20 | SMOOTH JAZZ NEWS the hottest young talents with his band. And David Benoit is going to join us again with a young musician, who started in his youth orchestra and has now become a wonderful artist in his own right—Justin Klunk. “We have a main showroom, and then three or four satellite stages in di erent venues where people will play, and we have a headliner every night. It’s open seating, so everyone can go to anything. “ ere’s no format, but artists will play 21 sets over the course of the week. We have DW3 as the party band a er those sets are done in di erent venues, and Bryan Eng, who sings the Great American Songbook. He is very young in his 20s, but a very old soul. He’s one of the most talked about performers.” Koz said the trip from Athens on Somma this year o ers a unique opportunity for guests to experience some of the most beautiful cities in Europe. “ e places we go to are special, and they are where big ships o en don’t go. So, it’s Jewels of the Adriatic. We start in Athens and then cruise to Italy, but in between those two ports, we go to beautiful spots in Montenegro and Croatia, where the ship goes right to port, and you can get o and take a tour, or get a lunch in Dubrovnik. It’s going to be wonderful.” Koz’s journey to becoming the king of the jazz-themed cruise was circular, which didn’t begin as he might have hoped. “ e only cruise experience I had in my personal life was when I took a Carnival cruise with my parents, my brother and sister when I was a kid,” he reminisced. “It was a Mexican Riviera cruise. I have to be honest—I didn’t like it. at was the taste I had in my mouth. “And then many years ago in the early 2000s, I was approached to host a cruise, and I was like, nope, I can’t do it,” he said laughing. “And then Warren Hill, who is a wonderful saxophonist and dear friend, was hosting a cruise for the same company at the time. He called and asked me to come for a while and play some music, just to see what a theme cruise is like, because I had a whole different idea of a cruise. “And I went and was blown away. It was great. e people were passionate about music, and I felt that. I worked for ve years for that company and then learned the business. And I started the Dave Koz cruise in 2011. I was able to control the narrative and create something special for our guests. It grew from there. We have had sellouts ever since. “And it means the world to me that people choose to spend their hard-earned money on the cruise vacation when they can spend it anywhere else. ey have given us, the musicians, a week of their lives. It’s very important for us to overdeliver.” Until Somma sets sail in November, Koz will embark on an international Summer Horns tour that will have an extended run in Asia, and he will play the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and the Seabreeze Jazz Festival. He also intends to take a hiatus and travel overseas to recharge his batteries and nd new creative inspiration. He said he hopes Somma brings a de ning experience to music fans that might help change their lives. “It’s very important for me to bring people a full 360 experience of music and inspiring messaging with food and wine. Somma allows people a chance to have the space and time to nd out more about themselves in di erent ways. We expect it to be magical and a whole lot of fun.” For more information on Koz’s Somma Jewels of the Adriatic, scheduled for Nov. 6-13, 2026, aboard the 728-passenger Silversea Silver Nova, sailing to Greece, Montenegro, Croatia and Italy, visit https://somma.life/2026. continued from page 19 It’s th best i foo an wines, an musi.” Dav Ko Dining and relaxing on board Somma; Dave Koz performing with Randy Jacobs and Nathaniel Kearney Jr. on 2025 cruise Perast at Bay of Kotor Photo: Nathan Phillips Photography Photo: Nathan Phillips Photography
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