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.
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THE WEEKENDER ARCHIVE
September 13, 2025
Our Take: Journey of Jazz ’25 in Victoria, BC
After last night’s fabulous opening show which featured host Marcus Miller educating, entertaining and enlightening us about the History of Jazz, our “journey” has taken us to Victoria BC for…
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September 6, 2025
Our Take: Jazz and the NFL
The ’25 – ’26 NFL season is kicking off (literally) this weekend. Already off to a memorable start with Jerry Jones joining the Bill Belichick “What Was I Thinking?” club…
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August 30, 2025
Our Take: Labor Day Weekend
If you are looking for a great jazz experience this Labor Day Weekend, the search is an easy one. In alphabetical order, Aspen, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, District of Columbia and…
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August 23, 2025
Our Take: Lineups for the Future are Reminders of the Past
Historically, August is the month that we try to finalize our lineups for next round of cruise programs. No, not the ’26 Cruises, those have been set for months and…
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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May 24, 2025
Our Take: Memorial Day Weekend
Happy Memorial Day Weekend! I am not sure that you can say “happy” when referring to a somber holiday, but, from a purely secular perspective, the weekend is one of…
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