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 Jonathan Butler |
 Dave Koz |
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Story and photos by Andy Argyrakis If last season's Dave Koz & Friends' 20th Anniversary Christmas outing gave the original cast a chance to look back at all its accomplished, turning 21 this year signified a fresh chapter for the annual tradition. In addition to the leading sax man, it featured a blend of familiar and new faces, including fellow saxophonist Mindi Abair, singer/guitarist Jonathan Butler, keyboardist Keiko Matsui and vocalist/pianist ShelŽa (discovered by super-producer Quincy Jones).Together, they filled much of the landmark Chicago Theatre, which has basically become the tour's primary home, with two acts of seasonal sentiments, class, warmth, and most importantly in this instance, loads of contemporary jazz. "Santa Koz" as he's sometimes affectionately called kicked off the festivities entering down the center aisle with "Winter Wonderland," but the mixture of musicians allowed for several unique collaborations. When it came to holiday selections "Have Yourself A Merry Christmas," "Mary, Did You Know?," "What Child Is This?" and "O Holy Night" were all notable standouts that put the emphasis on the headliner and his guests' musical aptitude, along with the joyful interplay of an always tight four-piece backing band. The ladies in particular earned just as high of marks when saluting the late "Queen Of Soul" Aretha Franklin with lively renditions of "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" and "Respect." The well over two-hour evening also peppered in solo material (Matsui's "Moving On," Abair's "Vinyl," Butler's "Brand New Day," Koz's "You Make Me Smile," to name a few) that weren't necessarily tied to the most wonderful time of the year, but offered welcome variety and additional examples of everyone's exceptional abilities. For the finale, all the artists convened for a festive run through "What The World Needs Now Is Love," which served as one final symbol of unity before sending attendees back into this crazy world their batteries peacefully recharged. Nowadays acts and ideas barely persist a couple of years let alone endure over two decades, and the secret to Koz's longevity is striking the delicate balancing between preserving customary elements, while shaking up the formula. In other words, the ritual more than earned the audience's figurative toast that could only come with turning the legal drinking age and chances are it will keep coming back for at least as long. For a list of upcoming Live Nation concerts, visit www.livenation.com. Upcoming concert highlights at the Chicago Theatre include The Piano Guys (Dec. 8); "Cirque Dreams Holidaze" (Dec. 12-16); Amy Schumer (Dec. 19-20); 107.5 WGCI Presents: Pre-New Year's Eve Jam (Dec. 28); Brian Regan (Dec. 31); Tedeschi Trucks Band (Jan. 18-19, 25-26) and Kacey Musgraves (Jan. 31). For additional details, visit www.thechicagotheatre.com. |
 Dave Koz & Jonathan Butler |
 Jonathan Butler |
 Dave Koz |
 Dave Koz |
 Chicago Theatre |
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