Dave Koz will perform at the Academy of Country Music Awards with Toby Keith, who is nominated for Entertainer of the Year. The awards will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 18th, at 8:00 ET/PT on the CBS Television Network. The GRAMMY-nominated pop instrumentalist has also been tapped as the bandleader for ION Television's first original non-scripted series, "The Emeril Lagasse Show," which premieres this Sunday at 8:00 PM ET/PT. Koz composed and recorded the theme song for the one-hour variety show, which is filmed before a live audience in New York City. "Emeril's Theme" marks the second television theme song penned by Dave - his "Faces of the Heart" was used as ABC's "General Hospital" theme.
This summer Koz will release the first single from his 11th studio album and embark on an extensive tour. He is currently recording at Henson Recording Studios (previously A&M Studios) in Hollywood, CA with GRAMMY-winning co-producers Marcus Miller (Miles Davis, Luther Vandross) and John Burk (a producer on Ray Charles' final studio album, Genius Loves Company, which won eight GRAMMY awards, including "Album of the Year").
The album, which will be released by Concord Records this fall, will be Koz's first of all new material in five years. It follows Dave Koz - Greatest Hits, his first-ever retrospective record, which bowed in September 2008 at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. It topped the chart for eight weeks and now, a year and a half later, is still in the Top 40.
Koz, who was recently honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, has served as global ambassador for Starlight Children's Foundation for the past 17 years. Last year he found a new way to help Starlight continue its vital mission. He partnered with Vinum Cellars, a Napa Valley boutique winery, to introduce three types of KOZ wines and is donating all his proceeds from the wines to Starlight. KOZ wines are available at Whole Foods Market stores in Southern California, Arizona and Nevada.
