Jazz Buzz

HOLIDAY CONCERTS CRISSCROSS THE COUNTRY SPREADING COMFORT AND JOY

By Melanie Maxwell

The stars of A Peter White Christmas and the Dave Koz & Friends Gifts of Season Christmas had already hit the road before Thanksgiving leftovers disappeared from the fridge, “Jingle-belling” down the highway on tour buses spreading seasonal musical joy.

DAVE KOZ & FRIENDS Gifts of the Season

oz tapped his buddy Jonathan Butler, South African guitarist-vocalist, to join the ensemble again this year. And, he added GRAMMY-winning singer Melissa K CRISTMAS TOUR

Manchester, saxophonist Michael Lington and vocalistmusician Chris Walker to the lineup.

The band for this 22nd annual tour, which started on Nov. 29 in Florida and ends Dec. 23 in California, features keyboardist Brian Simpson, guitarist Randy Jacobs, drummer Jay Williams, and bassist Nathaniel Kearney Jr. Timed perfectly with this tour, new holiday CDs released by Koz (Gifts of the Season), Butler (Christmas Together) and Lington (A Foreign Affair Christmas) will be available for sale at the shows. For tickets or more information on the Dave Koz & Friends Gifts of the Season Christmas tour, visit www.davekoz.com.

Photo: Lena Ringstad Michael Lington Melissa Manchester Chris Walker

Photo: Raj Naik

Jonathan Butler

Photo: Antonio Dixon

Dave Koz

A PETER WHITE Christmas

or those dreaming of a Peter White Christmas, the popular guitarist has a new ensemble for his annual tradition with saxophonist Euge Groove, vocalist Lindsey Webster and F

multi-instrumentalist Vincent Ingala.

The 23-date tour, which started on Nov. 29 in Texas and ends Dec. 22 in California, features a band comprising Nate Phillips on bass, Stevo Theard on drums, and Keith Slattery on keyboards. Although White doesn’t have a new holiday CD to sell at his shows, he did just release an album of boarding and landing music for STARLUX Airlines, a luxury Taiwan-based airline scheduled to launch in January. The album, titled “Music for STARLUX Airlines,” features six songs, all of which exceed seven minutes in length, totaling more than 44 minutes of all new music. “The songs were written for

STARLUX airline passengers to enjoy, but they turned out so well they became a CD,” White enthused. Will he perform any of this new music on the Christmas tour? I guess we’ll have to wait and see. For tickets and more information on A Peter White Christmas tour, visit www.peterwhite.com.

Photo: Lori Stoll

Lindsey Webster, Vincent Ingala, Peter White and Euge Groove THE COLORS of Christmas XXVII lthough there won’t be A Peter White Christmas at the A

Balboa Theatre in San Diego this year, Peabo Bryson will bring The Colors of Christmas XXVII to that historic Gaslamp Quarter District venue on Dec. 15.

This year’s show features GRAMMY-nominated vocalist Oleta Adams, Tony Award-winning actor- Peabo Bryson dancer-singer Ben Vereen, and GRAMMY-winning singer Jody Watley. For tickets or more information on The Colors of Christmas, scheduled for Dec. 15, at the Balboa Theatre, 868 4th Ave., San Diego, California, visit www.sdbalboa.org or call 619-570-1100.

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f you’re still thinking about spending the final days of 2019 at Rick Braun’s New Year’s Eve Getaway, but haven’t bought your tickets yet, you’ll have to plan your cork-popping celebration elsewhere.

For the fifth year in a row, the trumpeter’s annual gala at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort in Tucson, Arizona, has sold-out. For those who planned ahead, their Getaway starts on Dec. 30 with a celebrity golf tournament, followed by a “Start the Party Early” concert featuring Mindi Abair. The main event on Dec. 31 begins with a reception, entertainment and silent auction (which, along with other activities, raises money for autism charities and, also this year, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). To make charitable giving more convenient, Braun and his business partner Sandy Riser have implemented software for the silent auction that allows patrons to monitor and bid on their desired items from their phone. During dinner, guitarist Nick Colionne kicks off the musical performances of this “Starry, Starry Night”-themed evening. The entertainment continues with Braun, Dave Koz and Richard Elliot

IRICK BRAUN’S through the midnight champagne toast. They’ll be backed by a band comprising Randy Jacobs New Year’s Eve Getaway Photo: Katherine Gilraine on guitar, Ron Reinhardt on keyboards, Franklin “Third” Richardson on drums, and Nate Phillips on bass. Tickets for the 2020 New Year’s Eve Getaway––which is part of Rick Braun, his wife Christiane and daughter Emma Rick Braun’s Signature Events celebrate with the band and other artists and includes his annual European during his 2018 New Year’s Eve Getaway River Cruises, also produced by Braun and Riser––will go on sale in March 2020. If you’d rather be singing “Auld Lang Syne” with Braun in Tucson next year rather than belting out the blues because you missed out, you may want to make your New Year’s resolution to buy your 2020 tickets early. Rick Braun’s New Year’s Eve 2019 Getaway is scheduled for Dec. 30 and 31, at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort and Spa, 3800 W. Starr Pass Blvd., in Tucson, Arizona. For more information, visit www.RickBraunNewYearsEve.com (where you can sign up to receive an email alert when 2020 tickets go on sale), or call 520-219-3381. For more information on Rick Braun’s European River Cruise Getaways, visit www.rickbraun.com.