CLEARWATER — Dave Koz & Friends Christmas Tour 2025 will make its seasonal stop in the Tampa Bay area for a performance on Saturday, Nov. 29, 8 p.m., at Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 McMullen Booth Road, Clearwater.
Tickets start at $55. Call 727-791-7400 or visit www.rutheckerdhall.com.
This year’s tour will feature South African guitarist/singer Jonathan Butler and a trio of special guests: powerhouse vocalist Haley Reinhart, multi-instrumentalist Casey Abrams and chart-topping pianist Kayla Waters.
Each year, Koz curates a new lineup, bringing fresh versions of Christmas classics, a Chanukah medley and hits from each artist’s catalog. Earlier this year, “Santa Koz” (as the nine-time Grammy nominee is often referred to this time of year) teamed up with an icon who was born on Christmas Day – Bob James – on “Just Us,” a one-of-a-kind album that is unlike anything either artist has ever recorded before. Raw and unplugged, with just the saxophone and piano, it was recorded primarily in James’ Michigan living room and contains both original songs and standards. Recognized as a milestone in both artists’ careers, “Just Us” claimed the No. 1 spot on the Luminate Current Contemporary Jazz Albums chart.
Koz has racked up an astoundingly impressive array of honors and achievements: nine Grammy nominations, 12 No. 1 albums on Billboard’s Current Contemporary Jazz Albums chart, numerous world tours, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, performances for multiple U.S. presidents and a 2023 Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award from President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. He has released eight holiday albums, including his most recent, “Christmas Ballads 25th Anniversary Collection.” In over 30 years of constant touring, Koz has graced the stages of some of the most prestigious venues the world over, including Royal Albert Hall in London, Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Carnegie Hall in New York City and various symphony orchestras across the country.