Dave Koz is looking sharp these days in shirts with dagger collars and John Travolta-ish pants and vests.
That’s his outfit for the Dave Koz and Friends Summer Horns 2025 tour, which will pass through Southern California this month.
Shows feature music by horn bands such as Earth, Wind & Fire, interpreted by Koz and five other soloists, all dressed to the nines.
“For the first time ever we have matching outfits like we’re a real band,” he said in a phone interview. “The outfits are very ’70s-inspired, kind of inspired by the music we’re playing. We have a very wonderful lighting tech that’s added a lot of energy. And of course an incredible band that kicks us in the you-know-what every night and makes sure we’re delivering.”
This year’s front line features Marcus Anderson, saxophone; Leo P, baritone sax; Jeff Bradshaw, trombone; and Evan Taylor, trumpet, as well as Marcel Anderson, vocals. Koz plays alto sax.
“One of the things I love about this tour is that the front line, the horn section, is made up of five different decades,” Koz said. “And yet this music is music that affects us and drives us. And we appreciate so much we can all come together and build a show that’s full of high-power, high-octane energy.”
They recorded a track that’s available for download called “Vehicle,” which was a 1970 hit for the band Ides of March.
It’s very different from Koz’s latest album. “Just Us,” released in early March, is a duet with pianist Bob James. It features new tracks by both as well as standards such as “Smile.”
“It isn’t really a jazz album,” Koz said in an earlier phone interview. “It’s got classical influence, but it’s not a classical album either. It really has its own lane.”
It was recorded live in James’ living room.
“There’s imperfections everywhere,” Koz said. “That was one of the things this album taught me, to get comfortable with my own imperfections. That’s not an easy thing because I’m an absolute perfectionist.”
His music has been called smooth jazz. Koz said he can understand the need for such labels, but that ultimately music and people can’t be categorized too much throughout their careers.
“I think if you do it right, you can take your audience with you on a long journey that has a lot of twists and turns.”
Koz did his first Summer Horns tour in 2013. This one began in mid-July on the East Coast and will wind down on the West Coast.
Audiences are excited by the show, Koz said in the interview, which took place during a mini-vacation at Long Island Sound.
“I’ve just seen it on people’s faces. It’s almost like they need it right now with all the complexity and craziness of the world around us, just the chance for this music to wash over you and make you feel good. That’s one thing I can guarantee about this era of music. It’s all designed to make you feel good.”
“It’s not surprising that people respond to songs by Earth, Wind & Fire, because that band is still after over 50 years at the top of their game, still doing shows. And that music never goes out of style.
“I say from the stage every night, we may not be as good as the horn sections we’re honoring, but we’re going to have a damn good time trying.”
Koz is a San Fernando Valley native, and the tour’s local concerts are at venues that are meaningful to him.
The first two are Aug. 16-17 at Thornton Winery in Temecula, where he has been a mainstay of its Champagne Jazz series since the 1990s. He performed there with one of his inspirations, the late David Sanborn, in 2016.
The tour will be at Humphrey’s Concert by the Bay, an intimate waterfront venue in San Diego, on Aug. 29.
“Humphrey’s is a classic venue. We’ve been doing it for so many years. Always a great music-appreciating audience. It’s outdoors. It’s right there on the harbor, so you’ve got people listening to the show from boats as well.
“This is going back to the very beginning of what we now refer to as smooth jazz. There was a radio station on in San Diego called KIFM that was one of the first stations in the world to play this music. So San Diego, in a lot of ways, goes together with this music like a hand in a glove.”
He said the perfectionist instinct kicks in at the Hollywood Bowl, where the tour will end on Aug. 31. Other artists will include Regina Belle, the Ohio Players, Jonathan Butler and Kayla Walters.
“What a way to wrap up a tour! I always like to say the only feeling better than taking the stage at the Hollywood Bowl is leaving the stage. It’s kind of like our Carnegie Hall. You’re walking on the stage and you’re seeing all these people that took to the stage before you, iconic singers and bands, and they’re saying to you, you’d better come with it,” he said.
“In the U.S., there’s nothing like the Bowl. It almost doesn’t even matter who’s on stage. The experience of just going there and sitting in the seats, feeling the summer air in Los Angeles and feeling the music wash over you. It’s a pretty special and unique feeling.”
Dave Koz and Friends Summer Horns 2025 tour
Temecula: 7 p.m., Aug. 16-17, Thornton Winery, 32575 Rancho California Road; thorntonwine.com; $114, $234.
San Diego: 7:30 p.m., Aug. 29, Humprey’s Concerts By the Bay, Half Moon Inn, 2241 Shelter Island Drive; humphreysconcerts.com; $89-$207.
Los Angeles: 6:30 p.m. Aug. 31, Hollywood Bowl, 2301 Highland Ave.; hollywoodbowl.com; $20-$175.
Information: davekoz.com