Jazz Cruise Conversations

This interview with guitarist Dan Wilson by his friend and mentor Christian McBride was taped during The Jazz Cruise for broadcast on the radio show “The Lowdown: Conversations with Christian” on SiriusXM's Real Jazz channel. This LEARN session covers their joint history, as well as Dan's early musical development, playing in church.  In keeping with the format of Christian's show, the two also play some improvised music together.

This conversation was recorded during The Jazz Cruise earlier this year, and it featured a conversation between two of our longtime favorite performers – vocalist Catherine Russell and guitarist and vocalist John Pizzarelli, with Catherine taking on the interviewer role.  For the last few years, John and Catherine have been performing together in a project they call 'Billie and Blue Eyes,' spotlighting the music of Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra. John talked about coming up in the jazz and music world and hanging (and playing) with legends like Benny Goodman, Les Paul, Joe Venuti, Zoot Sims, Slam Stewart, Clark Terry, George Shearing, and of course, his father Bucky. Plus, John shared some stories about working with pop icons James Taylor and Paul McCartney.

This conversation was recorded during The Jazz Cruise '24 and it features an interview with multi-instrumentalist James Morrison, who talked with the cruise's music director Eric Marienthal about the challenges of playing multiple instruments at a high level.  James also discusses his experiences as an airplane pilot, who does in fact fly himself and his bandmembers to many of his gigs.

This conversation with saxophonist Mindi Abair, hosted by Talaya of "Watercolors" on SiriusXM, was recorded on the second week of The Smooth Jazz Cruise earlier this year.  The two talked about Mindi's storied career and her interests off the bandstand.

In this conversation recorded during Botti at Sea '24, as part of the Jazz on Film series hosted by Lee Mergner, we showed a bit of Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool, Stanley Nelson's 2019 documentary about the great trumpeter.  To talk about Miles' life and legacy, we asked another great trumpeter, Randy Brecker, who has always been a marvelous story teller.  Perhaps no other artist lends themself more to stories than Miles Davis.  Randy not only put Miles' singular influence in perspective, but shared some of his personal encounters with Miles, including their exchange about who discovered the wah wah peddle first. 

This conversation was recorded on The Jazz Cruise earlier this year and it featured a talk with Jazzmeia Horn and Cyrille Aimee, moderated by fellow vocalist Catherine Russell, who is also one of the hosts of The Jazz Cruise.  The two talked about their unique musical roots – Jazzmeia's in gospel and Cyrille's in French gypsy music and how they first got into jazz.  They also share their creative process for recording and composing.  And there's lots more, including questions from our discerning guests.

This conversation with three of our artists was recorded on the first sailing of The Smooth Jazz Cruise earlier this year. It features a talk with Rick Braun, Richard Elliot and Peter White, moderated by one of our hosts, Talaya from Sirius XM. The three old friends talked about the first time they met, mostly going back to the 80s, when fusion was at its peak and Smooth Jazz was just emerging as a genre.  Then, Rick talked about working with Sade, Peter explained why almost every British band sings with an American accent, and Richard recalled his formative time with Tower of Power. But there's lot's more in this very engaging and often funny conversation.

As part of the Jazz on Film series on Botti at Sea '24, host Lee Mergner showed a bit of the documentary "Still Bill" about Bill Withers.  Jose James, who paid tribute to Bill with his album "Lean on Me," then talked with Lee about the great singer-songwriter's music, life and legacy.

This conversation recorded on the Jazz Cruise earlier this year is from one of our LEARN sessions held during the day. James Morrison interviewed fellow trumpeters Bria Skonberg and Benny Benack the third.  They talk plenty of brass of course, but also about how they balance playing and singing.  And the two talk about how their own style and sound evolved.  Finally, they take a bunch of interesting questions from the audience.

In this episode, two of our longtime cruise hosts and headliners—Alonzo Bodden and Marcus Miller—talk music, comedy and life in a free-wheeling and entertaining conversation recorded on The Smooth Jazz Cruise. Although Alonzo kicks it off as the interviewer, in reality any session with these two longtime friends is bound to go back and forth, with one turning the tables on the other, and with a healthy dose of good-spirited razzing along the way.

This conversation was recorded on the inaugural sailing of Botti at Sea in 2024 and it featured an interview with the great vocalist Samara Joy, as part of the Jazz on Film series Lee Mergner hosted that week.  Samara talked in depth about Sarah's incredible legacy and about her own evolution as a jazz singer in this candid conversation.

This conversation was recorded during the most recent sailing of The Jazz Cruise and it featured an interview of NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron by our artistic director Shelly Berg.  Kenny talked with Shelly about his early formative years growing up in Philadelphia, as well as about lessons learned from playing with jazz greats such as Dizzy Gillespie, Yusef Lateef, Charle Haden and Stan Getz.  Kenny and Shelly also geek out about both the piano and teaching piano. 

