The old joke was “I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out.” The new joke is “I went to a casino and a professional sporting event broke out.” In the blink of an eye, not only is betting on professional sports being freely advertised, but past stars, even superstars, are the ones doing the promos. Betting and gambling are long-standing vices. To pretend they are not part of sports is foolish, but do we have to have that activity be presented as part of the sport? At times, it seems like betting is the sport and the game is no more than opening an envelope to reveal the winner.

Our preoccupation with the McDonald – LaBelle Cruise postponed our annual discussion about April being Jazz Appreciation Month. I will forego that customary “we appreciate jazz every month” bromide and go straight ahead (get it!) to the heart of the matter. That being an honest discussion about our love of jazz and what that means […]

Jazz Cruises is the GOLD STANDARD for Jazz at Sea. Apparently, we have a very cool side hustle going. We just completed a wonderful 4-day, 3-night cruise that featured the very soulful Michael McDonald and Patti LaBelle, the Godmother of Soul. Between those shows, hanging with Marcus Miller, enjoying the comedy of George Wallace and Alonzo Bodden, the songs of Lisa Fischer and a wonderful crowd of fans, this cruise was amazing! Not our regular gig, but a lot of fun!

There is no such thing as a great band, or even a good band, that sports a poor drummer. Drums are the foundation upon which you can build something big, something impressive.

Did you know that nearly 70% of all tornadoes occur from March through May? Perhaps that is why I have always found this time of the year to be unsettling. There is a rhythm to the Winter Season and Summer plays out according to a plan as well. I think Fall is the best time […]

For the past few years, not counting the Pandemic period, Jazz Cruises has presented some form of Jazz Festival in our hometown of St. Louis. Most recently, it was called The Smooth Jazz Cruise on Land in St. Louis. With the addition of new programs, Botti at Sea and Journey of Jazz, we thought that […]

As I have shared before, Boscov’s Berks Jazz Fest has been an important part of our jazz reach for many years. The lineup is always a blend of “straight ahead” and “smooth” jazz and many, many of the musicians who perform on our cruise programs also perform at Berks. The success of this festival is […]

Tonight, actually early tomorrow morning, we will move our clocks forward one hour signaling the beginning of Daylight Savings Time. I imagine that most people look forward to this occurrence as it allows for more outdoor activities after the normal workday, making twilight golf and tennis, concerts, barbecues, and baseball games more available. Yet, I […]

Excuse the play on words, but it was too tempting to resist. The first of our “Vine” inspirations is by far the most important. The Divine Nine is the nickname of a group of nine historically Black Greek-letter organizations called the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC). For years, on an informal basis, many of the member groups have gathered […]

Upon coming home from 33 days at sea, the goals are to catch up and unpack. While at sea, with all the great music, fun events, and wonderful guests to talk to, there is little time to keep up with the personal and business correspondence that occurs during that length of time. Digging out from […]