As has become a tradition, saxophonist Dave Koz will gather several of his friends to hit the road on his eighth annual Smooth Jazz Christmas Tour. Kicking off in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., the day after the U.S. Thanksgiving Day holiday, the tour will also feature guitarist Norman Brown, keyboardist Brian Culbertson and vocalist Brenda Russell.

Koz spent the summer touring behind his latest album, "Saxophonic." Released in October 2003, the Capitol set debuted at No. 2 on Billboard's Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart and No. 129 on The Billboard 200. It has sold 146,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Koz is in the process of recording another children's lullaby album, "Golden Slumbers II: A Father's Love." A release date has not yet been set for the set, a follow-up to 2002's "Golden Slumbers," which was the inaugural release on the Koz co-founded independent Rendezvous Entertainment label.

Here are the Koz & Friends tour dates:

Nov. 26: Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (Broward Center for the Performing Arts)
Nov. 27: Melbourne, Fla. (Maxwell C. King Center for Performing Arts)
Nov. 29: Naples, Fla. (Philharmonic Center for the Arts)
Nov. 30: Clearwater, Fla. (Ruth Eckerd Hall)
Dec. 1: New Orleans (Orpheum Theatre)
Dec. 2: Washington, D.C. (DAR Constitution Hall)
Dec. 3: Baltimore (Lyric Opera House)
Dec. 4: Philadelphia (Tower Theatre)
Dec. 5: Toms River, N.J. (Ritacco Center)
Dec. 8: San Antonio, Texas (Majestic Theatre)
Dec. 9: Palm Springs, Calif. (McCallum Theatre)
Dec. 10: San Francisco (Nob Hill Masonic Center)
Dec. 11: Los Angeles (Kodak Theatre)
Dec. 12: Dallas (Nokia Theatre)
Dec. 14: Cleveland (Playhouse Square Center)
Dec. 15: Cincinnati (Taft Theatre)
Dec. 16: Detroit (Detroit Opera House)
Dec. 17-18: Chicago (Chicago Theatre)
Dec. 19: Columbus, Ohio (Palace Theatre)
Dec. 21: San Diego, Calif. (Symphony Hall)
Dec. 22: Long Beach, Calif. (Long Beach Terrace Theatre)