More Jazz Appreciation Month Musings
Jazz Appreciation Month is in full swing and we couldn’t be enjoying it more. Jazz is the driving pulse behind the energy of our guests and the excitement about our programs. Let’s look at some of the highlights and what’s coming up.
Christian McBride Was Here
Earlier this year, many of you saw Christian McBride leading several of his amazing ensembles on Christian McBride’s World at Sea. Inside Straight, Remembering Ray Brown, Ursa Major, New Jawn and Christian’s Big Band are just a sampling of his many collaborations. Last saturday night, The Sheldon here in St. Louis hosted Christian. Any guesses as to what band he was leading?
Well, it wasn’t any of those. Christian was joined by iconic bassist Edgar Meyer for a stunning duet. Watching these two artists play bass together was a rare treat. I was mesmerized by the musicianship, and fully engaged from the first note through the last. It makes me wonder why we’ve never presented a configuration like that on any of our cruises.
Those two (with a combined 15 GRAMMY® Awards between them) have released a new record, cleverly named But Who’s Gonna Play the Melody. I just ordered it and will report back when it comes in.
Stay tuned for a special message from Christian in the 4.25.26 edition of The Weekender.
Michael Lazaroff
Executive Director
The Jazz Cruise Quiz is Over! We Have a Winner!
In honor of Jazz Appreciation Month we challenged our guests to submit answers to a 10-question The Jazz Cruise Trivia Quiz, with participants with nine or more correct answers earning a $150 credit towards their next cruise.
The test proved more difficult than we expected. No one submitted 10 correct answers. No one cleared the bar with nine. The closest anyone got was Noah Shaffer, who had eight correct answers. We decided to honor his feat and change the rules, so please join us in congratulating Noah as the winner of The Jazz Cruise Trivia Quiz. Congratulations! Noah is sailing on The Jazz Cruise ’27 and will be recognized at that time along with his $150 credit towards his Cruise Price.
For the curious, below are the questions and answers. Questions 5, 8 and 10 proved to be the most challenging.
Ready to Test Your TJC IQ?
- Name five of the nine different ships that The Jazz Cruise has chartered for its sailings.
HAL Maasdam, HAL Xandam, HAL Vendam, HAL Zuiderdam, HAL Noordam, HAL Oosterdam, Celebrity Infinity, Celebrity Summit, Celebrity Millennium - There have been four Music Directors for The Jazz Cruise. Can you name three?
Cherrie Scheets, Ken Peplowski, Shelly Berg, Eric Marienthal - Two men are tied for the most appearances on The Jazz Cruise? Name them.
John Clayton, Wycliffe Gordon - In 2001, the first sailing of The Jazz Cruise featured a female vocalist who who has since performed on six additional sailings. Name her.
Dee Dee Bridgewater - In the early years of The Jazz Cruise, one man served as the Cruise Host doing the interviews and emceeing the Formal Night Cocktail Party. Name him.
Don Wolff - Though The Jazz Cruise has featured several “big bands,” since creating Anita’s Big Band, there have been only two Big Band Directors. Name them.
John Fedchock, John Clayton - Within one, how many sailings of The Jazz Cruise have there been?
23 - Only one musician was both a guest/passenger and a performer on The Jazz Cruise. Name him.
Kenny Barron - Name the woman who has performed on more sailings of The Jazz Cruise than any other?
Niki Haris - The founder of The Jazz Cruise was Anita E. Berry. What does the “E” stand for?
Eileen
The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’26 on Watercolors
Last week, we announced that Watercolors will be celebrating the heritage of jazz with two full weeks of select live performances from some of the top contemporary artists of our time (including Marcus Miller, Boney James, Brian Culbertson and more), recorded aboard The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’26.
To date, Peter White & Vincent Ingala, Candy Dulfer, Jonathan Butler, Lin Rountree, Boney James, Marcus Miller and Keiko Matsui have been presented. On the air every night at 6 PM ET, a number of great shows remain to be heard and, of course, you can access all the shows on the SiriusXM website or app.
