Jazz Cruises Conversations

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.