Our Take: I’m Putting All My Eggs in One Basket

Kim Kelley — Sat, 04 Apr 2026 04:06:00 +0000

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday. I spent some time this week researching jazz tunes that have an Easter theme or connection. Irving Berlin’s “I’m Putting All My Eggs in One Basket” popped up. The history of the tune and the common meaning of this idiom drew my attention immediately.

First introduced by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in the 1936 musical comedy film Follow the Fleet, the song took a decidedly jazzy turn when Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong created their version. Fred and Ginger. Ella and Louis. One of the earliest examples of “first name only” recognition.

Leaning into the Easter theme for the song was easily done and, at that level, the song can be placed in the “fun” and “whimsical” categories. Nothing wrong with that. We can always use some laughter and smiles. But when I hear the words “Putting All My Eggs in One Basket” other thoughts come to mind.

Depending upon the circumstances, the phrase is apt for one’s total commitment to a cause, a goal or an objective. This pursuit can be laudatory. Watching someone pursue a dream with all their heart and soul is inspirational and to be admired.

But, at what point does “putting all my eggs in one basket” become dangerous, even delusional? Don Quixote wanted to spend his life righting wrongs. That is all that mattered to him. His passion led to his false belief that he was a knight. Not being able to live up to that pursuit, Don Quixote lived a life that was unfulfilled.

Recently, in various ways, I have spent time with young jazz musicians. One of the most gratifying and fascinating undertakings of our new Signature Cruise Experiences Foundation is our dedication to supporting these dedicated performers in the pursuit of their dream, that being a full time jazz musician.

That is the goal. To earn a living playing music and to play the type of music that they love. Many know that teaching and other music related duties may be required to support their pursuit, but most of them hope that the ratio of performing and other music pursuits is heavily in favor of being on the bandstand.

These young artists are “Putting All [Their] Eggs in One Basket.” How long they continue “tilting at windmills” will depend on luck, persistence and the ability to survive. For every Samara Joy and Patrick Bartley, there are hundreds of talented jazz performers who find their pursuit to be “The Impossible Dream.” While they are tilting at those windmills and keeping those baskets full, it will be the mission of Signature Cruise Experiences Foundation to help them stay with that dream as long as possible, to help them to reach “the unreachable stars.” “And the world will be better for it.”

We will be releasing more information about the newly-formed Signature Cruise Experiences Foundation in the coming weeks. We look forward to sharing this vision and the stories and music it creates. We may not impact the world, but we will help young musicians.

I apologize to those who wanted to know more about the relationship of jazz and Easter. Maybe next year we will explore that topic in more depth. Though, perhaps the plight of young musicians, their solemn devotion to what they believe, their pursuit of excellence and the sacrifices they make along the way may, in some ways, echo themes found in the Easter story.

By Michael Lazaroff, Executive Director of The Jazz Cruise, The Smooth Jazz Cruise, Chris Botti 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.

Jazz Appreciation Month

SCE Artists on Jazz

In celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month, we asked 30 artists who sail on our programs what jazz means to them. We’ll be posting a new one to our social media pages every day in April. You can read each artist’s entire essay here.

Patrick Bartley and John Pizzarelli Perform in Dallas

If you are in the Dallas area this spring, you can hear two performers from The Jazz Cruise playing with a full big band. Both concerts are at the Eisemann Center in Richardson, TX.

Patrick Bartley will perform on Sunday, April 19. And John Pizzarelli will perform on Sunday, May 31. They will both perform with the 18-piece Texins Jazz Band, who are celebrating their 40th anniversary this year. They have hosted 82 concerts with guest artists over those years.

LEARN MORE

Vail Jazz Festival

Our friends at Vail Jazz have let us know that tickets are now on sale for the 32nd Annual Vail Jazz Festival, taking place over Labor Day Weekend, September 4–6, 2026.

The lineup features many artists familiar to guests of The Jazz Cruise, including John Clayton, Niki Haris, Jeff Hamilton, Terell Stafford, Wycliffe Gordon, Lewis Nash, Camille Thurman, Sean Jones and many more.

Consider a trip to Vail to experience extraordinary music, stunning scenery, and a vibrant jazz community. Signature Cruise Experiences has supported Vail Jazz for more than 20 years.

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Signature Cruise Experiences Upcoming Programs

Sailing in the Next 12 Months

Botti at Sea III (’26)

9.18.26 – 9.25.26
Chris Botti hosts a West Coast Cruise with Amazing Talent and Fabulous Excursions & Events

Botti at Sea III (’26) is in Open Booking. Anyone may select any available stateroom and complete a reservation.

The lineup has been set for a few months. Joining Chris Botti will be Elvis Costello, Boz Scaggs, Melody Gardot, Peabo Bryson, Regina Belle, Emmet Cohen, Veronica Swift, Candy Dulfer, John Splithoff, Morgan James, Benny Benack III, Kandace Springs, Harold Lopez-Nussa Trio ft. Gregoire Maret and more. The cruise will sail from Los Angeles to Vancouver, with calls in San Francisco and Victoria.

We recently had Chris Botti participate in a livestream for both booked guests and those interested in sailing. Members of our team detailed the events, shows and special excursions that this cruise offers in a 60+ minute video presentation which you can see below.

Botti at Sea III incorporates two experiences. First, is another edition of our famous cruise programs with nightly special shows, hours of additional music and intimate and insightful opportunities to learn more about our performers.

The second aspect of the programs is a robust offering of excursions and events when we dock in San Francisco (overnight) and in Victoria, BC (full day). You can visit wineries in Napa or Sonoma, tour Napa Valley on the Napa Valley Wine Train, dine at the finest restaurants, see special shows at SFJazz, and more. Each of these events are curated, produced and presented by us.

