In a recent interview, Kirk Whalum bemoaned the fact that too often the music played under the “smooth jazz” umbrella suffers from a lack of individualism as compositions are dictated by the parameters of the format and less expressions of the musicians. Kirk, of course, is one of the most talented, respected and beloved musicians […]

Who is the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time) of female jazz vocalists? Among those who have passed, the short list of candidates would include Billie Holliday, Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan and Nina Simone. But most jazz fans would select Ella Fitzgerald as the runaway winner of the title. The contest for the G.L.O.V.E. (greatest living […]

Going to Wimbledon has always been one of the bucket list items of my life. I am a tennis fan, an avid (not talented) player and I can remember watching Sampras, Borg, McEnroe, Connors and, of course, Federer play on Centre Court. Parts of the tournament were always around July 4th, which made taking time […]

We are just past the midway point of both the summer and the year. Both seem to have gone by very quickly. Perhaps that is a function of being older, but a lot has transpired as well. Some good. Some bad. Some happy. Some sad. Anyway, this is a good time to share some thoughts […]

To most people, this title would foreshadow a discussion of two rivals in the National Basketball Association. Though the name Miami Heat makes a lot of sense, Utah Jazz may be the most oxymoronic nickname in the world of sports. For those who are old enough to remember Pete Maravich, the Utah Jazz were originally in […]

For the past few years, Jazz Cruises has declared a few days around July 4th to be our Midsummer Holiday. Usually, that is a slower time of year, but the main reason for the break is to offset our necessity to keep regular hours during the year-end holidays. While most of the entertainment world is […]

What goes around, comes around. I was never certain what that old saying meant. Mostly used to forewarn, the idea is that if you do bad things to someone, then those bad things may come around back at you. That is the negative version of the saying. The positive version is that life can be […]

Recently, I checked out the lineup for our very first cruise as Jazz Cruises, The Jazz Cruise 2001. Dee Dee Bridgewater was the headliner vocalist for this landmark event, which infamously sailed just a few weeks after the 9/11 tragedy. Dee Dee will reprise her history of performing on inaugural sailings when she joins Marcus Miller […]

David Foster began as a studio musician, arranger, and recording artist. That period was the foundation for when he became one of the most successful songwriters and record producers in the genre.

As shared before, I am a student of World War II. From my idolization of Winston Churchill to the stories of bravery and sacrifice of soldiers and civilians fighting to save democracy, dignity and decency, I am in awe of the massive scope of the conflict and what was at stake for the world. Though no war is entirely noble, WWII was as clear a case of good versus evil as we have ever seen.

My aim for this note was to talk about seeing Jonathan Butler in St. Louis last weekend and Kamasi Washington in Dallas the other night. For any other week, those stories would have been fun to write and could have provided interesting reading for followers of The Weekender. But, the passing of David Sanborn, just […]

Kamasi Washington is performing at the House of Blues in Dallas on May 15. Paula and I will be there, so, if you plan on attending the show, check us out and say hello. Due mainly to the pandemic, it has been a while (too long) since we have seen Kamasi perform live. Our anticipation […]

Last night, I saw Herlin Riley perform with his band at Jazz St. Louis. Though Herlin has been an almost regular on The Jazz Cruise for the past few years, it has been a while since I saw him as the leader of his own group. He was great, as always. For those who sailed […]

Did you know that nearly 70% of all tornadoes occur from March through May? Perhaps that is why I have always found this time of the year to be unsettling. There is a rhythm to the Winter Season and Summer plays out according to a plan as well. I think Fall is the best time […]

For the past few years, not counting the Pandemic period, Jazz Cruises has presented some form of Jazz Festival in our hometown of St. Louis. Most recently, it was called The Smooth Jazz Cruise on Land in St. Louis. With the addition of new programs, Botti at Sea and Journey of Jazz, we thought that […]

As I have shared before, Boscov’s Berks Jazz Fest has been an important part of our jazz reach for many years. The lineup is always a blend of “straight ahead” and “smooth” jazz and many, many of the musicians who perform on our cruise programs also perform at Berks. The success of this festival is […]

Tonight, actually early tomorrow morning, we will move our clocks forward one hour signaling the beginning of Daylight Savings Time. I imagine that most people look forward to this occurrence as it allows for more outdoor activities after the normal workday, making twilight golf and tennis, concerts, barbecues, and baseball games more available. Yet, I […]

Excuse the play on words, but it was too tempting to resist. The first of our “Vine” inspirations is by far the most important. The Divine Nine is the nickname of a group of nine historically Black Greek-letter organizations called the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC). For years, on an informal basis, many of the member groups have gathered […]

Upon coming home from 33 days at sea, the goals are to catch up and unpack. While at sea, with all the great music, fun events, and wonderful guests to talk to, there is little time to keep up with the personal and business correspondence that occurs during that length of time. Digging out from […]

In a few hours, several Jazz Cruises’ staff will be boarding Celebrity Summit for a 5-day cruise during which we will be preparing for our four 7-day programs that begin on January 18, 2024, with The Jazz Cruise ’24. The next four editions of The Weekender will be delivered while we are “At Sea.” Each edition, starting with the January 20 note, will highlight the activities of the cruise then in progress. Hopefully, we can share some of the excitement of the cruises with everyone.

The world of Jazz Cruises reflects the growing interest in live music. The upcoming ’24 Cruises are fully subscribed, and the readership of The Weekender and Jazz Notes is larger than ever. After a one-week holiday, The Weekender returns in its rightful place as the first email you receive on Saturday mornings.

The holidays are now in full swing. I know this because no agent or manager is answering their calls and, when I do reach someone, it is a recording saying, “let’s talk after the holidays.” In the real business world, they would name a hard date as to when they would be back in the […]

Last week was dominated by programming of upcoming shows and cruises. We had two Samara Joy shows to program and our entire team was in St. Louis working through the programming for The Jazz Cruise ‘24, The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’24.1 & ’24.2 and Botti at Sea ’24. Four full days of putting the final […]

For the next couple of days, at Jazz Cruises, it is all about Samara Joy. Turn back the calendar one year and I will bet that many of you had either not heard of her or knew her by word of mouth only. A turn on The Jazz Cruise ’23, followed by a momentous double […]