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 to explore the plethora of famous people who were born on this day, May 31.
There is a host of celebrities in this group: Clint Eastwood, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Costner, Bruce Willis, John Cusack, Charlie Sheen, Liam Neeson, David Caruso, Brooke Shields, Joe Namath and more. Not a bad list at all. Putting the men on the list together would enable a very cool “caper movie.” Playing off the Ocean’s 11 franchise, these guys could be former softball teammates whose companies downsized and they lost their jobs. Faced with sudden financial needs, they band together under the leadership of Eastwood, of course, to rob Dunkin’ Donuts outlets around the country.
Disguised as maintenance crews, they hit over 50 franchise outlets in one weekend, stealing money and doughnuts. The doughnuts are used to bribe law enforcement officers as the culprits pretend to be panhandlers working the streets and selling doughnuts. This movie would go straight to Netflix!
Not surprisingly, today is also the birthday of four world class musicians, each of whom has performed or continues to perform on our cruise programs. The first two are legends in the world of jazz and were among the very first musicians to perform on The Jazz Cruise. In fact, both of them were on the very first sailing of that program in 2001. James Wesley “Red” Holloway was a tenor saxophone from the old school of jazz. Red was a session player in Chicago playing mainly R & B music for recording artists.
Holloway’s big break in the jazz world came in 1963 when his friend Jack McDuff brought him to New York City to play on the now-classic Prestige album Live!. He remained a member of the organist’s combo, which also featured guitarist George Benson, for four years and recorded a series of albums of his own for Prestige. His career then moved him to Los Angeles where he was the music director at the famous Parisian Room. Never without a story or a laugh, Red was the Jester of The Jazz Cruise for many years.
Though he was 10 years to the day younger than Red, Albert “Tootie” Heath was also a senior musician when he sailed on The Jazz Cruise in 2001. Performing with his brothers, Jimmy Heath (tenor saxophonist) and Percy Heath (bass), Tootie was a hard bop drummer of amazing talent. Emmet Cohen, host of The Jazz Cruise, performed with Tootie not long before Tootie died at 88. The Heath Brothers were staples of the early cruise programs of ours. Most guests could not tell which was which until they mounted the bandstand and picked up their instruments. One of our guests complained to them about their names, saying that the brother who played saxophone, not drums, should be called “Tootie.” That story was my personal hack for knowing their names.
Moving to the modern day, 30-year-old vibraphonist, Joel Ross, has dazzled our guests on various sailings of Blue Note at Sea. Though the term of that cruise has expired, the memory of his performances is indelibly etched in our minds. Birthday boy Joel is a Blue Note Records’ artist having been signed by the iconic Don Was at the age of 25. Joel was part of several configurations led by Robert Glasper and has grown to be a leader of his own band. The vibraphone is one of those instruments that you either love or you do not understand. I am not sure how much I like it as the lead, but I do love it when it is joined by horns of any kind. The juxtaposition of the blare from the horns and the clean ring of the vibes is amazing.
Now to our #1 birthday celebration.
Today is Christian McBride’s 53rd birthday. With all that he has accomplished, it is hard to believe that he is only 53! Perhaps he started when he was 10! Winning 9 GRAMMY® Awards, being a sideman on over 400 recordings, leading countless top bands (Inside Straight, Remembering Ray Brown, Ursa Major, Christian McBride’s Big Band, Christian McBride Trio and Tip City), Artistic Director of the Newport Jazz Festival and the host of radio shows on SiriusXM and NPR sounds like the resume of someone in their 70s!
Christian is also the host of Christian McBride’s World at Sea Cruise, one of our newest programs. The cruise highlights many of Christian’s amazing ensembles along with some of the most lauded vocal talent in the world of jazz, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Samara Joy, José James, Ledisi and Melissa Walker (Christian’s wife). The cruise is one of the most exciting projects we have ever presented, and that verve is due entirely to the spirit and talents of Christian.
Looking for the proper present for Christian McBride? Reserving a stateroom for his cruise is the perfect gift. Always fits. Never goes out of date. Nothing to wrap!
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.
Boney James’ Fans: The ’25 Summer Tour is About to Start
Boney James, co-host of The Smooth Jazz Cruise and iconic performer in this genre, is about to begin his ’25 Slow Burn Summer Tour.
For ticket information, go to www.boneyjames.com, click on “Tour” and then select the show near you. You do not want to miss his amazing show! On behalf of everyone at Signature Cruise Experiences, “Go Boney, Go Boney!”
