Koz & Friends Plan 'Smooth Summer' Tour

For the fourth year in a row, several contemporary jazz artists will join forces under the Dave Koz & Friends banner for the latest edition of the A Smooth Summer Night tour. Joining the saxophonist will be vocalist Jeffrey Osborne, guitarist Marc Antoine and multi-instrumentalist Praful.

Opening June 10 in Reading, Pa., the tour will take in 25 cities and close Aug. 21 in Hollywood. At deadline, 19 shows were confirmed, with more to be added.

In addition to hosting the morning drive shift on KTWV ("The Wave") Los Angeles and a weekly nationally syndicated smooth jazz radio show, Koz is in the midst of completing two albums. The first is a new Capitol set with producer Phil Ramone (Rod Stewart, Elton John) that will be the follow-up to 2003's "Saxophonic." The album bowed at No. 2 on Billboard's Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart, where it is No. 19 in its 76th week on the list.

The other disc will be Koz's second lullaby album, "Golden Slumbers II: A Father's Love." Due April 26, the set will be released through the independent label he co-founded, Rendezvous Entertainment.

Beyond the summer tour, Koz is also organizing the inaugural Dave Koz & Friends at Sea cruise. Sailing on Holland America Line m/s Oosterdam from San Diego to the Mexican Riviera, the trip will boast performances by Patti Austin, David Benoit, Chris Botti, Jonathan Butler, George Duke, Jeff Golub, Wayman Tisdale and Kirk Whalum, as well as Antoine, Osborne and Praful. More information can be found at DaveKozCruise.com

Here are the A Smooth Summer Night tour dates:

June 10: Reading, Pa. (Reading Eagle Theater)
June 11: Winona, Ontario (E.D. Smith Farms)
June 12: Westbury, N.Y. (Westbury Music Fair)
June 16: Albuquerque, N.M. (Sandia Amphitheatre)
June 17: Denver (Paramount Theatre)
June 24: Richmond, Va. (Kanawha Plaza)
June 25: Charleston, W.Va. (University of Charleston
June 26: Charlotte, N.C. (NC Blumenthal Performing Arts Center)
July 13: Atlanta (Chastain Park Amphitheatre)
July 15-16: Chicago (Navy Pier Skyline Stage)
July 20: Cleveland (Palace Theater)
July 21: Kettering, Ohio (Fraze Pavilion for the Performing Arts)
July 22: St. Louis (Orpheum Theatre)
July 23: Apple Valley, Minn. (Music in the Zoo)
July 30: Oakville, Calif. (Robert Mondavi Summer Festival)
July 31: Saratoga, Calif. (Montaivo Center for the Arts)
Aug. 19: San Diego (Humphrey's by the Bay)
Aug. 20: Concord, Calif. (Chronicle Pavilion)
Aug. 21: Hollywood, Calif. (Hollywood Bowl)

[billboard.com]