Jazz Can Be De-Lovely!
51 years ago today, Cole Porter died. Though few would call him a jazz composer, many of his amazing standards such as “Night and Day,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” and “Begin the Beguine” have been presented with jazz arrangements and style, becoming jazz bandstand favorites.
Porter was a rare breed in so many ways, including being one of the few great composers who wrote both music and lyrics. The cheeky cleverness of his lyrics leads one to think that – for many of his songs – the music was simply a vehicle for his double entendres and insider messages. His genius operated so quickly that the audience was always a step or two late in getting the “jokes.” While his audience of listeners were enjoying the songs, Porter enjoyed a grin and a chuckle.
That the jazz world willingly accepted Cole Porter’s music is forever confirmed by the musicians who have presented tribute recordings: Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney, Oscar Peterson, Tony Bennett, Harry Connick, Jr. and Judy Garland to name just a few.
This is why I love the jazz world. Jazz musicians know great music and they know how to “jazz it up,” making a whole new sound for a fabulous tune.
If you have a moment, check out Paige Hansen’s podcast (Paige Hansen on Cole Porter), in which she brilliantly outlines “The Wit and Sophistication of Cole Porter, Father of the Jazz Standard.”
Both Lee Mergner and I offer a few other “learning moments” and trivia in this edition of Jazz Notes. We hope you enjoy them!
Michael Lazaroff
Executive Director
Signature Cruise Experiences
michael@scecruises.com
Sullivan Fortner Wins Prestigious Award
Last week, Sullivan Fortner was named the recipient of The Gilmore’s inaugural 2026 Larry J. Bell Jazz Artist Award. The accompanying $300,000 in support of his musical and career goals over the next four years is one of the largest single gifts ever dedicated solely to a jazz artist. The famous MacArthur Fellowship, known as the “Genius Grant,” has been increased to $800,000 over five years and has been received by jazz artists such as Ornette Coleman, Miguel Zenon, Vijay Iyer, Jason Moran, Regina Carter and Cècile McLorin Salvant (Sullivan’s musical partner). The pianist Craig Taborn was named a MacArthur Fellow the day before Sullivan received his award.
Created in 1989, The Gilmore is dedicated exclusively to commissioning, presenting and awarding extraordinary piano artistry. The Gilmore has presented 16 piano festivals, commissioned over 40 new works for piano and awarded over $3 million as part of its internationally renowned Gilmore Artists Award for both classical and jazz pianists. Based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, The Gilmore hosts its annual Gilmore Piano Festival April 30-May 10, 2026, and provides year-round community engagement and music education programs including summer camps, music therapy and much more.
“Sullivan Fortner is one of the most gifted artists I’ve ever encountered,” said Seth Abramson, director of The Gilmore’s Jazz Awards. “His technique is effortless, his ear extraordinary, and his vision profound – but what makes him truly remarkable is the sheer joy that radiates from him when he plays. That joie de vivre infuses his music with a vitality and spirit that turns mastery into magic.”
At the award ceremony at The Jerome L. Greene Space in New York City, Sullivan performed a short solo set and participated in an onstage conversation led by SiriusXM Radio’s Mark Ruffin.
“To win this award, and even be considered for it, is very affirming,” Sullivan said. “I am honored to join the esteemed Gilmore Artist family. As the first jazz pianist to ever receive an Artist Award from The Gilmore the significance and responsibility is enormous. In all that I do, I hope to represent Larry J. Bell and The Gilmore name well. This generous gift is a welcome reminder for me to create more music.”
Having sailed with us on The Jazz Cruise, Blue Note at Sea, Botti at Sea and Journey of Jazz, Sullivan is a familiar sight to our guests. Along with more than 300 of our guests, he’ll be sailing back-to-back on McBride’s World at Sea and The Jazz Cruise in 2026.
– Lee Mergner
Jazz Cruises Conversations Podcast
Sullivan Fortner, The Storyteller
To learn more about Sullivan, you can listen to the latest edition of the Jazz Cruises Conversations podcast, which features my interview with him, recorded on the Journey of Jazz cruise last month. I knew that Sullivan does not like to talk about himself, so instead of asking him the usual questions, I simply gave him prompts with the names of various people in his life. He took right to it, starting with his parents, and moving on to Ellis Marsalis, Fred Hersch, Roy Hargrove, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Cècile and many others.
As you’ll hear, Sullivan is not only a great storyteller but an adept mimic, able to do the voices of so many people. And a musical mimic as well. In response to a prompt about Oscar Peterson, he even played the piano for us in the mode of Oscar.
– Lee Mergner
By the Numbers
Whether it is the Tale of The Tape or the final score, numbers do not lie, so here are three numbers to consider:
- David Foster: The Hitman Cruise sails in 92 days
- Christian McBride’ World at Sea sails in 97 days
- BESTVALUE Cruise Prices for Foster and McBride end in 16 days
BESTVALUE Cruise Prices are the most favorable prices being offered for these two great cruises.
