Let’s Talk Jazz
For over a month, our notes to you have revolved around Jazz Appreciation Month and International Jazz Day! One cannot overstate the importance of those events and Signature Cruise Experiences is proud to be a part of the worldwide jazz community. Touting the merits of programs, events and shows other than ours has been a hallmark of our pursuit of excellence and our support for the art of jazz.
Recently, we had reason to outline, in more detail, some facts about our company, particularly our participation in the world of jazz. The list was in response to a series of inquiries about us, as the interested parties did not know the inside scoop.
Here are few of the quick bites of information that they caused us to recognize:
- Number of Years Producing Cruises: 25+
- Number of Cruise Programs Presented: 100+
- Number of Guests Served: 200,000+
- Number of Guests Who Have Sailed 4 or More Times: 12,000+
As for information about our impact in the world of jazz, we learned from them that Signature Cruise Experiences is the #1 Employer of Jazz Musicians in the World! The metric used for this fact is dollars/year for talent. Being #1 means that we hire more jazz musicians than anyone…or we just pay the most money!
Actually, it is both.
To honor that achievement, this edition of Jazz Notes will stay close to home. We will spend some time with the great Christian McBride to learn more about his cruise, Christian McBride’s World at Sea, and we will peek behind the curtain of David Foster: The Hitman Cruise
A Walk In Christian McBride’s World
We have added a new special feature to Jazz Notes —Christian’s Corner—in which Christian McBride, host of McBride’s World at Sea, will write a short column about his life and music.
This first one is about both the mentors he’s had over the years and his own experience in that role. In future columns, he’ll talk about topics such as: working with vocalists, leading a big band, the legacy of Ray Brown, acting as an artistic director, hosting radio shows and interviewing artists and his affinity for comedy and other subjects.
Christian’s Corner
Mentors in My Life
I was fortunate enough to be mentored by many great musicians. I was just 15 when Wynton Marsalis brought me up on stage at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia and Bobby Watson hired my 17-year-old self to go on tour with his group Horizon. Later, I worked with Freddie Hubbard and Benny Golson. Benny was the ultimate professional. He rehearsed. He had all of his music immaculately indexed and filed and we would get a morning rundown of the day ahead. Freddie was nothing like that. Freddie left you to your own devices and often you would kind of flap in the wind, but I really feel like to be in that situation with someone like Freddie, it taught you to be prepared and taught you to think on your feet.
Every band leader has things that you can learn from. They teach you things that you should take with you and they teach you things that you should not take with you. You keep your mouth shut, you watch, you observe, you ask questions every once in a while. I was always asking questions. They were always so kind. I think they could see that I was hungry and I really wanted to know, because I wanted to be the best that I could be for everyone that hired me. Of course, Ray Brown, who first saw me perform in a duo with Benny Green, became an important mentor to me. I’ll write about Ray’s impact on my life and music in a later edition.
Working with Ursa Major gives me a chance to pay it forward with a younger generation. Hearing Nicole, Mike, Eli and Savannah, I thought of them as a hybrid band. We could play a little bit of anything all in the same set. We could play acoustic straight ahead. We could go funky. We could go esoteric. I love nothing more than being around younger people. Hopefully, they’ll be just as happy playing with me as I was playing with some of the people who I dreamed of playing with, but also happy with the experience that young musicians can’t wait to soak up. It’s a joy for me to do that.
– Christian McBride
Looking for Magic in a Five Day Cruise?
David Foster: The Hitman Cruise is the Answer
One week ago today, David Foster: The Hitman Cruise went on sale. It hit the water with a huge splash and has not changed course since. Why not? David Foster is the most significant music impresario in the world today. You don’t have to believe us. His 47 GRAMMY® nominations and 16 GRAMMY® wins tell the tale.
David Foster has been very active in developing the program for this exciting cruise. Michael McDonald’s band has been formed and arrangements for Babyface’s shows are well underway. You will see the special David Foster touch in the presentations of both performers.
David’s manager, Marc Johnston, has been fully engaged with Eric Marienthal, Signature Cruise Experiences’ Programming Director, creating special shows and pairings among the very talented Featured Performers (Katharine McPhee, Take 6, Peter Cincotti, Pia Toscano and Daniel Emmett) and our other musicians. Watching how David Foster puts a show together is fascinating, as you might expect. Going behind the scenes to learn more about his process will be a theme for this cruise.
From now through May 23, you may register for First Access to Staterooms after which you will be notified as to when you may select a stateroom and complete a reservation. Doing so is the best way to ensure that you will have a stateroom for the cruise.
The Little Red Riding Hood Effect
We believe that our first three sailings in 2026 are of interest to many folks and, since they sail on the same ship back-to-back-to back, there are countless ways to combine your sailings for whatever length of time you may wish to sail.
- Cruise 1: David Foster: The Hitman Cruise (1.15.26 – 1.20.26)
- Cruise 2: Christian McBride’s World at Sea (1.20.26 – 1.27.26)
- Cruise 3: The Jazz Cruise (1.27.26 – 2.3.26)
Most of the Signature Cruise Experiences’ programs are 7-day sailings. Many guests prefer a shorter cruise, which is why we are offering David Foster: The Hitman Cruise as a 5-day journey. Of course, we have many guests, particularly our international guests, who enjoy a longer adventure, especially if it involves a variety of entertainment and itineraries.
As Little Red Riding Hood said, let’s find one that is “just right.”
Combining Cruise 1 and Cruise 2, you have a 12-day experience. Cruise 2 and Cruise 3 result in 14 days at sea and, for the true jazz fan, Cruises 1, 2 & 3 create a 19-day adventure.
Actually, we have two more 7-day sailings after The Jazz Cruise, sailings of The Smooth Jazz Cruise. Those sailings are fully reserved so we cannot add them into these programs.
Fortunately, most of our team will be on the ship, Celebrity Summit, for all five sailings, a total of 33 days!
Discounts for multiple sailings are available. Since our prices and savings depend upon your cruise status with us over time, call the office to learn what is available for you.