Dave Koz Talks About Somma 'Jewels of the Adriatic' Cruise

Dave Koz has long been fond of bringing jazz to the high seas. His beloved Dave Koz & Friends at Sea cruises are raucous floating festivals where he and tons of his pals perform on a nearly non-stop basis on various stages throughout a large cruise ship. But his upcoming Somma (pronounced SO-muh) cruise is purposely toned down to allow fans to enjoy the same great music and variety of guest performers in a more relaxed atmosphere. Taking place November 6-13, 2026 aboard the Silver Sea ship Nova, the Somma Jewels of the Adriatic cruise will sail from Athens, Greece to Bari in Italy, Kotor in Montenegro and Dubrovnik, Split and Zadar in Croatia, finally wrapping up in Venice, Italy. Joining Dave on the cruise will be Brian McKnight, Damien Escobar, David Benoit, Haley Reinhart, Jonathan Butler, Loni Love, Blake Aaron, the Bryan Eng Trio, Carl Wockner, DW3, Justin Klunk, Kayla Waters, Randy Jacobs and Todd Schroeder. Additionally fans will have a chance to connect to new ideas during sessions with the likes of medical authority Dr. Helen Stoddart MD, provocative thinker Tavis Smiley, comedian Carol Leifer, Dr. Greg S. Reid who'll share practical wisdom and meaningful reflection, Fizz Champagne lifestyle brand founder Raymond James Irwin and growth strategist Scott Duffy. Clearly the descriptor "jewels of the Adriatic" refers to more here than just the alluring ports the cruise will visit.

We were able to have a brief chat with Koz who told us more about what fans can expect from the Somma Jewels of the Adriatic cruise. Here's what the sax man said.

antiMusic: How is the Somma cruise different from your Dave Koz & Friends at Seas cruises?

Dave: The whole reason we started Somma was to give our guests a different experience. The big cruise, the Dave Koz & Friends at Sea cruise, is like a music festival at sea where there's WAY too much for any one person to see, and that's by design. So you almost need a vacation after your vacation! Somma was designed with the express purpose to give a much more spacious, a much more relaxed experience and using a much smaller ship. The smaller ships we use are able to go to smaller ports that the big ships often can't get to, which gives our guests a different experience. But onboard as well; there's a less crazy schedule so people can really enjoy the relaxation and the comfort that comes from an elevated experience with wonderful wines and food, epicurean experiences, beautiful music and inspiring talks and symposiums during the day to round out the experience. It's really a 360-degree thing for our guests to experience mind, body and soul. That's why we did it in the first place and it seems to be connecting with our guests.

antiMusic: You're always on the go during the Dave Koz & Friends at Sea cruises, displaying seemingly boundless energy. Is Somma also a chance for you to relax?

Dave: That is actually one of the byproducts of doing Somma is that I get a chance to really sink into the experience just like our guests do because I'm not running around covering so many shows and having to host three or four thousand people at a time. This next Somma will be about 700 people total and so it's a much more manageable experience for me to not only do what I need to do as a host and a musician, but also to enjoy the beauty and the comfort of the ships we use for Somma. And also to enjoy the ports and our days at sea. On our Dave Koz & Friends at Sea South American cruise I was so busy I didn't even get off the ship in Rio de Janeiro, which is an amazing city. We were there for two days and I couldn't get off because I was very busy with other stuff. Somma is a different experience for our guests and it is for me as well.

antiMusic: Will you be performing with most or all of the guest players at some point, and have you begun going over set list ideas yet?

Dave: I will hopefully have a chance to perform with all the artists and musicians that are on Somma. Many of them are very good friends, like David Benoit and Brian McKnight; we go way back. Some are new friends, like Damien Escobar, the wonderful violinist. So that's the nice thing for me, the combination of old dear friends and also new people that I know our audience would love to see and that I would love to see. One of the things that I love to do, especially if I'm not in the show, is to sit in the audience and enjoy these incredible talents. As far as my shows go, we haven't figured out the set list yet. But there is something on Somma that's happened the last two years that we will continue this year, and that is to do a Dave Koz show that you cannot see anywhere else. The first year we did "Dave Koz with Strings;" last year we had Dave Koz in sort of a French version, since we were traveling in the south of France and the French Riviera. There was a lot of French music that I did. Who knows what this year's will be? But I promise our guests that it will be unique.

antiMusic: I know you have extensive rehearsals for your cruises. Are plans for these sessions coming together yet?

Dave: Yes, we already have rehearsal slated for the last little bit of October in the United States, and then we will all be traveling to Athens to start this year's voyage. There's a tremendous amount of planning and execution that goes into this cruise as well as our big cruises. We have a staff of about 10 full-time employees as well as our own travel agency and everyone is working on this to make sure we over-deliver for our guests. Because this is a really luxury product and it needs to feel different from everything else we do. Everybody is on hand to make it extra special for our guests.

antiMusic: You probably don't have to travel with as much gear as say, a guitarist. What will you be bringing in the way of instruments and other stuff?

Dave: I bring my alto, tenor and soprano saxophones. Of course, computer and phone. For someone who travels for a living I might be the worst packer on the face of the Earth! I over pack by 50% every single trip I go on. I'm always concerned, "Well, what if I'm feeling this way," or "What if I want to wear this?" My assistant who helps me pack, they pull their hair out! You can rest assured that I'll have too much stuff!

antiMusic: Somma has a great itinerary with stops almost daily. Have you previously been to these places?

Dave: This itinerary is a beautiful itinerary, starting in Athens. So you get the beautiful big city of Athens, Greece where there's so much to see, especially if you haven't been. So much history to digest there. Or just to go and have a great meal of Greek food. I'm really excited that Athens is our one host city and that Venice is the other host city. Talk about two legendary, iconic cities! Those are the pole positions of our cruise and in between we get to stop in one of the most beautiful parts of Italy, in Bari in Puglia, and then we go over to the other side of the Adriatic and we're cruising in Croatia and Montenegro with these gorgeous stops along the Adriatic. Dubrovnik is also one of the great cities of the world and is unlike anywhere else. I've been to most of these places; the only one I haven't been to is Split. It's always nice to have one new port for me. Rest assured I'll be getting off at every port and, just like our guests, absorbing as much as I can.

antiMusic: With Somma taking place on a smaller ship, your off-stage visibility will be pretty high. Do you have any advice for fans who might want to approach you?

Dave: I would say "absolutely approach me" and if you don't, I will approach you! That's what Somma is about. Because I'm not so stretched in so many different directions and having to play so much, because it's a smaller ship and I get a chance to really feel like a guest. And that means I will have the goal of talking to all 700 passengers over the course of the week. So my advice to the passengers is to come up to me and tell me who you are and where you're from. I end up knowing a lot of the passengers already because I see them either on Somma or on one of the other cruises. One of my favorite parts of the job is just getting a chance to be a guest with all the other guests.

Hear great music and inspirational speakers, eat well and visit some of the most attractive places in Europe while hanging out with Dave Koz when you sail on the Somma Jewels of the Adriatic cruise. Book your stateroom here.