The relationship between instrumental music and vocal music has always intrigued me. Some instrumental musicians will not back up a singer. Some thrive on it. Matching vocals to a particular genre, especially jazz, is tricky. What makes a vocalist a jazz vocalist? If you say “scatting,” then you are my age or higher. It is much more complicated than that.
On Tuesday, we said goodbye to the vocalists of our David Foster: The Hitman Cruise and hello to our jazz vocalists on Christian McBride’s World at Sea. Michael McDonald, Babyface, Pia Toscano, Jessica Vosk, Sheléa, Morgan James, Daniel Emmett, Peter Cincotti, and Erich Bergen departed. Ledisi, Cècile McLorin Salvant, Samara Joy, Angélique Kidjo, Josè James and others got onboard.
These vocalists have earned countless GRAMMY® and other awards, performed on stage, screen and television and presented music that will endure through the shows it built and lives it touched. The power of vocal music is overwhelming. Its impact may even exceed that of instrumental music. Why? I have a couple of ideas to share.
A vocalist can grab you two ways: first with the music and second with the lyrics. Oscar Hanmerstein famously said that “a song is not a song until you sing it.” A common aphorism on the other side is “a song without a melody is a poem.”
Vocalists have the advantage when it comes to recordings. For the most part, the audio captures the essence of a song. There are visual qualities that add to the vocalist experience, but part of what makes instrumental jazz so great is being able to watch the musicians play their instruments and see the “call and response” interaction on the bandstand.
Back to the original thought, the Foster singers were thrilling to hear, exciting to watch and created memories and images that our guests loved and will remember forever. The instrumental accompaniment was superb, but dramatically overshadowed by the presence of show stopping vocals.
Our jazz singers, Ledisi, Samara Joy, Cècile McLorin Salvant, Angèlique Kidjo and José James created the same dynamic as the Foster singers but did so in the context of and with additional focus on the amazing instrumental performers.
While jazz purists may not embrace the “Broadway Show” vocal presentations that we see on American Idol or America’s Got Talent, and those who love those vocal presentations may not appreciate the chemistry of a band and a vocalist in the jazz world, most feel that both approaches work to produce great songs.
Everyone has a song that reminds them of their youth, their first love, their marriage and the birth of their first child. Songs remind us of milestones in our lives. Good ones and bad ones. If you doubt the power of a song, review any streaming platform. Most have hundreds of categories, which are nothing more than a filing system for the stages of our lives and our mood at any given time.
Do not underestimate the contribution of “being at sea” to the success of our vocalists’ performances. In our programs, the “ship” is more than a vessel taking us from port to port. It is the crucible that entices our performers to interact with each other and with the guests. So many special shows or impromptu musical events just pop up when everyone is together.
Unabashedly, being at sea these past few weeks with all of these incredible vocalists with their varied disciplines and approaches has been one of the very best musical experiences of a life that has already been gifted with innumerable incredible musical experiences.
Thank you to all our voices at sea.
By Michael Lazaroff, Executive Director of The Jazz Cruise, The Smooth Jazz Cruise, Chris Botti at Sea, Christian McBride’s World at Sea, Journey of Jazz, David Foster: The Hitman Cruise and Top Shelf Country Cruise. Feel free to express your views or pose questions to him at michael@scecruises.com.
Save the Date: Step Aboard! A Live Look at Chris Botti at Sea 2026
We know the lineup is stacked and the onboard experience is lush. Now it’s time to find out how Botti at Sea III’s once-in-a-lifetime West Coast excursions will turn dreams into memories.
Join SCE Director Michael Lazaroff for an exclusive live online event with tantalizing details on what awaits you once you step off the ship and into our incredible ports-of-call, San Francisco, California and Victoria, British Columbia.
And, if two of the West Coast’s most beautiful and historic cities isn’t enough, attendees will be treated to a special visit from our cruise visionary, superstar Chris Botti himself!
Date: February 20, 2026
Time: 3PM ET
Topics:
Extended Port Stays
Excursion Previews
Live Q and A
Signature Cruise Experiences Upcoming Programs
The Jazz Cruise
’26 (1.27.26 – 2.3.26) ’27 (1.17.27 – 1.24.27)
Still the Greatest Jazz Festival at Sea
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.
The Jazz Cruise ’26 is fully reserved. ’26 Guests are invited to rebook their current staterooms for The Jazz Cruise ’27. Others may establish their priority for the ’27 sailing by completing a Pre-Sail Reservation.
The Smooth Jazz Cruise
’26.1 (2.3.26 – 2.10.26) ’27.1 (1.31.27 – 2.7.27)
’26.2 (2.10.26 – 2.17.26) ’27.2 (2.7.27 – 2.14.27)
’26.3 (9.11.26 – 9.18.26) ’27.3 (10.13.27 – 10.20.27)
6 Sailings of “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.
The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’26.1, ‘26.2 & ’26.3 are fully reserved. The Rebooking and Pre-Sail Reservation procedures for The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘27.1 and ‘27.2 have been completed and both sailings are in Open Booking and are more than 80% reserved.
As discussed above, guests sailing on The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’26.3 (’26 Guests) will have the exclusive opportunity to reserve their ’26 stateroom for The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’27.3, starting on 1.20.26. This sailing starts in Quebec City on 10.13.27 and sails through Canada terminating in Boston on 10.20.27. Fall colors and other special events will be featured. Those who are not ’26 Guests will be able to establish their priority for selecting a stateroom at that time by completing a Pre-Sail Reservation.
Botti at Sea III (’26)
9.18.26 – 9.25.26
Chris Botti hosts a West Coast Cruise with Amazing Talent
Botti at Sea III (’26) is in Open Booking. Anyone may select any available stateroom and complete a reservation.
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.
Botti at Sea IV (’27)
10.6.27 – 10.13.27
Chris Botti Takes His Cruise from Boston to Quebec
A Canadian itinerary in the Fall is one of the most popular cruise itineraries in the industry. Fall colors, beautiful scenery, hands on adventures in famous ports-of-call. If nothing else was taking place on the ship, a cruise with these features would be in high demand. So, when Chris Botti decided to take his amazing cruise program from Boston to Quebec City, with a full complement of the entertainers and performers that you have grown to love and expect, not only was he gilding the lily, but he was creating one of the top music cruise experiences ever offered.
Stay tuned for more programming and reservation procedure details. As is always the case on a Signature Cruise Experiences program, guests on Botti at Sea III (’26) (’26 Guests) will be able to rebook their current staterooms and those who are not ’26 Guests will be eligible to submit a Pre-Sail Reservation which will establish their stateroom selection priority after the ’26 Guests complete their rebooking procedure.
Look for most of this to happen around 8.15.26!
Journey of Jazz ’27
1.24.27 – 1.31.27
Now in Open Booking
Journey of Jazz ’27 will be an amazing cruise program featuring hosts Marcus Miller and Gregory Porter, a full lineup of great musicians and vocalists, a special two days in New Orleans which features Wynton Marsalis and a group of his hand-picked musicians.
In its second season Journey of Jazz proudly combines the very best music with opportunities to live the jazz life and learn more about the history of jazz. As an example, Journey of Jazz ’27 will present Ledisi as a main show performer on the ship. In keeping with the theme of the cruise, Ledisi will perform her universally beloved Tribute to Dinah (Washington) program.
Journey of Jazz ’27 is in Open Booking