Dave Koz brings Christmas show to Van Wezel in Sarasota

For smooth jazz fans, one of the greatest delights of the holiday season is Dave Koz' Christmas concert.

For the past 17 years the famed saxophonist has spent the weeks leading up to Christmas touring the country, each year with a different groups of guest artists.

He'll be at Sarasota's Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall on Friday.

The 2014 edition of the "Dave Koz and Friends Christmas Tour" features Christopher Cross. Cross caused a sensation in the early '80s with a string of huge hits, including "Sailing," "Ride Like the Wind" and "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" that helped him win five Grammy Awards in a single year.

Also among Koz' friends this time around is Maysa.

She's a smooth jazz vocalist who's had success as a solo artist and as a member of the British jazz-funk band Incognito. She was also one of Stevie Wonder's backing singers.

Also part of the lineup is Jonathan Butler, a respected singer whose work spans fusion, R&B and worship music.

But the star of the show will be Koz himself. Koz had a solid career as a session musician that included stints with jazz fusion great Jeff Lorber and soft-rock star Richard Marx. As a solo artist, he's had three songs that hit No. 1 on the jazz chart. The most recent is "Anything's Possible" in 2011.

Details: 8 p.m. Nov. 29, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Tickets: $55-$70. Information: 941-953-3368, vanwezel.org.

-- Marty Clear

This story was originally published November 27, 2014 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Dave Koz brings Christmas show to Van Wezel in Sarasota."