Our Take: Four Letter Words that Matter

When we talk about four-letter words, we are usually talking about profanity. Eliminating four-letter words from your vocabulary is often a New Year’s resolution or even a suggestion by others.
 
Of course, not all four-letter words are bad. No one is campaigning to ban “jazz,” “wine” or “food.” There is an argument to be made for getting rid of “golf” and “beer,“ but that would be a minority view at best. So, what is the most powerful and compelling four-letter word?
 
I can hear the thousands of our readers saying, in unison, the word “love.” No doubt that love is important. As the songs tell us, it will “set you free,” “keep us together” and “make the world go around.” I have been fortunate to have been in love and be loved, so I know how powerful, comforting and exciting that can be, but, recently, I have come to realize that there is another four-letter word that may be more important than love.

As I wrote earlier, with two more cruise programs to present at sea, it was difficult to fully explore my feelings about the loss of my good friend, Ken Peplowski. Though I have not fully embraced what happened that afternoon (Monday, February 2), I do know that Ken lost his battle against cancer and many of the ramifications of being very sick. Coupled with battling the Pandemic, Ken’s struggles to be healthy, active and relevant were overwhelming.

Ken was a member of our planning team for The Jazz Cruise. Even when he was the most ill, Ken worked for the cruise in terms of programming, talent selection and show creation. Just as the identity of an executioner is hidden for fear of retribution, Ken’s role as a decider of who performed on The Jazz Cruise was a secret. Not all his opinions were followed blindly, but, when the call was close, Ken’s view weighed heavily. 

Often those discussions led to more personal matters. For the most part, Ken was his own agent and manager, so securing gigs and creating opportunities for his career was “on him.” I never knew the extent of success he was having in doing so, as his illness impacted his opportunities, both in reality and in perception. Some folks were reluctant to hire Ken, not knowing if he would be able to perform on the required date.
 
For the most part, Ken was optimistic about his future, but every so often, he would open up about how hard it was for him to find work, especially work that he loved. Particularly difficult was seeing others being offered what used to be his gigs. I would imagine that phenomenon to be a theme among older musicians, but, in Ken’s case, the issue was exacerbated by his illness.
 
Having just jotted down the sentence above, I need to remind myself that Ken was not that old! His illness found him in his early 60s, an age where most are still active, particularly musicians. If there were ever a profession where growing older gracefully could be achieved, music would be at or near the top of the list. One of Ken’s best friends was Houston Person who is still performing at 90, as are Benny Goldson, Kenny Barron and Ron Carter. The Heath brothers performed in their nineties as did Jimmy Cobb and others.
 
In some respects, Ken’s concerns about his being able to continue to work was more serious than it seemed. If active, he would have a lot of years to fill and support. Those who know Ken know that being on the bandstand is what gave him life, sustained him and lifted his spirits. So, when we heard that he had failed to show up for a show on The Jazz Cruise with Shelly Berg on that fateful afternoon, many anticipated the worst.
 
I will not delve into or speculate about Ken’s personal life. I know that his two children live in Sweden and he would visit them as often as he could. And, of course, there was Corker, his beloved dog who provided Ken with years of love and affection.
 
On the ship Ken shared with us that his cancer was in remission, that he was eating better and feeling better. He also spoke of how arduous the recent years had been for him. He could still quip with the best of them, however, his ability to joke about himself was not as keen as it once was. Not quite a Pagliacci, but you could see a tear on his face when he was clowning.
 
I do not know the precise cause of his death, nor does it matter at this point. In my mind, his burdens, illnesses and problems triggered something in his body that resulted in his death. He had fought a great fight, but, at this point, he could not answer the bell for the next round.
 
For those who remember how I started this piece, I am about to return to my original premise, that being what is the most important and significant four-letter word. I concur with those who believe that “love” is important. Without “love,” one lives a lonely and cold life.