This conversation with vocalist Jeffrey Osborne was recorded during a recent sailing of The Smooth Jazz Cruise. Jeffrey talked with Marcus Miller about his rigorous health regimen and about his early years as a vocalist and his time with LTD, which started as a back up band for Sam and Dave. Did you know that Jeffrey actually started out as a drummer?  With the O'Jays, no less. You'll learn even more interesting aspects about Jeffrey's music and career during this fascinating talk. Oh, and a fellow vocalist makes a late but funny cameo appearance during the interview.

This conversation was recorded during the most recent sailing of The Jazz Cruise and it featured an interview with two longtime friends and colleagues—Paquito D'Rivera and Chucho Valdes.  Going back to their native land of Cuba, Paquito played in Irakere, a band founded in 1973 by Chucho who led that band for more than four decades.  The two recently reunited for an album called I Missed You Too as well as for a tour with their sextet.  The Jazz Cruise All-Star James Morrison handled the moderator duties in this very animated conversation filled with wit and wisdom.

This conversation was recorded on the inaugural sailing of Botti at Sea and it featured an interview with the great vocalist Gregory Porter by Lee Mergner, as part of the Jazz on Film series he hosted that week.  This episode is about the legendary Nat King Cole. Most people know about Gregory's professional affinity for Nat and his music, but may not know just how personal that affinity is.  He explains his deep love for Nat and even sings a few tunes that make that connection clear.

In this conversation recorded on The Smooth Jazz Cruise 24.1, saxophonist Mindi Abair talks with cruise host Talaya from SiriusXM.  . Mindi talked about collaborating with other artists on The Smooth Jazz Cruise.  And about breaking into the music business when she first moved to LA where she was discovered by Bobby Lyle.  She also reflects on partnering with guitarist Randy Jacobs in the band The Boneshakers.  And of course she discusses her wine and jazz adventures. 

In this one-on-one conversation from Botti at Sea earlier this year, Alonzo Bodden, our longtime comedian in residence, sat down with Keb' Mo' to talk about his storied career in music. And that career has truly been storied, starting with the fact that Keb' released his first album way back when, billed by his given name of Kevin Moore. Of course, that became grist for material for our friend Alonzo. Make no mistake, Keb' is a humble yet gifted guitarist, singer and songwriter. Someone who has earned every bit of his remarkable success. As is often the case, the audience got into the act at the end with informed questions and comments. 

In this conversation from The Jazz Cruise '24, Catherine Russell interviewed pianist Renee Rosnes about her upbringing in Canada as a student of classical music who was introduced to jazz by an important mentor. Renee also reflected on working with jazz legends like Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson and James Moody. She also talked about her own music as a longtime bandleader and her very special collaborations with her husband, fellow pianist Bill Charlap. And, of course, about Artemis, the super group she founded that performed on the cruise.

In this interview from Blue Note at Sea '23, noted record producer Don Was spoke with the great percussionist and bandleader Sheila E.  Sheila talked with Don about her unique musical relationship with her father Pete Escovedo and her brothers.  She shared stories of working with legendary artists such as Ringo Starr, Marvin Gaye, George Duke, Herbie Hancock, Michael Jackson and Prince.  She also explained the mission for her Elevate Oakland community organization.  And she told us about her practice regimen.

This episode features a very special interview with jazz icon Wynton Marsalis by his old friend Christian McBride from The Jazz Cruise earlier this year.  The two have a long history going back to 1984 when Christian was a 14-year-old bassist in Philadelphia and Wynton took him under his wing. He even assured Christian's mother that we would watch over Christian when he moved to NYC a few years later.  Given their relationship and how they both became mentors to so many musicians across multiple generations, it should come as no surprise that the theme of their conversation here was about mentorship and inspiration. Wynton discussed his unique relationship with the late jazz writer and provocateur Stanley Crouch and with Betty Carter, as well as his connection to so many greats, not only in jazz, but in Black American culture, like Ralph Ellison, August Wilson and Albert Murray. Christian also gave Wynton a three-song Blindfold Test, featuring trumpeters.  You can guess how that went. The two also played a couple of duets.  But throughout their talk, it's the stories about their elders that resonated.

This episode features an interview with keyboardist/trombonist/bandleader Brian Culbertson by Talaya from The Smooth Jazz Cruise in 2023.  Brian talks about recording his first album in his apartment when he was in college at DePaul in Chicago. He also explained how he came to develop his streaming show The Hang and how he recorded numerous albums during the pandemic.  Along the way, Brian shares his creative process for writing, arranging and producing. 

In this conversation recorded during Blue Note at Sea '23, saxophonist David Sanborn talks with his old friend and colleague Marcus Miller about his storied life and career in music. 

