THE SMOOTH JAZZ CRUISE
August 31, 2024
OUR TAKE: Labor Day Resolutions
Resolutions should not be made only at New Years. Though the calendar changes from one year to the next, that day is not a bright line for much. Perhaps it…
August 24, 2024
OUR TAKE: Showtime!
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…
August 17, 2024
OUR TAKE: Back to (Music) School
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…
August 10, 2024
OUR TAKE: Celebrating Jazz
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…
August 3, 2024
OUR TAKE: Reviving Our Jazz Traditions
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…
July 27, 2024
OUR TAKE: Commander Kirk – Going Where We Have Gone Before
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…
July 20, 2024
OUR TAKE: Dianne, Diana & Dee Dee
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…
July 13, 2024
Our Take: Back in the States
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…
July 6, 2024
OUR TAKE: Odds and Ends
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,…
June 29, 2024
OUR TAKE: Jazz vs. Heat
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…