Passenger Jam: The Jazz Cruise Gem
If you have sailed recently on The Jazz Cruise, you will notice that from about 10 AM – 3 PM each day, Cellar Masters on Deck 5 is filled with jazz musicians and fans. But this isn’t a regular concert. Almost all of these performers are booked guests on the cruise!
To make this happen, we provide some equipment, a sound system and music stands. Most participants bring their own instruments, practice hard in the weeks before the cruise and eagerly await their chance to play. Then, from 2 PM – 3 PM, an artist from our lineup also joins in, through performing, conducting or simply encouraging.
Today, the level of sophistication, order and quality of music is quite high. Most guests who are fans of the Passenger Jam take seats to watch and listen, not only to the musicians that they know, but to cheer on this talented group of instrumentalists and vocalists.
Like most great ideas on The Jazz Cruise, the Passenger Jam was created by our founder, Anita E. Berry. Her musical background included a very high level of turning on a radio, placing a recording on a turntable and starting the record player. She was also skilled at working a jukebox. None of those skills are taught at the Berklee School of Music, so she had to hone this prodigious talent from the mean streets of her St. Louis home.
The early days of the Passenger Jam were quite simple. In the beginning, we simply provided a drum kit and a standup bass. Gradually, the passenger musicians organized and submitted formal letters requesting more equipment, more time, and more recognition. Internally, we call their current requests the “Passenger Jam Rider.”
Our amazing passengers make sure that everyone has their shot, but, just like every team sport or musical ensemble, not everyone is afforded the “playing time” they would like. There can be a significant talent gap among the passengers, however the spirit of the Passenger Jam helps to smooth over any hurt feelings as our guests behave in the same manner as our contracted musicians: with grace, gratitude and generosity.
I do not get to attend the Passenger Jam sessions as much as I would like, as we are usually running around the ship during that time, but I do listen, particularly if I am in Café al Bacio. I recommend you stop by and listen as well. These guest/musicians are very, very talented.
Anita (my Mom) did a good thing with the Passenger Jam. She made a lot of very nice folks very happy.
– Michael Lazaroff
Ledisi & Dinah
Last week, Ledisi released her 13th album, For Dinah, a very personal and heartfelt celebration of the music of the legendary vocalist Dinah Washington, known as the Queen of the Blues. Produced by Christian McBride, the recording reflects Ledisi’s lifelong admiration for Washington, who is often overlooked in the shadow of jazz vocal peers like Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald.
“It’s been about eight years of waiting for this project,” Ledisi told KQED. “We only hear her voice in film and television, but we never hear her name.”
Her name was Ruth Lee Jones when she was born in Alabama in 1924. A product of the Great Migration, Washington was raised in Chicago, singing gospel music in church. She was just a teenager when she started singing in jazz clubs around the city, where she was eventually “discovered” by Lionel Hampton who hired her for his big band. By the late ‘40s, Washington had established her own solo career with numerous hits for the Mercury record label, including “Baby, You’ve Got What It Takes,” “Unforgettable” and the iconic “What A Difference A Day Makes.”
A pianist as well as a singer, Washington was a major influence on Aretha Franklin, Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga and many other vocalists. “She was a good friend of mine, you know,” Tony Bennett said. “She was great. She used to just come in with two suitcases in Vegas without being booked…and she’d stay as long as she wanted. And all the kids in all the shows on the Strip would come that night. They’d hear that she’s in town and it would be packed just for her performance.” In 1963 Washington died tragically at the age of 39.
Ledisi said that she first was affected by Washington’s music when she was studying jazz at UC Berkeley. “I felt her pain, her rejection,” Ledisi reflects, “This is where I come from – and this is my way of saying her name out loud. She deserves to be recognized in today’s music as well. So instead of asking me ‘Why Dinah?,’ you should be asking ‘Why not Dinah?’”
Ledisi worked with the noted guitarist and composer Paul Jackson, Jr. to reproduce some of the original Quincy Jones big band arrangements of Washington’s music. Special guest Gregory Porter duets with Ledisi for their version of Washington’s 1960 duet with Brook Benton, “Baby, You’ve Got What It Takes.” The first single from the album is her powerful version of “This Bitter Earth,” produced and arranged by McBride. “This song is so reflective of any era,” Ledisi explained. “Especially in such a chaotic time as this. People need music right now and this song is a beautiful sentiment depicting a longing for life being filled with love. When I hear Dinah, I hear that longing. It’s a perfect way to announce my tribute to The Queen of The Blues.”
Ledisi, who is among the special guest vocalists performing on McBride’s World at Sea, sees For Dinah as her way of paying it forward. “Anytime I show reverence to an ancestor, my head is saying, ‘I’ll let them know for you…I haven’t forgotten,’” she said.
“That is what’s holding me to move the music in the catalog forward, to sing it right, to study it, to give it that attitude like she would or like I would. Thank you, Dinah, for letting me go through you for this.”
For Christian, this album as well as his big band album, Without Further Ado, Vol. 1, reflects his vision for the cruise. “These new songs and albums are like a sneak peek into what we’re building at sea,” Christian said. “Everything I’m doing right now, from the Big Band record to producing Ledisi’s album, is really a part of the same vision. This cruise is a way to bring that world to life. Not just the music, but the community and artistry that fuels it.”
