning of a new career, any circumstances that force them to take a step in a different direction or reinvent themselves in some way. They're reaching a certain point where they see a life ahead of them that they never expected. Many of us are at the beginning of a new era, and we'd be wise to embrace it."

Music - and more specifically, the saxophone - was Koz's primary survival tool since his childhood in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley. He started playing as a means to land a spot in his brother's band, but along the way, "the saxophone became my best friend, my most trusted ally, because it enabled me to communicate feelings that I didn't have the words for. In many ways, it saved my life."

After earning a mass communications degree from UCLA, Koz took the leap into a career as a professional musician - a decision that immediately led to touring gigs with Bobby Caldwell, Jeff Lorber and Richard Marx. His self-titled Capitol Records solo debut in 1990 was only the first of many hit albums to follow.

In addition to compiling an ambitious discography over the past two decades and earning several Grammy nominations, Koz continues to flex his mass-communications muscles as a radio personality in two different outlets. On weekdays, he hosts an afternoon radio program (nationally distributed on the Smooth Jazz Radio Network), and weekends, he hosts the syndicated Dave Koz Radio Show - now in its 16th year - in approximately 120 markets.

Koz also keeps a hand in various other entrepreneurial and philanthropic ventures. He is the founder of Rendezvous Records, and has served 18 years as global ambassador for the Starlight Children's Foundation - dedicated to improving the quality of life for children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses/life-altering injuries. His partnership with Vinum Cellars boutique winery and Whole Foods Market has produced three types of KOZ wines, with all proceeds going directly to the Starlight Foundation.

Koz completed a four-year term on the Grammy Foundation Artists Committee, has served as national trustee for the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS), and is an ongoing member of the Board of Governors for the Grammy Foundation.

Dave Koz and his Smooth Jazz Christmas concerts, have become favorites of Northeast Ohioans, with tickets always a hot commodity. This year's prices for the Dec. 4th 7:30 pm concert are $65, $50, $35 & $10 Smart Seats, available at The PlayhouseSquare Ticket Office; playhousesquare.org or 216-341-6000.