April 22: Mindi Abair
April 23: Peter White
April 24: Brian Culbertson
April 25: Double play: Nicholas Cole followed by Vincent Ingala
April 26: Boney James and Peter White
April 27: Marqueal Jordan
April 28: Eric Marienthal
April 29: Keiko Matsui Apr 30: International Jazz Day feature: All-Star show “Songs That Inspired Me” (Individual performances by headliners on The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’26.)
Confession Time: We Punked You
In the 4.1.26 edition of Jazz Notes, we introduced Stacy Mackling, a 15-year-old saxophone prodigy named as the latest addition to The Jazz Cruise ’27. The date of that note should have been a clue…April Fool’s! There is no Stacy Mackling.
Interestingly, no one called us out on this prank. What’s worse, one guest, who will remain nameless, joined us in our excitement and indicated that he had seen Stacy perform recently.
A “New” Home for Signature Cruise Experiences
About 10 days ago, we officially moved into our new office. Still in St. Louis. Actually, still in the same building. Instead of occupying the full 5th floor of 135 N. Meramec Avenue (Clayton, MO), we now occupy the full 3rd floor.
Our full-floor layout on the 5th floor was actually occupying two offices that were connected by opening two fire doors and using door wedges to maintain that path. The landlord told us that the 6th floor tenant wanted to expand to add the 5th floor to their space. With the 3rd floor being totally vacant, we were able to custom build out that space.
We do not have many walk-in guests, so the space is entirely for us and built to be efficient for our operations. They did however find a way to make the space look good. When in St. Louis, come by and check us out! Not sure it is worth a separate trip, however!
April Planning Meetings
Most of Signature Cruise Experiences’ staff live in St. Louis, but we have team members who live in California, Michigan, Tennessee, District of Columbia and Florida. Even with modern methods of communication available, we gather in St. Louis a few times a year for planning purposes.
The April meetings, which run from Monday (4.20) through Thursday (4.23), are meant to review the 6 cruises we completed in January – March and do some additional planning for the two cruises in September. Plans for ’27 and the cruise schedule for ’28 will also be discussed.
Check out the first staff photo from our new office. A couple of people are missing, but, for the most part, this is the team that produces our cruises.
One more week of Jazz Appreciation Month to go. Let’s see what happens!
Celebrating JAM: Words from Jazz Masters
In celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM), we contacted 30 artists who sail on our jazz programs to ask them about their affinity and love for jazz – from the first jazz album they bought to their first jazz concert to what jazz means to them. Each day of the month, we’ve posted a short excerpt from these essays to our social media pages. In addition, we’re publishing all of the essays on a dedicated JAM page on our Signature Cruise Experiences website.
We decided to also include a section of quotes about jazz and music from numerous jazz legends — from Louis Armstrong to Joe Zawinul. We’ve posted those on the same page of the SCE site. Below are some samples.
We hope you enjoy this look at the unique qualities of jazz.
– Lee Mergner
“What we play is life.”
– Louis Armstrong
“Jazz is freedom. You think about that.”
– Thelonious Monk
“As a jazz musician, you have to keep one foot back in the past and have one foot forward in the future.”
– Dizzy Gillespie
“Jazz washes away the dust of everyday life.”
– Art Blakey
“Jazz is love.”
– Sonny Rollins
“The definition of jazz is never play the same thing …once.”
– Shelly Manne
Livestream Events
TOMORROW
Journey of Jazz ’27 Livestream
4.23.26 / 4 PM ET
Join us for a special livestream on April 23 at 4 PM ET to explore the Journey of Jazz. We’ll showcase our incredible lineup of world-class jazz artists, explore exciting ports of call, and uncover unforgettable shore excursions to experience the best of the birthplace of jazz, New Orleans! Don’t miss this chance to learn more about the Journey of Jazz.