But, without “hope,” there is no life at all. Crimes are committed by people with no hope. Wars are fought by people with no hope. Consequences are meaningless if you have no hope. No matter how bad things are, if you can see light at the end of the tunnel, you can muster the energy and resolve to turn things around. If you can summon the strength to reach what you believe to be the “other side,” then you have hope and that hope will propel you, at least until hope becomes only a glimmer.

Ken was loved. We all loved him. I believe that the struggle to survive became overwhelming and his mind reacted accordingly. His reservoir of hope was empty and he could not find any way to refill what was once there.

When the idea of maintaining hope is mentioned, two sports references come to mind, Dan Jansen and Jim Valvano. Despite his great non-Olympic success, Dan Jansen had never won an Olympic medal after having competed in seven Olympic races over a ten-year period. Twice, not only did he fail to win, but he failed to even finish, having fallen on the ice. His last chance saw him nearly fall again, only to rally, surpass the World Record and win a Gold Medal.
 
NC State basketball coach Jim Valvano, who led his team to the National Championship over a heavily favored Houston team, famously fought cancer for several years. Near the end of his life, at the 1993 ESPYs, Valvano told the world, to face adversity with strength. His motto, “Don’t Give Up. Don’t Ever Give Up” became the rallying cry for a generation of cancer victims and survivors.
 
To me, jazz, even at its most melancholy, dark and sad iterations, is a symbol of hope. As we sit, listen and try to anticipate the next note, we are hoping that the sound will inspire us, move us forward, and enlighten us. Nothing is perfect and we are often disappointed, but our hope continues.
 
Maintaining and nurturing hope may be the essential step to being happy, engaged and meaningful. Embracing music, in my mind, is a great way to do so. Never stop listening. Never stop finding new tunes to hear or songs to sing.

With music to inspire you and lift you up, you will never stop looking for something good. You will be inspired to summon your ability to survive and achieve. Most importantly, you will never give up hope. Think of all the inspirational songs that have led us to achieve and have hope.

As corny as this may seem, hearing our National Anthem at the ceremonies of each Gold Medal winner at the recent Winter Olympics was inspirational. We sing our alma mater and our favorite team’s fight song. Every couple has a song they call their own. These are not songs of love. These are songs of hope. Hope for strength, resolve, kinship and the goal of a better day ahead.

Yes, love is wonderful, but love is often outside our grasp, outside our control. It requires two people being on the same page at the same time. “Hope” comes solely from within you. Only you can surrender your hope for the future.

Next time you sense a dip in your reservoir of hope, turn on your music, look in the mirror and summon the courage to move on.

By Michael Lazaroff, Executive Director of The Jazz Cruise, The Smooth Jazz Cruise, Chris Botti 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.

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The Jazz Cruise Lands at Birdland

Well, not exactly. But, for the month of March, our friends at Birdland Jazz Club in NYC are presenting several of our favorite artists from The Jazz Cruise.

John Pizzarelli and his trio perform there March 3-7, followed by the Anat Cohen Quartet (March 10-14), Kurt Elling & the Future of Jazz Orchestra (March 18-21) and Emmet Cohen’s Celebration of the Miles and Trane Centennial (March 24-28). Tell Gianni, who hosts Birdland at Sea in the Cosmopolitan Dining Room every night of The Jazz Cruise, that we sent you his way.

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Signature Cruise Experiences Upcoming Programs

Sailing in the Next 12 Months

Botti at Sea III incorporates two experiences. First, is another edition of our famous cruise programs with nightly special shows, hours of additional music and intimate and insightful opportunities to learn more about our performers.

The second aspect of the programs is a robust offering of excursions and events when we dock in San Francisco (overnight) and in Victoria, BC (full day). You can visit wineries in Napa or Sonoma, tour Napa Valley on the Napa Valley Wine Train, dine at the finest restaurants, see special shows at SFJazz, and more. Each of these events are curated, produced and presented by us.

To learn more about the cruise and the amazing excursions, check out the Botti Cruise Livestream Video on-demand on our website and on YouTube.

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