STL Jazz Fest, our land-based homage to all facets of our jazz programs, began last night in grand fashion. The evening included performances by our Music Director Eric Marienthal and his quintet, which included Kevin Turner, Carnell Harrell, Nate Phillips and Chris Miskel. Joining the band was a true Signature Cruise Experiences’ mainstay, the great Niki […]

Many schools will reopen this Monday, August 19. Seeing schools open before Labor Day is a shock to my system as, at every level of my education, the day after Labor Day was “Back to School” day. Back then, you started your summer activities or job in mid-June and continued until mid-August. From there, you […]

We are spending a lot of time preparing for the 25th Anniversary of The Jazz Cruise celebration. The lineup of musicians is set. With fewer than 30 staterooms available to reserve, our “guest list” (aka “passengers”) is nearly set. All that remains is to make sure that our programming reflects the strength of the musicians […]

A few months ago, I was bemoaning the “loss” of two important and meaningful jazz traditions in events and relationships in my world of jazz. The Vail Jazz Organization announced that it would not produce its annual Vail Jazz Party in ’24 and John Ernesto announced his retirement from his role with Berks Jazz Fest, […]

In a recent interview, Kirk Whalum bemoaned the fact that too often the music played under the “smooth jazz” umbrella suffers from a lack of individualism as compositions are dictated by the parameters of the format and less expressions of the musicians. Kirk, of course, is one of the most talented, respected and beloved musicians […]

Who is the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time) of female jazz vocalists? Among those who have passed, the short list of candidates would include Billie Holliday, Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan and Nina Simone. But most jazz fans would select Ella Fitzgerald as the runaway winner of the title. The contest for the G.L.O.V.E. (greatest living […]

Going to London and Wimbledon has always been one of the bucket list items of my life. I am a tennis fan, an avid (not talented) player and I can remember watching Sampras, Borg, McEnroe, Connors and, of course, Federer play on Centre Court. Parts of the tournament were always around July 4th, which made […]

We are just past the midway point of both the summer and the year. Both seem to have gone by very quickly. Perhaps that is a function of being older, but a lot has transpired as well. Some good. Some bad. Some happy. Some sad. Anyway, this is a good time to share some thoughts […]

To most people, this title would foreshadow a discussion of two rivals in the National Basketball Association. Though the name Miami Heat makes a lot of sense, Utah Jazz may be the most oxymoronic nickname in the world of sports. For those who are old enough to remember Pete Maravich, the Utah Jazz were originally in […]

For the past few years, Jazz Cruises has declared a few days around July 4th to be our Midsummer Holiday. Usually, that is a slower time of year, but the main reason for the break is to offset our necessity to keep regular hours during the year-end holidays. While most of the entertainment world is […]