In this conversation from Blue Note at Sea '23, host Don Was interviews Christian McBride about his practice regimen for the bass, his early years growing up in Philadelphia, his love of James Brown and how he handles his many roles as a musician, composer, bandleader, radio host and educator.  

This episode recorded on The Smooth Jazz Cruise features an interview with saxophonist Candy Dulfer by one of our hosts Talaya. Candy talked about her very musical upbringing in the Netherlands with her father Hans, a noted jazz saxophonist, as well as her own unique journey, crossing paths and collaborating with Dave Stewart, Prince and Van Morrison, and establishing herself as a solo artist.

This episode features a true 1:1 conversation between two old friends, comedian Alonzo Bodden and bassist/bandleader/composer Marcus Miller.  Recorded on Blue Note at Sea '23, the two talked about music and comedy and everything in between.

In this conversation recorded during The Jazz Cruise '23, Shelly Berg interviewed vocal jazz sensation Samara Joy for his "Generation Next" show on SiriusXM's Real Jazz channel.

This week's episode of the Jazz Cruises Conversations podcast features a very special interview by Marcus Miller with Michael McDonald, recorded on The Smooth Jazz Cruise earlier this year. Marcus talked with Michael about his long and storied career, which started out in St. Louis, playing and singing in local cover bands. The rest is history, which you'll hear about in this engaging and entertaining talk. How about this little fact? Michael's local young band backed Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry back in the day. And he explains the origin of the band name The Doobie Brothers. And Michael tells how he came to duet famously with Patti LaBelle on their smash hit “On My Own.”  And now they're doing a cruise together, the McDonald Labelle Cruise with us April 10-13 to Nassau in the Bahamas.

In this one-on-one conversation from Blue Note at Sea earlier this year, Christian McBride interviewed Chris Botti for an episode of his Sirius XM radio show “The Lowdown: Conversations with Christian.” Chris talked about the rewards and challenges of his long-running residency at the Blue Note in New York City.  The two also talked about Chris' beginnings in Portland, Oregon, as well as the impact of the music program at the University of Indiana.  Chris explained why the trumpet is such a difficult instrument to master. He talked about the impact of working with Paul Simon and Sting.  And he even told a Frank Sinatra story. Finally, Christian gave Chris a little Blindfold Test with three trumpeters.

In this episode of the newly renamed Jazz Cruises Conversations podcast, pianists Renee Rosnes and Billy Childs talked with host LeRoy Downs about their common history and inspirations. 

This conversation from Blue Note at Sea '23 featured the acclaimed singer and songwriter Cecile McLorin Salvant, who was interviewed by David SanbornThe two talked about Cecile's passion and gift for the visual arts, and they dug very deep on her recent album Ghost Song, which he clearly listened to a lot. And they got into Cecile's multi-genre project Ogress and her latest album Melusine. Throughout it all, Cecile candidly deconstructs her unique creative process.

Sullivan Fortner sits down with fellow pianist Emmet Cohen to talk about coming from New Orleans to New York City and his emergence on the jazz scene. Sullivan and Emmet talk about the various piano competitions they entered together.  Sullivan also discusses his musical relationship with vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant.  And he shows Emmet some of his practice regimen on the piano.

In this episode from our live conversation series on Facebook and YouTube, the noted pianist Monty Alexander talks with bassist and former bandmate John Clayton about his storied life in music.  It’s a reunion of sorts because back in the mid-70s, Monty led a trio with John and drummer Jeff Hamilton. The three road warriors performed about 300 days a year and recording two albums including the seminal "Montreux Alexander ’76." Monty reminisces about growing up in Jamaica and learning from people like Ray Brown and Oscar Peterson. We also surprised Monty with a special guest who dropped into the conversation for the last 15 minutes. This episode was sponsored by Vail Jazz.

In this Before & After listening session, co-presented on Zoom with JazzTimes, Ken Peplowski plays a dozen tunes for his friend and colleague John Clayton, who shows off his very acute ears.  Besides going deep on the cuts, the two talk about a wide range of topics, including the nuance of the beat, the dangers of the metronome, and why fake books hurt rather than help young musicians. 

In  a recent conversation streamed online, bass trombonist Jennifer Wharton interviewed trumpeter and singer Bria Skonberg about her life in music.  The two discussed everything from choosing the right mutes to balancing the professional demands of playing music with the personal demands of family life.

This singer-on-singer chat was streamed live at part of Jazz Cruise Conversations Live series on social media.  Niki Haris talked with fellow vocalist Ann Hampton Callaway about her colorful and unique career from singing and touring with Madonna to performing jazz at festivals and venues all over the world. Niki also talks about growing up as the daughter of legendary jazz pianist Gene Harris.  And the two share memories of their time together on The Jazz Cruise.

