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, 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 about the past 6 months and what lies ahead.

Our corner of the world is still embracing the loss of David Sanborn. As shared before, knowing that you will never see him perform live again is difficult to absorb. Though their “playing days” are long in the past, the deaths of Willie Mays (Greatest Baseball Player) and Jerry West (The Logo) conjure up memories from my youth and adolescence. I appreciate those who are not snickering by that statement as many are waiting for the real termination date of my adolescence. All I can say is “good luck with that.” As their nicknames connote, their passing is more than just the passing of an athlete. 

Seeing all the advertisements coming our way, the summer jazz festival season is in high gear. Calling out a few festivals is dangerous as we will undoubtedly miss one or two important shows, but we are throwing caution to the wind and going for it. Our good friend, Christian McBride, is curating the Newport Jazz Festival, August 2 – 4, which features many Jazz Cruises’ performers. Robert Glasper, Kamasi Washington, Samara Joy, Artemis, Ravi Coltrane, Kenny Barron, Anat Cohen and Gerald Clayton will be there along with Christian’s Jam Jawn, an all-star group that features Russell Gunn, Christian Sands and one of our (and mine) favorite performers in the world, Dianne Reeves.

Newport Jazz Festival has so many special memories for us at Jazz Cruises. It was the first “must see” festival of my life. Besides being the site of some of the most famous jazz performances in the history of the genre, I spent four years of my life in college near there, so the aura of being there is overwhelming. Newport is also the home of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Jazz and tennis. If Newport becomes a Major League Baseball town, I will move in a heartbeat.

Labor Day Weekend brings us both the Detroit Jazz Festival and the Vail Jazz Party. Here again, the lineups include many, many Jazz Cruises’ regulars and special guests. In Detroit, you can see and hear Christian McBride & Inside Straight, Ravi Coltrane, Monty Alexander, Billy Childs, Marquis Hill, Nate Smith and Isaiah J. Thompson. There is no charge for this event which makes it one of the most amazing opportunities to enjoy jazz simply by showing up!

Detroit has special meaning as well for us. After spending four years near Newport, I spent the next three years near Detroit. Now, they have a baseball team, but the town is not known for tennis and is too cold in the winter to live there year around. Aubrey and Brad Pavlik, our Chief of Staff and Director of Cruise Operations, respectively, also reside near Detroit.

The Vail Jazz Party, the iconic jazz event curated for years by the late Howard Stone and his wife, Cathy, has been a part of Jazz Cruises’ lore forever! As I have shared before, the end of this event each year was the signal of beginning for our cruise season programming for the next set of cruises. Always inspiring, Vail Jazz Party is special to us and to its many followers. The ’24 edition features John Clayton, Lewis Nash, Terell Stafford, Wycliffe Gordon, Dick Oatts, Bill Cunliffe, James Morrison, Ann Hampton Callaway and Niki Haris. I love being in Vail, but, as I age, the altitude effect makes it difficult for me, leaving Vail on the “visit” and not on the “residence” list.

Yes, I poke fun at St. Louis, my hometown, for there are many reasons not to live here, but we have Major League Baseball (Cardinals), an amazing jazz tradition (Miles Davis, David Sanborn, Clark Terry and many more) and a sterling tennis history as well. What is the tennis history in St. Louis, you are asking? St. Louis was the birthplace of Dwight F. Davis, founder of the international tennis competition that bears his name, Davis Cup.

Davis was the Assistant Secretary of War from 1923 to 1925 and Secretary of War from 1925 to 1929. His grandfather and cousin were Mayors of St. Louis. His tennis prowess is evidenced by being the runner up in the US Championships in 1989 and 1899, being the intercollegiate singles champion (Harvard) in 1899 and a runner up in Men’s Doubles at Wimbledon in 1901.

Which brings me back to what I am doing now, which is preparing for my first ever visit to Wimbledon, which will be tomorrow. London has jazz for sure and we will be at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in a few days to see Marcus Miller perform. Small world, right? No need to think about moving to London. Yes, they have jazz and tennis, but it will be a long time before Major League Baseball makes it over here.

Cricket? Seriously, can anyone explain to me why that sport is entertaining? Plus, I have been told that you cannot buy a hot dog at a cricket match!

By Michael Lazaroff, Executive Director of The Jazz Cruise, The Smooth Jazz Cruise, Chris Botti at Sea, and Journey of Jazz. Feel free to express your views or pose questions to him at [email protected]

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New Music

Recently, two young pianists who have performed in the past on The Jazz Cruise released new albums.

Brandon Goldberg’s Live at Dizzy’s

Pianist Brandon Goldberg first played on The Jazz Cruise as a guest when he was just 9 years old. The now 18-year-old will sail and perform on The Jazz Cruise ’25 as a contracted performer. Brandon recently released the album Live at Dizzy’s on the Cellar Music Group label. Recorded with Ben Wolfe (bass) and Aaron Kimmel (drums), Brandon’s trio concept is grounded in the great piano trios of the 1950s and 1960s. Drawing on the influence of legends such as Ahmad Jamal, Red Garland, Oscar Peterson and Sonny Clark, Brandon’s arrangements and compositions seek to pay homage to his predecessors through both tasteful renditions and intentional curation. Live at Dizzy’s presents the trio’s modernized take on the music of these historic trios while still giving respect to the pianists and traditions of those by whom Brandon was inspired.

Julius Rodriguez’s Evergreen

Pianist Julius Rodriguez sailed with us on The Jazz Cruise earlier this year as a member of Kurt Elling’s band. Already in his young career, Julius has played with a wide range of jazz (and jazz-leaning) artists, such as Carmen Lundy, Lakecia Benjamin, Joe Farnsworth, Meshell Ndegeocello, Macy Gray, Morgan James, Wynton Marsalis and the late Roy Hargrove. His latest album, Evergreen, released on Verve, is an eclectic and often electric project that showcases his versatility and virtuosity on keyboards. The recording features special guests Keyon Harrold, Georgia Anne Muldrow and Nate Mercereau.

I kept seeing the word Evergreen everywhere,” he explains. “I looked up the definition, and it struck me. An ‘Evergreen’ is a plant whose foliage remains functional for all seasons. That’s similar to how I like to be; I want to be myself no matter the genre I’m playing or what’s going on around me. There are a lot of styles on this record, but it’s recognizably my voice.”

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Jazz Cruises’ ’25 Programs

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1-Day Tickets to STL Jazz Fest are On Sale Now!

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Mug Shots

Guests on the ’24 jazz cruises received The Weekender mug, which we hope you will use with your Saturday morning coffee while you read the latest edition. Please share a picture of yourself & your mug with us so that we can include it for the 100,000+ folks who receive The Weekender each Saturday.

Tag us @thejazzcruise @bottiatsea @thesmoothjazzcruise #jazzcruises and #theweekender. Email your photo to [email protected].