Since 2016, every Saturday morning subscribers have received their weekly “jazz fix” in the form of The Weekender. Our purpose is to present what is going on in the world of jazz, where our favorite musicians are performing and various musings about jazz that range from “on the ball” to “off the wall.” Read by nearly 40,000 fans each week, The Weekender has become Jazz Cruises’ voice to Jazz fans worldwide.
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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November 2, 2024
OUR TAKE: Fall Back, Foul Off, Fell Flat, Feel Fine, Free Country
One strategy for success is to throw as much as you can against the wall and hope that something sticks. That is the mantra for this edition of Our Take.…
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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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October 19, 2024
OUR TAKE: Where did you go, Joe DiMaggio?
At the risk of criminal redundancy, my spectator sports are jazz and baseball. My active sports are tennis and drums. My skill level for either of my active sports does…
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October 12, 2024
OUR TAKE: What’s in a Name?
Quoting Shakespeare is not one of my fortes. Though he is touted to be the finest author ever, understanding the true meaning of his words requires patience and understanding. If…
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October 5, 2024
OUR TAKE: Honoring Marcus Miller
Today finds me in Los Angeles. Though our (Paula and me) stay will be very brief, we are excited, honored and humbled to be participating in tonight’s Los Angeles Jazz…
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September 28, 2024
OUR TAKE: Benny Golson – His Life was a History of Jazz
Benny Golson died last Saturday. He was 95. Which means he was born in 1929 and remained active as both a player and a composer through 2024. His life nearly…
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September 21, 2024
OUR TAKE: Why We Love This Music!
I have read stories about chefs who prefer peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to their haute cuisine dishes. Many athletes famously refuse to watch games involving their professional sport. And…
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September 14, 2024
OUR TAKE: G.O.A.T. & Mt. Rushmore Candidates
As a sucker for any list that purports to list the “Top 20” of anything or anyone, I am surprised that we have never undertaken such a list for the…
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September 7, 2024
OUR TAKE: A Tale of Two Cities…And Two Jazz Shows
Last week, I shared with you some insights from our 8.23 STL Jazz Fest Show in St. Louis which featured Gregory Porter, Eric Marienthal, Niki Haris and others. Again, it…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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August 3, 2024
OUR TAKE: Reviving Our Jazz Traditions
A few months ago, I was bemoaning the “loss” of two important and meaningful events and relationships in my world of jazz. The Vail Jazz Organization announced that it would…
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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…
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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…
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July 13, 2024
Our Take: Back in the States
Going to 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 remember watching…
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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,…
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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…
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June 22, 2024
OUR TAKE: Flipping the Script
For the past few years, Jazz Cruises has declared a few days around July 4th to be our Midsummer Holiday. Usually, that is a slower time of year, but the…
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June 17, 2024
OUR TAKE: The Circle of Jazz
What goes around, comes around. I was never certain what that old saying meant. Mostly used to forewarn, the idea is that if you do bad things to someone, then…
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June 8, 2024
OUR TAKE: Let’s Talk Vocals
Recently, I checked out the lineup for our very first cruise as Jazz Cruises, The Jazz Cruise 2001. Dee Dee Bridgewater was the headliner vocalist for this landmark event, which infamously…
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June 1, 2024
OUR TAKE: David Foster
David Foster began as a studio musician, arranger, and recording artist. That period was the foundation for when he became one of the most successful songwriters and record producers in…
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May 25, 2024
OUR TAKE: From The Andrews Sisters to the Sing Song Boys – A Memorial Day Tribute
As shared before, I am a student of World War II. From my idolization of Winston Churchill to the stories of bravery and sacrifice of soldiers and civilians fighting to…
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May 18, 2024
OUR TAKE: Sanborn
My aim for this note was to talk about seeing Jonathan Butler in St. Louis last weekend and Kamasi Washington in Dallas the other night. For any other week, those…
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May 11, 2024
OUR TAKE: Kamasi Does Dallas: Dallas Does Jazz
Kamasi Washington is performing at the House of Blues in Dallas on May 15. Paula and I will be there, so, if you plan on attending the show, check us…
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May 4, 2024
OUR TAKE: A Weekend With Houston
For those who missed our announcement earlier this week, the legendary Houston Person will be sailing on The Jazz Cruise ’25. Sidelined by exhaustion, Houston was not able to sail…
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April 27, 2024
OUR TAKE: Jazz is a Good Bet…Actually, it is a “Sure Thing”
The old joke was “I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out.” The new joke is “I went to a casino and a professional sporting event broke…
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April 20, 2024
OUR TAKE: Jazz Appreciation Month
Our preoccupation with the McDonald – LaBelle Cruise postponed our annual discussion about April being Jazz Appreciation Month. I will forego that customary “we appreciate jazz every month” bromide and…
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April 13, 2024
OUR TAKE: Great Music is Just That…Great Music
Jazz Cruises is the GOLD STANDARD for Jazz at Sea. Apparently, we have a very cool side hustle going. We just completed a wonderful 4-day, 3-night cruise that featured the…
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April 6, 2024
OUR TAKE: How About Them Drums
Last night, I saw Herlin Riley perform with his band at Jazz St. Louis. Though Herlin has been an almost regular on The Jazz Cruise for the past few years,…
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March 30, 2024
OUR TAKE: Tornadoes and Other Twisters
Did you know that nearly 70% of all tornadoes occur from March through May? Perhaps that is why I have always found this time of the year to be unsettling.…
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March 23, 2024
OUR TAKE: The STL Jazz Fest is Back!
For the past few years, not counting the Pandemic period, Jazz Cruises has presented some form of Jazz Festival in our hometown of St. Louis. Most recently, it was called…
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March 15, 2024
OUR TAKE: Boscov’s Berks Jazz Fest
As I have shared before, Boscov’s Berks Jazz Fest has been an important part of our jazz reach for many years. The lineup is always a blend of “straight ahead”…
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March 9, 2024
OUR TAKE: Spring Forward, More Music
Tonight, actually early tomorrow morning, we will move our clocks forward one hour signaling the beginning of Daylight Savings Time. I imagine that most people look forward to this occurrence…
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March 2, 2024
OUR TAKE: Divine Nine, Devine +2, De Vine ’24
Excuse the play on words, but it was too tempting to resist. The first of our “Vine” inspirations is by far the most important. The Divine Nine is the nickname of…
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February 24, 2024
OUR TAKE: Unpacking
Upon coming home from 33 days at sea, the goals are to catch up and unpack. While at sea, with all the great music, fun events, and wonderful guests to…
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February 17, 2024
OUR TAKE: Back Home & Back to Work
Botti at Sea ’24 completed its triumphant inaugural sailing on Thursday and the entire Jazz Cruises team is now back at home. The cruise was an amazing experience, filled with…
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