Jazz Cruises Conversations

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. Send us Fan Mail Listen to more episodes of Jazz Cruis...

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.  ...

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 l...

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...

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....

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...

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...

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...

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.   S...

Episode 82: Wynton Marsalis with Christian McBride Recorded live in front of a studio audience during The Jazz Cruise 2023, this episode features a deeply personal and insightful conversation between jazz icon Wynton Marsalis and host Christian McBride. The two explore their nearly 40-year relationship, which began when McBride was a 14-year-old bassist in Philadelphia, and discuss the vital roles...

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 share...

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.  Send us Fan Mail Listen to more episodes of Jazz Cruises Conversations on Spotify, iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts. The back catalog contains more than a hundred interviews from past sailings. Theme Mu...

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.   Send us Fan Mail Listen to more episodes of Jazz Cruises Conversations on Spotify, iTunes, or wher...

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. Sen...

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. Send us Fan Mail Listen to more episodes of Jazz Cruises Conversations on Spotify, iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts. The back catalog contains mo...

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. Send us Fan Mail Listen to more episodes of Jazz Cruises Conversations on Spotify, iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts. The back catalog contains more than a hundred interviews from past sailings....

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 an...

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 w...

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.  Send us Fan Mail Listen to more episodes of Jazz Cruises Conversations on Spotify, iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts. The back catalog contains more than a hundred interviews from past sailings. Theme Musi...

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...

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. Send us Fan Ma...

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 th...

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.  Send u...

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. Send us Fan Mail Listen to more episodes of Jazz Cruises Conversations on Spotify, iTunes, or w...

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.  A...