DECEMBER 12 • 2024 | 53 J N wasn’t part of my family I was very intrigued by Christmas, and I always loved the experience. I loved going to my friends’ houses for Christmas. I loved the big dinners, the trees. I loved watching everybody open presents. ” Koz’s family, meanwhile, shared that “genuine love for the holiday season — and for the music. My parents were big Great American Songbook fans. Their favorite singers were Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and people like that. When you talk about Christmas music, those are the biggest names you always come back to — the Bing Crosbys and Sammy Davis Jr. That music was always in my consciousness. ” DAD’S DEATH SPARKS CONCERT And it was the death of Koz’s father, a dermatologist (his mother was a phar- macist), that steered him toward the idea of a holiday concert in 1997. “The whole idea for a Christmas tour happened when my dad passed, ” Koz says. “(Pianist) David Benoit and I were talking on the phone one day — I was interviewing him for my radio show. He had just lost his mom. I had just lost my dad. They had both passed very suddenly, and young, and that experience really rattled both of us. It was (Benoit’s) idea; ‘Let’s go out at hol- iday time and make music for our par- ents. It’s a great way to have something to do, and we can also use it as therapy for ourselves. ’ “The DNA of this tour was always in family. It’s a way to honor our own families using holiday music. ” Koz recalls that none of the dozen tours that first year were well attended, “but it was a good show” and con- vinced him to try again the following year and, over time “it really started to build on itself and people started com- ing and ... now it’s a holiday tradition. I always meet people who tell me they come every year, which is so special and rewarding. ” Koz has also kept the show fresh with a revolving cast of musicians; Benoit has come in and out of the lineup, while singer-guitarist Jonathan Butler has been a mainstay. Detroit- born guitarist Randy Jacobs — of Was (Not Was) and now leading his own Boneshakers — is Koz’s longtime musi- cal director. “Every year the show changes and morphs and we have different cast members, which keeps it interesting for all of us, ” he acknowledges. This year’s lineup includes returning vocalist Rebecca Jade and two newcomers, sax- ophonist Vincent Ingala and guitarist Adam Hawley. Koz plans to include Chanukah music in his show this year, even though the festival starts two nights after the tour ends in Modesto, Calif. “People have come to expect that in the shows now — we’re equal opportunity, ” he reports. And Koz will certainly still have family in mind as he performs throughout the season. “Y’know, I do wonder about my grandparents from the grave, whether they’re looking at me kind of funny, ” he says. “There is a religious component to the show; when a guy like Jonathan Butler sings ‘O Holy Night, ’ you can hear a pin drop. But I hope when people exit the show after seeing it, especially after multiple years, it’s really about a feeling of togetherness, unity, kindness, generosity of spirit. That’s what we’re trying to create more than anything else. ” Koz during a performance. JACK COHEN for voting us Best Jewish Detroit Deli — FROM ALL OF US AT — BREAKFAST • LUNCH • DINNER • BRUNCH • COCKTAILS • CATERING Serving authentic Jewish delicatessen and outstanding modern American cuisine for over 60 years! 248.855.6622 | stagedeli.com THANK YOU Our entire staff is humbled and delighted by the honor!