TOMORROW
Chris Botti at Sea III Livestream
4.23.26 / 7PM ET
Join us for a special livestream on April 23 at 7 PM ET to learn more about the Perfect Cruise Experience on Botti at Sea III. Get an inside look at our exciting lineup of world-class talent, explore the beautiful ports of call and discover the unforgettable shore excursions that make this year’s sailing truly special. Don’t miss this opportunity to see what makes Botti at Sea III so exceptional.
David Foster: The Hitman Cruise Livestream
5.14.26 / 4 PM ET
Join us for the David Foster: The Hitman Cruise Livestream to meet the lineup, including exciting new additions, learn about the ports, get the details about events performances and learn why one sailing is never enough!
Signature Cruise Experiences Upcoming Programs
SCE Sailings in ’27
The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘26.3
9.11.26 – 9.18.26
34th Sailing of “The Greatest Party at Sea”
Known as “The Greatest Party at Sea,” The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’26.3, which departs from Vancouver on 9.11.26 and sails to Victoria, BC and San Francisco, before terminating in Los Angeles on 9.18.26 is fully reserved. If you wish to try to join the cruise, go to the website and JOIN WAITLIST for any stateroom category you wish. All cancellations for this cruise will be filled from the waitlist.
Botti at Sea III (’26)
9.18.26 – 9.25.26
The West Coast Edition – The Perfect Music Experience
When The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’26.3 docks in Los Angeles, we will turn around and head back to Vancouver (via San Francisco and Victoria BC) under the guidance of superstar Chris Botti. Chris Botti at Sea III will be the perfect combination of a topflight music cruise and exciting excursions.
Joining Chris on the cruise are several icons of the world of music: Elvis Costello, Boz Scaggs, Melody Gardot, Peabo Bryson, Regina Belle and many others. When in San Francisco, guests may take winery tours in Napa and Sonoma, spend the day on the Napa Valley Wine Train, sample the finest cuisine in San Francisco and much more.
Another menu of excursions awaits guests when the cruise docks in Victoria, BC. Trust us, this is the perfect music experience!
SCE Sailings in ’27
David Foster: The Hitman Cruise ’27
1.12.27 – 1.17.27
Stay Tuned for the Lineup and Detail
David Foster: The Hitman Cruise ’26 (Foster ’26) was a runaway hit program. From the first note to the last song, the brilliance of David Foster was evident in every show and event.
As outlined above, the lineup for David Foster: The Hitman Cruise Encore Sailing ’27 includes Michael McDonald, Dianne Reeves, Leslie Odom Jr., Katharine McPhee, Erich Bergen and more.
Foster ’26 Guests have finalized rebooking their staterooms and Pre-Sail Reservations holders are currently selecting staterooms and completing their reservations.
Open Booking, where anyone may reserve any available stateroom, begins on April 27, 2026.
The Jazz Cruise ’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 has reached “fully reserved” every year it has sailed and The Jazz Cruise ’27 is on its way to reaching that goal again. Open Booking began on February 24, 2026 and the cruise is nearly 80% reserved.
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.
The Smooth Jazz Cruise
’27.1 (1.31.27 – 2.7.27)
’27.2 (2.7.27 – 2.14.27)
The Greatest Party at Sea presents its customary back to back weeklong programs in the Caribbean. Tampa is the port of embarkation and disembarkation for the first time and both sailings will call on Ocho Rios, Jamaica and Grand Cayman.
The star studded lineup is led by hosts Marcus Miller and Boney James and features Brian Culbertson, Jonathan Butler, Candy Dulfer, Kirk Whalum, Peter White and more.
Both sailings are in Open Booking and both are nearly 95% reserved at this time.
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!
The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘27.3
10.13.27 – 10.20.27
The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘26.3 program will be an exciting combination of our customary great music, Fall colors and other special events.
This cruise is currently in Open Booking, where anyone may reserve any available stateroom.