Jazz Festivals in June
Tomorrow is the first day of June, which means that jazz festival season has really started. Here are four great events on successive weekends, all of which feature artists associated with our cruise programs.
Napa Valley Jazz Getaway
June 4-7
The Grand Reserve at Meritage Resort Napa, CA
Healdsburg Jazz Festival
June 13-22
Various venues Healdsburg, CA
Vancouver Jazz Festival
June 20-July 1
Various venues, Vancouver, BC
Saratoga Jazz Festival
June 28-29
Saratoga Performing Arts Center Saratoga Springs, NY
The Lowdown on SiriusXM
The incredible SiriusXM radio show, The Lowdown: Conversations with Christian, featuring Christian McBride’s engaging interviews (and musical performances) with his fellow artists, airs every Saturday at 11AM ET and Tuesday at 6PM ET on the Real Jazz channel. Many of the episodes feature interviews with artists recorded during The Jazz Cruise, but all make for great listening.
Here’s the upcoming schedule of episodes:
May 24 & May 27: Randy Brecker (Part 1)
May 31 & June 3: Randy Brecker (Part 2)
June 7 & 10: Brad Mehldau
June 14 & 17: Marcus Miller
June 21 & 24: Todd Williams
June 28 & July 1: Lara Downes
July 5 & 8: John Clayton
July 12 & 15: Kurt Elling
July 19 & 22: Dan Wilson
July 26 & 29: Eubanks Brothers
August 2 & 5: Emmet Cohen
Stateroom Availability
Cruise Programs – 2025
| Journey of Jazz | Over 94% Reserved. Special Pricing for Remaining Staterooms with Promo Code: NOW |
Cruise Programs – 2026
| David Foster: The Hitman Cruise | Open Booking Now |
| Christian McBride’s World at Sea | Open Booking Now; Special Prices for Ocean View and Inside Staterooms. Promo Code: CMW |
| The Jazz Cruise ’26 | 73% Reserved – Open Booking Now |
| The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘26.1 | Join Waitlist |
| The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘26.2 | Join Waitlist |
| Top Shelf Country Cruise | Open Booking Now |
| The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘26.3 | 78% Reserved – Open Booking Now |
| Botti at Sea ’26 | Open Booking Now |
Signature Cruise Experiences’ Programs
Journey of Jazz ’25
Limited Time Promotional Pricing
The cruise is more than 94% reserved! The remaining staterooms consist, mainly, of Veranda Staterooms, Inside Staterooms and Single Inside Staterooms! These remaining staterooms are favorably priced through June 15, 2025(*). Please use the promo code: NOW. There is no obligation to complete a reservation once you learn the prices. *New reservations only.
David Foster: The Hitman Cruise
5 Days, 5 Nights, 5 Star Experience
David Foster: The Hitman Cruise will deliver five incredible days and nights of five-star entertainment, all centered around the music and career of 16-time GRAMMY® winner David Foster. Michael McDonald, Babyface, Katharine McPhee and other preeminent talents will join us aboard. Open Booking started yesterday and staterooms are already moving fast! Act soon to reserve your stateroom of choice.
Christian McBride’s World at Sea
Limited Time Promotional Pricing
Open Booking has begun! Special pricing is available for a limited time on Ocean View and Inside Staterooms. Use Promo Code CMW when you make your reservation! *New reservations only
The Jazz Cruise ’26
is in Open booking
The Jazz Cruise ’26 is in Open Booking! Anyone may now reserve any available stateroom. This program always hits “fully reserved.” The only question is when!
The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘26.1 is in Open Booking
The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘26.2 is Fully Reserved
Of course, you may join the Waitlist. Or, if you’d prefer to sail the West Coast this fall (two novel concepts for this program), consider joining us on The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘26.3.
Top Shelf Country Cruise
is now in Open Booking
With premium talent like Keith Urban, Lee Brice, Scotty McCreery, Parmalee, LeAnn Rimes, Thelma & James and Kassi Ashton, Top Shelf Country Cruise earns its title as the First-Class Country Music Cruise! Reserve your stateroom today!
The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘26.3
is in Open Booking
For the first time in many years, The Smooth Jazz Cruise will sail on the West Coast!
The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘26.3 is in Open Booking and staterooms are more than 75% reserved. Reserve your stateroom today!
Botti at Sea ’26
is in Open Booking
We’re thrilled to be able to announce that Boz Scaggs, Elvis Costello, Melody Gardot and Peabo Bryson will be onboard Botti at Sea ’26.
Open Booking has begun. Reserve your stateroom today!