Paquito D’Rivera spoke with fellow clarinetist (and saxophonist) Ken Peplowski in this chat that was streamed live on Facebook and YouTube. The two voluble favorites of The Jazz Cruise talk clarinet of course, but they also discuss Paquito growing up in Cuba, his introduction to music and jazz, his affinity for Brazilian music and his long musical relationship with trumpeter Claudio Roditit, who passed away recently. 

Bassist/bandleader/composer/radio host/educator/artistic director Christian McBride talks with comedian Alonzo Bodden about social issues, sports, comedy, jazz and of course, the bass.  We also surprise Christian with some special guests who show up about 45 minutes in and who kept the conversation going for another half hour.  

The multi-faceted bassist AND singer Nicki Parrott talks with fellow bassist John Clayton about growing up in Australia and about how and why she took up the bass.  The two share their memories of Ray Brown, a mentor to John and a big influence on Nicki. They also discuss their common appreciation for cooking and Nicki shares a short clip from her well-produced web series Chez Nicki Jams, in which she shares a favorite recipe and performs a short number while the dish cooks.

The virtuoso trombonist Wycliffe Gordon talks with Sirius XM radio host Eulis Cathey about his long and storied career, which began in Augusta, Georgia.  Wycliffe explains the impact of playing music in the church there in Augusta.  He also discusses his introduction to jazz, as well as the far-reaching influence of his mentor, Wynton Marsalis.

Noted trumpeter and educator Terell Stafford talks with Sirius XM radio host Eulis Cathey about his background as a classical musicians and how he made the transition to become an accomplished and influential jazz musician. Terell talks about some of his mentors and also about what he tries to teach his students in his role as head of the music department (including classical and jazz) at Temple University.

Ann Hampton Callaway talks with fellow singer and songwriter Kurt Elling about growing up in Chicago and she shares insight into her creative process for choosing and writing songs.  The two talk about the legacy of Freddy Cole whom they both got to know well during sailings of The Jazz Cruise over the years. Ann even performs a song in memory of their old friend Freddy.

Jazz drum great Jeff Hamilton talks with his longtime friend and colleague Ken Peplowski about his life's journey in music, including how he got started on drums, his work with legends like Ray Brown and Oscar Peterson, and leading his own groups, such as his two trios and the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra.

In this edition of Jazz Cruise Conversations Live, the noted organist (and multi-instrumentalist) Joey DeFrancesco talks with comedian Alonzo Bodden about his lifelong love of the Hammond B-3, as well as about how he was "discovered" by Miles Davis with whom he would play when he was a teenager. 

Legendary trumpeter Randy Brecker and saxophonist Ada Rovatti talked with their friend and colleague Eric Marienthal about how they've balance their marriage and their music. They also discuss the legacy of the Brecker Brothers and how they've strived to keep that music alive. 

Guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli sits down in a virtual chat online with his friend Ken Peplowski to talk about the legacy of John's father, Bucky Pizzarelli, the session guitarist, jazz player and bigger than life personality. 

This conversation with the noted bassist/arranger/bandleader John Clayton was streamed live to thousands of jazz fans. Comedian Alonzo Bodden handled the moderator duties and talked with John about the impact of various mentors in his life, including Ray Brown, Count Basie and Monty Alexander. John also explained what it's like to lead and conduct a big band or orchestra. 

Jazz vocal great Kurt Elling sits down for a virtual chat and play with pianist Shelly Berg and they discuss Kurt’s most recent recording, playing with the Branford Marsalis Quartet, moving back to his hometown Chicago and their mutual appreciation for Al Jarreau.

This conversation with saxophonists Mindi Abair and Eric Marienthal took place online last week. Eric, who is the music director for The Smooth Jazz Cruise, interviewed Mindi about her unique and remarkable career—from studying at Berklee to playing in the band on “American Idol” to touring with Aerosmith and to her own successful run as a recording artist and bandleader.

Oscar Peterson's widow and the executor of his estate Kelly Peterson is joined by pianist Benny Green and radio host Dick Golden for a discussion of Peterson's legacy in jazz history. The conversation was recorded on The Jazz Cruise '20 during which Green performed with his trio. This episode is sponsored by SiriusXM's Real Jazz channel.

The singer and songwriter Melody Gardot talks with Mark Ruffin from SiriusXM about growing up in the Philadelphia music scene, about her long recovery from a nearly fatal bike accident and how living in Paris has inspired her personally and creatively. This episode is sponsored by the Monterey Jazz Festival.

The noted jazz and pop vocalist Catherine Russell talks with Eulis Cathey from SiriusXM about her evolution as a singer in this conversation from The Jazz Cruise ’20. Catherine has had a unique double career both as an accomplished backing singer for pop stars and as a leader of her own performing jazz at clubs, theaters and festivals all over the world. This episode is sponsored by SiriusXM’s Real Jazz channel.