In this roundtable discussion taped on Blue Note at Sea ’19, six of the pianists performing on the cruise – Gerald Clayton, Sullivan Fortner, Ashley Henry, Stu Mindeman, Takeshi Ohbayashi and Brett Williams – sat down with Mark Ruffin of Sirius XM to talk about their entry into playing music, their influences and their creative process. They also discuss how they approach playing with singers and what they’d tell their children about pursuing a life in music. This episode is sponsored by Blue Note Records. The Jazz Cruise Conversations podcast is produced by Entertainment Cruise Productions, the worldwide leader in music-themed cruises.