Be swept away by the sounds of the season with “Dave Koz & Friends — A Smooth Jazz Christmas,” presented by the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts Dec. 6 at 7 p.m.
Saxophonist and six-time Grammy Award nominee Dave Koz is joined by vocalist Brenda Russell, David Benoit on piano, Rick Braun on trumpet, and Peter White on guitar. They will perform holiday music as well as selections from an album the group recorded in 2001, “A Smooth Jazz Christmas by Dave Koz & Friends.”

This year’s performance is a reunion of the original tour, which ran from 1997-2007.
“We are all excited. We are all great friends and know each other extremely well,” Koz said. “We have five artists really at the top of their game, creating a holiday show that isn’t only holiday music, but also hits from the past, while also involving the audience.”

Each artist will perform one or two solo performances along with multiple group sets.
The performance, which lasts about two hours including intermission, will be performed 22 times in 21 cities in about 27 days.

“There is a lot of audience participation during the show and it’s a very fun. Interactive and high energy performance,” Koz said. “We really go above and beyond, in any way that we can, to make sure people walk out of there in a much better mood than when they walked in.”

Koz’s career spans nearly two decades. In that time he has established himself as a platinum-selling artist, humanitarian, entrepreneur, radio host and instrumental music advocate.

Koz began playing the saxophone when he was 13 and going through what he refers to as his awkward stage. He was filled with many emotions that he did not know how to express with words, and the saxophone allowed him to communicate those feelings, he said.

“Music is my lifeline and it’s like air to me in a lot of ways,” Koz said. “It’s something that I grew up with and when I found the saxophone, it was like finding another part of my body. The saxophone is really my connection to something that is bigger than me.”

The performance is at the Palace Theatre and tickets start at $27.50. They can be purchased at the Ohio Theatre Ticket Office, Ticketmaster outlets, www.ticketmaster.com or at the Palace Theatre Ticket Office, which opens two hours prior to the show.