Dave Koz, honored with the 2023 Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, was born and raised in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley. His initial interest in the saxophone stemmed from a desire to join his older brother’s band, but what started as a mere strategy evolved into a profound passion. After graduating from UCLA with a degree in mass communications, Koz chose to pursue a career in music. This decision quickly led to him joining Bobby Caldwell’s band, known for the hit “What You Won’t Do For Love.” During this period, Koz developed a close friendship with keyboardist Jeff Lorber, which led to a touring opportunity with Lorber and, subsequently, a 14-month tour with pop singer Richard Marx.

In 1987, Koz was signed to Capitol Records by Bruce Lundvall, and his self-titled debut album was released in the fall of 1990. This marked the beginning of a prolific career filled with best-selling albums, including the Gold-certified Lucky Man (1993), Off the Beaten Path (1996), and holiday-themed albums such as December Makes Me Feel This Way (1997) and Dave Koz & Friends: A Smooth Jazz Christmas (2001). His Gold-certified fifth album, The Dance (1999), produced five Top 5 contemporary jazz hits, and Saxophonic (2003) followed with four more Top 5 singles and two GRAMMY® nominations.

Koz’s 2007 releases included At the Movies, a collection of timeless cinematic melodies that spent 12 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Contemporary Jazz chart and was nominated for a GRAMMY® Award. His festive album Memories of a Winter’s Night also reached No. 1 on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz chart. The following year, he released Dave Koz at the Movies Double Feature CD + DVD, which included bonus tracks and a new DVD with track-by-track commentary. Koz’s television appearances include roles as a band member on “The Arsenio Hall Show,” band leader on “Emeril Live,” and host of PBS’s “Frequency.”

In 2008, Dave Koz: Greatest Hits debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart and iTunes’ Jazz Album chart, featuring hit singles and four new tracks. The lead single, “Life in the Fast Lane,” co-written with Darren Rahn, topped the R&R Monitored Smooth Jazz chart for seven weeks. The album also included the Top 5 hit “Bada Bing.”

His 2010 album Hello Tomorrow, released under Concord Records, debuted at No. 1 on both Billboard’s Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart and iTunes’ Jazz Albums chart. It was named Best Smooth Jazz Album of 2010 by iTunes and earned a GRAMMY® nomination. The lead single, “Put the Top Down,” spent 18 weeks at No. 1 on the Mediabase Smooth A/C chart, marking the longest No. 1 run of any of Koz’s hits. In 2011, Ultimate Christmas featured 18 holiday classics and was followed by Live at the Blue Note Tokyo in 2012, which received a GRAMMY® nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Album.

In 2013, Koz, alongside Gerald Albright, Richard Elliot, and Mindi Abair, released Summer Horns, an album celebrating the vibrant horn sections of the '60s and '70s. It featured various guest artists and earned GRAMMY® and NAACP Image Awards nominations. His 2014 holiday album, The 25th of December, topped Billboard’s Current Contemporary Jazz Albums chart and featured collaborations with prominent artists such as India.Arie and Stevie Wonder.

The 2019 holiday album Gifts of the Season brought a fresh, soul/funk/pop twist to Christmas classics, including Koz’s original composition “A Prayer for Peace.” During the COVID-19 pandemic, Koz recorded A New Day (2020), his 20th album, which reached No. 1 on several jazz charts and produced four consecutive No. 1 hits on Billboard’s Smooth Jazz Airplay chart. This was followed by The Golden Hour (2021), his first full-length collaboration with Cory Wong.

With live venues closed, Koz adapted by hosting virtual concerts, including a special livestream event for the 23rd Annual Dave Koz & Friends Christmas Tour. He resumed live performances in 2021 with his summer and holiday tours and celebrated the 25th anniversary of his Christmas tour in 2022 with the release of Christmas Ballads. In 2024, Koz is set to perform at “Opening Night at the Bowl: Henry Mancini 100th Celebration” and launch the 27th Annual Dave Koz & Friends Christmas tour.

Koz’s cruise ventures have also been notable, with sold-out cruises to destinations such as Amsterdam, Spain, Morocco, and Greece. In 2024, he will debut a new luxury cruise brand, SOMMA, with its inaugural voyage along the Italian coast. Additionally, in March 2024, he released the EP Dave Koz Does Disney, featuring modern renditions of Disney classics.

A recipient of the 2023 Starlight Children’s Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, Koz has served as a global ambassador for the foundation for 30 years, raising over two million dollars through the Dave Koz & Friends At Sea cruise silent auction. His collaborations span a wide range of artists, and he hosts two radio programs: The Dave Koz Radio Show and The Dave Koz Lounge on SiriusXM Watercolors. Koz has also served on the GRAMMY® Foundation Artists Committee and as a National Trustee for NARAS. In 2024, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from the Christian Bible Institute for his humanitarian efforts.

Throughout his career, Koz has performed at prestigious venues like Royal Albert Hall, Kennedy Center, and Carnegie Hall, and he regularly headlines The Hollywood Bowl. Reflecting on his career, Koz notes, “Music has been such a blessing to me, and we need it more than ever today.”

Website: www.davekoz.com