Jazz Notes: 7.16.25

No Sports Today…Jazz is Every Day!

Today is the day after Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game, which, for the first time in years was fun to watch. MLB’s All-Star Game is the only such game in all of sports that can even qualify as a game.

Trivia buffs know that this is the only day of the year when no major professional games are scheduled. The ESPY Awards are tonight, as ESPN takes advantage of this sports hiatus to round up sports fans for an across the board honoring of sports achievements. 

Jazz does have its Jazz Appreciation Month (April) and its International Jazz Day (April 30), however, there is no day in the year where jazz is “off the air” or prohibited.

And, for that, we are eternally grateful.

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In This Edition of Jazz Notes

In this edition of Jazz Notes, our jazz consultant, Lee Mergner will be analyzing the latest Downbeat Reader’s Poll, with a special emphasis on musicians who are part of our jazz cruise world. Michael Lazaroff will provide the latest updates on Christian McBride’s World at Sea and The Jazz Cruise ’26. Check out the growing SAILBOTH trend which is now a full-fledged program.

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Unpacking the DownBeat Critic’s Poll

Jazz artists have a love/hate relationship with polls. That is, they love them when they win and hate them when they’re not even mentioned. With the demise of JazzTimes, DownBeat is the primary source for polls, as it has for many years going back to the birth of bebop. The magazine offers two – one surveying critics or, more accurately, journalists, while the other seeks the ratings of its readers. It’s always interesting to see both the overlap and the difference between the two polls, since critical acclaim and commercial success do not always go hand in hand. And to be chosen as the top, say, trumpeter or vocalist is no small feat given the large number of practitioners in the field.

This year’s DownBeat Critics Poll was just published in their August edition and we were glad to see a few artists from SCE’s cruise programs voted as winners, including Kurt Elling (male vocals), Cécile McLorin Salvant (female vocals), Ron Carter (acoustic bass) and Anat Cohen (clarinet). Many more of our artists were mentioned because DownBeat aims to be as transparent as possible and lists not only the runners up but also the number of votes they received from the more than 250 so-called “critics” in the 62 categories.

Likewise, Smooth Jazz has never been a particularly popular genre with jazz critics, so we’re not surprised that only two of our artists from The Smooth Jazz Cruise found their way onto the poll. Can you guess who they were? (HINT: They represent two different generations and genders.) Speaking of gender, jazz journalism remains a veritable boys club with less than 20 female writers participating in the poll (which comes to under 10%). The good news is that the disproportion is not apparent with the artists, because women were chosen as winners in half of the 62 categories, particularly dominating in the Rising Star ones, a clear reflection of the excellent jazz education programs, like Jazz House KiDS, the Woodshed Network and Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead, that are nurturing new talent beyond gender.

The two artists appearing in the poll who sail on The Smooth Jazz Cruise were Marcus Miller and Grace Kelly. As for Marcus, it is a bit of a trick question. Marcus has hosted our North Sea Jazz Cruise, Playboy Jazz Cruise, Blue Note at Sea Cruise, Signature Jazz Cruise and is now the host of Journey of Jazz. Those sailings present “straight ahead” and “contemporary” jazz. Marcus’ music is a blend of all those genres, a mixture that our guests on The Smooth Jazz Cruise love. On a somewhat lesser scale, Grace moves in and out of various jazz genres. Both musicians balance virtuosity with accessibility. We’re sure that when DownBeat’s Readers Poll is published, we’ll see even more SCE artists cited, across the various jazz genres. 

– Lee Mergner

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Back-to-Back: 
Straight Ahead Jazz Nirvana

Christian McBride’s World at Sea sails from Ft. Lauderdale on 1.20.26 and returns on 1.27.26 at 7 AM ET. At 11 AM ET on that same day, The Jazz Cruise ’26 starts boarding for a 7 day/7 night cruise that terminates on 2.3.26 in Ft. Lauderdale. Both cruises sail on Celebrity Summit.

For those two weeks, guests will see and hear the finest jazz musicians in the world.

…and many more! 

In all, during the two weeks you will see and hear over 180 jazz musicians, enjoy 400 hours of jazz entertainment, engage with nearly 4,000 guests and create a lifetime of memories.

Sail on one or the other but also consider sailing on both. There has never been this much “straight ahead” jazz in a two-week period.

Hundreds of guests have already booked both cruises. In recognition of this trend, we have created the SAILBOTH program! See details below.

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SAILBOTH Program

Whether you are currently booked on one of the cruises and wish to add the other or looking to book them both now, you are eligible for the SAILBOTH program.

SAILBOTH Cruise Benefits

Reduced Cruise Prices

Concierge Services Between Cruises

Change Day Champagne Lunch

Concierge Services Between Cruises includes cruise staff assistance with new Cruise Identification Cards, assistance with moving if you are changing staterooms, special laundry services and more.

Signature Cruise Experiences will host a breakfast on 1.27.26 (change over day) for all guests in the SAILBOTH program. 

SAILBOTH Cruise Prices

Your SAILBOTH Cruise Price depends upon your current booking status.

If You’re Already Booked 

• Guests currently booked on either Christian McBride’s World at Sea or The Jazz Cruise ’26 will receive 25% off the website rate when adding the other cruise to create the ultimate two-week jazz vacation. *The 25% discount applies only to the new cruise reservation and does not change the cost of your existing booking.

If You’re Not Yet Booked

• Guests who are not currently booked on Christian McBride’s World at SeaorThe Jazz Cruise ’26 can receive 20% off the website rate for both cruises when booking them together. *The 20% discount will be applied to each new reservation.

To learn your SAILBOTH Cruise Price, simply call the office during normal business hours and ask one of our Guest Services Representatives.

888.852.9987
Mon – Thurs 10AM – 6PM ET
Fri 10AM – 4 PM ET

*Offer valid for new reservations only.

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Journey of Jazz ’25
99% Reserved! Want to Sail? Call the Office!

The next sailing of Journey of Jazz will be 1.24.27 – 1.31.27 when we sail from Tampa and embark upon our journey to the home of jazz, New Orleans!  Stay tuned for more information.

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Signature Cruise Experiences’ Programs