– Lee Mergner
Signature Cruise Experiences Programs
David Foster: The Hitman Cruise
1.15.26 – 1.20.26
A 5-Day Weekend Getaway with a Week’s Long Schedule of Talent
The amazing lineup of David Foster, Michael McDonald, Babyface, Katherine McPhee, Take 6, Nathan East, Peter Cincotti, Pia Toscano, Emmet Cohen (and more) is in place for this 5-day Cruise Getaway from Ft. Lauderdale on Celebrity Summit.
Truly a weekend getaway (Thursday – Tuesday) vacation, there will be more than 7 days of music presented in a 5-day cruise! The remaining inventory includes only Veranda, Ocean View and Inside Staterooms.
Secure the best pricing available with our BESTVALUE promotion. Be sure to use that promo code when booking online or calling the office.
Christian McBride’s World at Sea
1.20.26 – 1.27.26
Christian’s Ensembles + World Class Vocalists
Boasting one of the most robust and decorated lineups we have ever presented and led by 9X GRAMMY® Winner Christian McBride, this program will present more than 220 hours of top music over 7 days at sea. Besides Christian’s lineup of amazing ensembles that he leads (Inside Straight, Ursa Major, Christian McBride’s Big Band, Remembering Ray Brown, Christian’s Trio), the cruise also features some of the very best vocalists in the genre; Ledisi, Samara Joy, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Angélique Kidjo, Melissa Walker and José James.
Staterooms in all remaining categories are available at Best Value Cruise Prices. Be sure to use Promo Code: BESTVALUE when booking online or by calling the office.
The Jazz Cruise
’26 (1.27.26 – 2.3.26) – Still the Greatest Jazz Festival at Sea
’27 (1.17.27 – 1.24.27) – Stay Tuned for More Information…Soon!
The Jazz Cruise is the first program that Signature Cruise Experiences ever produced. Since its first sailing in 2001, The Jazz Cruise has been the world leader in presenting “straight ahead” jazz at sea. With the new trend in land based jazz festivals including non-jazz music, The Jazz Cruise surpasses land based events for “straight ahead” jazz, too.
This cruise is fully reserved every year and fewer than 75 staterooms remain for the ’26 sailing. Past Guests may use the Promo Code: SHIP to reserve a stateroom at favorable prices based on their sailing history. Information about The Jazz Cruise ’27 will be available on or before November 13, 2025.
The Smooth Jazz Cruise
’26.1 (2.3.26 – 2.10.26)
’26.2 (2.10.26 – 2.17.26)
’26.3 (9.11.26 – 9.18.26)
’27.1 (1.31.27 – 2.7.27)
’27.2 (2.7.27 – 2.14.27)
’27.3 (10.13.27 – 10.20.27)
6 Opportunities to sail on “The Greatest Party at Sea”
Known as “The Greatest Party at Sea,” The Smooth Jazz Cruise has sailed over 30 times since 2004. Year after year, there is a waitlist for staterooms and the cruises hit “fully reserved” earlier and earlier. Rich with great musicians, great fans and great times, The Smooth Jazz Cruise has created a community of fans that span the globe. The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’26.1 & ’26.2, both of which sail in the Caribbean, are fully reserved with significant waitlists. The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’26.3, which will sail from Vancouver to Los Angeles with calls in Victoria and San Francisco, is more than 95% reserved at this time. This is a great opportunity to secure a reservation on this cruise which establishes your priority for other sailings of The Smooth Jazz Cruise.
Botti at Sea III (’26)
9.18.26 – 9.25.26
Chris Botti hosts a West Coast Cruise with Amazing Talent
The wait is over. It is time to begin the planning process for Botti at Sea III (’26). The lineup has been set for a few months. Joining Chris will be Elvis Costello, Boz Scaggs, Melody Gardot, Peabo Bryson, Regina Belle, Emmet Cohen, Candy Dulfer, John Splithoff, Morgan James, Benny Benack III, Kandace Springs, Harold Lopez-Nussa Trio ft. Gregoire Maret and more. The cruise will sail from Los Angeles to Vancouver, with calls in San Francisco and Victoria. Open Booking has already started, meaning any guest may select any available stateroom and complete a reservation online or by calling the office.
Journey of Jazz ’27
1.25.27 – 1.31.27
Where is Journey of Jazz Headed Next? New Orleans!
The inaugural sailing of Journey of Jazz ended a few weeks ago. The cruise was a wonderful experience and both hosts, Marcus Miller and Gregory Porter, are coming back for the next voyage. In keeping with our theme of great jazz experiences, Journey of Jazz ’27 will be headed to New Orleans for a special overnight jazz experience. Guests who sailed on Journey of Jazz ’25 have until December 12, 2025 to rebook their current stateroom. Others may complete a Pre-Sail Reservation through December 10, 2025. The full lineup will be announced on November 4, 2025.