January 4, 2025

OUR TAKE: 2025 is Here. We are Ready!

Happy New Year! I trust that everyone had a fun and safe New Year’s Eve celebration and that we are ready to take on the challenge and excitement of a…
December 28, 2024

OUR TAKE: Seeing the Forest for the Trees

I often scoff at idioms. Generally, they appear when a more complex thought should be utilized. Reviewing some common idioms proves this point.  Do the phrases “break a leg,” “better…
homecoming the cruise
December 21, 2024

OUR TAKE: The Gift of Celebration

Later this week, folks will be celebrating Christmas, Hannukah and Kwanzaa. While these holidays do not cover the entire world, it is a very good start. Each holiday has its…
December 14, 2024

OUR TAKE: From “Divine Nine Challenge” to Homecoming: The Cruise

Homecoming: The Cruise is meant to produce education, entertainment and excellence in the tradition of HBCUs and the NPHC.
DUKE ELLINGTON AND ORCHESTRA THE WEEKENDER
December 7, 2024

OUR TAKE: Jazz & World War II

Frequent readers of this column know my reverence for Winston Churchill and my interest in all matters surrounding World War II. Our world today has conflicts, but none of them…
SIGNATURE JAZZ CRUISES HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE
November 30, 2024

OUR TAKE: The Gift of Jazz

They say that nearly 70% of all holiday gifts are purchased this weekend. My wife and I are part of that group, as we spend the weekend making our list, checking…
THANKSGIVING WEEKENDER
November 23, 2024

OUR TAKE: The Weekend Before Thanksgiving

For those who follow this column, you may remember that I love Thanksgiving. The menu is simple, known by all, but flexible enough to highlight individual and family heritage recipes. No gifts. No…
ROY HAYNES WEEKENDER
November 16, 2024

OUR TAKE: Roy Haynes – American Drummer

Talk about a legend. None bigger than Roy Haynes, a true original American drummer, who died this week at 99. He sailed with us twice on The Jazz Cruise years…
QUINCY JONES
November 9, 2024

OUR TAKE: Quincy Jones – Jazz Man

Not sure that anyone in the history of music was more influential than Quincy Jones. His career spanned over seven decades. Known worldwide for his work with Michael Jackson, composing…
EDDIE HIGGINS
October 26, 2024

OUR TAKE: A Life Well Lived

Dick Golden is the host of a Saturday morning jazz show on SXM called American Jazz. He was our Jazz Historian on The Jazz Cruise for several years and was…
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