THE WEEKENDER

Since 2016, every Saturday morning subscribers have received their weekly “jazz fix” in the form of The Weekender. Our purpose is to present what is going on in the world of jazz, where our favorite musicians are performing and various musings about jazz that range from “on the ball” to “off the wall.” Read by nearly 40,000 fans each week, The Weekender has become Signature Cruise Experiences’ voice to Jazz fans worldwide.

JOURNEY OF JAZZ CRUISE SIGNATURE CRUISE EXPERIENCES
August 16, 2025

Our Take: Four Weeks Until Journey of Jazz ’25 Sails

Journey of Jazz ’25, Signature Cruise Experiences first Fall sailing in nearly two decades, sails in four weeks. For those with great memories, The Jazz Cruise began as a Fall…
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ai music is horrible
August 9, 2025

Our Take: Producing Music – Then and Now

Using technology in the production of music is hardly new. Much of it enhances the music, reduces the cost and improves the quality of the product. Much of it, however,…
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BIRDLAND THE WEEKENDER
August 2, 2025

Our Take: How Do You Get To Birdland?

Most of you know the iconic, and likely apocryphal, story of the tourist walking down Broadway seeking directions to a famous destination. The tourist bumps into someone that we used…
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john pizzarelli the weekender the jazz cruise
July 26, 2025

Our Take: 48 Days Before Journey of Jazz ’25

Years ago, we produced a jazz tour of New York. It was a glorious few days. We visited the Apollo Theater, Birdland, Blue Note, Dizzy’s Club and more. Marcus Miller…
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DOWNBEAT CRITICS POLL
July 19, 2025

Our Take: Polls

In this week’s edition of Jazz Notes, our jazz guru, Lee Mergner, analyzed the recent DownBeat Critics’ Poll which ranked jazz musicians, vocalists, bands, festivals and more. Highly subjective and…
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MICROPHONE JAZZ THE WEEKENDER
July 12, 2025

Our Take: The Jazz Vocalist

While each of us can name our favorite jazz vocalists, and there would be significant agreement on many of them, I doubt that we could articulate, and certainly not agree…
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MID YEAR REVIEW THE WEEKENDER
June 28, 2025

Our Take: Is it a June Swoon or Just a Nice Break?

The end of June is upon us, which means that 2025 is half over or time to begin preparing for its second half. Which description you choose will go far…
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GOLD WAVE
June 21, 2025

Our Take: Disney Loves Jazz & Jazz Loves Disney

Walt Disney loved jazz. He was inspired by the music and presented jazz in many of his films and animations. The admiration was, and is, mutual, as many of the…
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The Smooth Jazz Cruise Lineup
June 14, 2025

Our Take: Talent Seeking

As our portfolio of cruises grows, the hunt for talent has become more arduous. Maintaining relationships with the core performers on each program is at a premium, as is looking…
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAKE THE WEEKENDER
May 31, 2025

Our Take: The Last Day of May…Bigger than You Might Think

Today is the last day of May. In and of itself, that is not a big deal or even worth noting, unless your birthday is today. Yes, we are about…
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