To learn more about the cruise and the amazing excursions, check out the Botti Cruise Livestream Video on-demand on our website and on YouTube.

The Smooth Jazz Cruise

‘26.3 (9.11.26 – 9.18.26)
’27.1 (1.31.27 – 2.7.27)
’27.2 (2.7.27 – 2.14.27)
3 Sailings of “The Greatest Party at Sea”

Known as “The Greatest Party at Sea,” The Smooth Jazz Cruise has sailed over 30 times since 2004. Year after year, there is a waitlist for staterooms and the cruises hit Fully Reserved earlier and earlier.

The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’26.3 is fully reserved. Guests wishing to sail on the cruise should Join the Wait List now. Any cancellations by current guests will be filled by the Wait List.

The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘27.1 and ‘27.2 are both in Open Booking. ’27.1 is more than 80% reserved and ’27.2 is more than 90% reserved. Please note that the itineraries for both sailings have been updated.

The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’27.1
Tampa – Ochos Rios – Grand Cayman – Tampa

The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’27.2
Tampa – Grand Cayman – Ocho Rios – Tampa

David Foster: The Hitman Cruise ’27

1.12.27 – 1.17.27

Stay Tuned for the Lineup and Detail

David Foster: The Hitman Cruise ’26 (Foster ’26) was a runaway hit program. From the first note to the last song, the brilliance of David Foster was evident in every show and event. As you recall, David wanted to learn more about how the cruise programs unfold before he casted the lineup for David Foster: The Hitman Cruise Encore Sailing ’27.

That moment has arrived. The lineup for David Foster: The Hitman Cruise Encore Sailing ’27 has been announced and includes Michael McDonald, Dianne Reeves, Katharine McPhee, Erich Bergen and more.

Foster ’26 Guests are currently able to finalize rebooking of their staterooms through April 10, after which Pre-Sail Reservations holders will be eligible to select a stateroom and complete their reservation. There is still time to complete a Pre-Sail Reservation (no deposit or obligation required)—just click below.

JOIN DAVID FOSTER: THE HITMAN CRUISE ’27 PRE-SAIL

The Jazz Cruise ’27

1.17.27 – 1.24.27

Still the Greatest Jazz Festival at Sea

The Jazz Cruise is the first program that Signature Cruise Experiences ever produced. Since its first sailing in 2001, The Jazz Cruise has been the world leader in presenting “straight ahead” jazz at sea.

The cruise is in Open Booking, where anyone may reserve any available stateroom.

The Jazz Cruise reaches Fully Reserved every year and staterooms for The Jazz Cruise ’27 are being reserved faster and sooner than ever.

RESERVE A STATEROOM ON THE JAZZ CRUISE ’27

Journey of Jazz ’27

1.24.27 – 1.31.27

Now in Open Booking

Journey of Jazz ’27 will be an amazing cruise program featuring hosts Marcus Miller and Gregory Porter, a full lineup of great musicians and vocalists and a special two days in New Orleans which features Wynton Marsalis and a group of his hand-picked musicians.

In its second season, Journey of Jazz proudly combines the very best music with opportunities to live the jazz life and learn more about the history of jazz. As an example, Journey of Jazz ’27 will present Ledisi as a main show performer on the ship. In keeping with the theme of the cruise, Ledisi will perform her universally beloved Tribute to Dinah (Washington) program.

Details for the overnight stay in New Orleans are nearly complete. There will be special jazz shows in the city, dining at iconic New Orleans restaurants (Brennan’s, Commander’s Palace, Arnaud’s and more), tours of the city on land and by ship and much more. Each event in New Orleans will be curated, produced and presented by Signature Cruise Experiences.

Journey of Jazz ’27 is in Open Booking. You may select and reserve any available stateroom at this time. This may be the jazz experience of the year.

RESERVE A STATEROOM ON JOURNEY OF JAZZ ’27

Sailing in 18 Months

Botti at Sea IV (’27)

10.6.27 – 10.13.27

Chris Botti Takes His Cruise from Boston to Quebec

A Canadian itinerary in the Fall is one of the most popular cruise itineraries in the industry. Fall colors, beautiful scenery, hands on adventures in famous ports-of-call. If nothing else was taking place on the ship, a cruise with these features would be in high demand. So, when Chris Botti decided to take his amazing cruise program from Boston to Quebec City, with a full complement of the entertainers and performers that you have grown to love and expect, not only was he gilding the lily, but he was creating one of the top music cruise experiences ever offered.

Stay tuned for more programming and reservation procedure details. As is always the case on a Signature Cruise Experiences program, guests on Botti at Sea III (’26) (’26 Guests) will be able to rebook their current staterooms and those who are not ’26 Guests will be eligible to submit a Pre-Sail Reservation which will establish their stateroom selection priority after the ’26 Guests complete their rebooking procedure.

Look for most of this to happen around 8.15.26!

The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘27.3

10.13.27 – 10.20.27

This program will be an exciting combination of our customary great music, Fall colors and other special events.

The exclusive Rebooking window for guests of The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’26.3 closed on March 31, 2026. Guests who completed a Pre-Sail Reservation will be invited to select their stateroom and complete their reservation starting on April 6, 2026.

Pre-Sail Reservations remain open through April 10, 2026 and are the best way to reserve a stateroom prior to Open Booking, which begins April 16, 2026.

JOIN THE SMOOTH JAZZ CRUISE ‘27.3 PRE-SAIL

The post Our Take: I’m Putting All My Eggs in One Basket appeared first on Signature Cruise Experiences.

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