Saxophonist Dave Koz is currently on his 12th annual Dave Koz & Friends: A Smooth Jazz Christmas Tour. What makes this year's tour especially special is that Koz has been able to reunite the original quintet that he started the tour with which includes: Rick Braun, David Benoit, Peter White and Brenda Russell.
Koz told Palm Springs' The Desert Sun, "I used different artists for several years. But all the while I was thinking, 'Wouldn't it be great to have a reunion of our original cast.' It just fell together for this year and I don't think it was any coincidence. I don't know one person that wasn't touched by the year we just had. But, we're all still here and that's a cause to celebrate and that's what we plan on doing."
Although it is a Christmas tour, Koz, who is Jewish, does perform a Hanukkah song. He was forced by his mother to make the song while creating his first holiday CD. He explained, "When I was making my first holiday CD, she said to me, 'Look, I support you. I would love for you to make this project. But you have to include at least one song from your heritage. Otherwise, you're not going to get my blessing.'"
Koz added, "She helped me do some research and Hanukkah songs just don't stack up against all this great Christmas music. So she said, 'Well, why don't you write something.' So, I went to the studio and wrote a song. I played it for her and she said, 'All right. Now you're talking.' It's a song called 'Eight Candles.' She used to love hearing that song."
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