Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts Welcomes Back Dave Koz and Friends Christmas Tour

From The Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts: Dave Koz and Friends Christmas Tour celebrates its 19th anniversary in a return visit to the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts (CCPA) with a festive holiday concert. Renowned saxophonist Dave Koz is joined by Jonathan Butler, Kenny Lattimore, and Ashford & Simpson’s Valerie Simpson for performances at 8:00 PM on Friday, December 16 and Saturday, December 17. Tickets, starting from $50, can be purchased at the CCPA Ticket Office, at cerritoscenter.com, or by calling (562) 467-8818.

A cherished holiday tradition, DAVE KOZ AND FRIENDS CHRISTMAS TOUR 2016 brings together a magical combination of musicians performing their hits and lively arrangements of seasonal favorites in an uplifting, high-energy show the whole family will enjoy.

Platinum-selling saxophonist-composer DAVE KOZ has sold millions of albums worldwide, including Lucky Man, and the holiday CDs Ultimate Christmas, December Makes Me Feel This Way, and A Smooth Jazz Christmas. The Seattle Times praised the six-time Grammy nominee, citing in particular Koz’s “clean, fluid sax lines, which have been heard on a variety of recordings, from U2’s R&B remix of When Love Comes to Town … to albums by Ray Charles, Natalie Cole, Richard Marx, Gladys Knight, and Donny Osmond.” Koz’s Saxophonic album was nominated for a Grammy and an “Image Award” from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Since 1994, Koz has hosted the popular syndicated radio program The Dave Koz Radio Show, which spotlights who’s who and the latest sounds in the Smooth Jazz genre.

Two-time Grammy nominee JONATHAN BUTLER has the “dynamic energy of a young James Brown, ripping off guitar licks with the creative ingenuity of a George Benson, singing with the style and communication of an Al Jarreau,” lauded the Los Angeles Times. The singer-guitarist busted racial barriers and stereotypes with his debut single, Lies, which was the first song by a black musician to be played on white radio stations in South Africa. The hit catapulted Butler into the international

CERRITOS CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

Dave Koz and Friends Christmas Tour 2016

With Special Guests Jonathan Butler, Kenny Lattimore,

and Ashford & Simpson’s Valerie Simpson

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limelight, and he followed with the Grammy-nominated instrumental Going Home and the ballad Sarah, Sarah, which confirmed his position in popular music. Butler’s collection of diverse albums includes Surrender, The Worship Project, Jonathan, Brand New Day, and So Strong.

Hailed by The New York Times as a “modern soul man,” Grammy nominee KENNY LATTIMORE is the man behind the Top 20 hits Never Too Busy and the romance classic For You. Nominated for the Soul Train Awards and Stellar Awards, Lattimore won the NAACP Image Award for Best New Artist. The Washington, D.C., native and former Howard University student counts Gospel and R&B/Pop icons Chaka Khan, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder among his idols.

As half of the songwriting duo Ashford and Simpson, VALERIE SIMPSON, along with her late husband Nick Ashford, penned classics such as Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, You’re All I Need to Get By, Reach Out and Touch Somebody’s Hand, I’m Every Woman, Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing, and Solid. Her recent solo album is Dinosaurs Are Coming Back Again.

For tickets or more information, call (562) 467-8818 or go to cerritoscenter.com.

Photo courtesy of Cherritos Center