Which Jazz Cruise Should You Choose?

If you are interested in Jazz and cruising, please take a look at the article below, which explains some of the differences Jazz cruisers see between the 3 different Jazz Cruises offered. This is an article from the Jazz Cruise Weekender Newsletter 03/17/2018. To select your Jazz Cruise for 2019 (2018 sold out a year in advance.) Don't wait, select your 2019 cruise now.  http://www.adventureluxurytravel.com/jazz-cruises.html  Happy St Patrick's Day!!!

Our Take: Why Do We Categorize Music, Particularly Jazz?


The Weekender is delivered to more than 125,000 people weekly, all of whom have expressed an interest in one of our jazz cruise programs, The Jazz Cruise, Blue Note at Sea and The Smooth Jazz Cruise. Though the extent of the angst seems to be waning, the interplay among fans of these various cruises is fun to follow. They bicker over the place in the spectrum of their favorite cruise and challenge the bona fides of the others. Here is the truth. Each genre has its own merits and drawbacks, but, in the end, good music is good music.

Today, marks the end of the second week of The Smooth Jazz Cruise '18, the 15th Anniversary of that cruise. The headliners on the cruise were "elected" by the guests during the summer of 2016 and both sailings have been fully subscribed since early 2017. The music was spectacular. Each night was filled with talented headliners presenting their show backed up by a cadre of equally amazing band members. The music moved you to dance, to get up on your feet and to appreciate with thunderous applause. The collegial atmosphere of the musicians fostered many guest appearances by them in the shows of the others. Never knowing who might "pop-up" at any one time was part of the joy of the music. Strong melodies, dominant grooves and, for the most part, upbeat tempos dominated the music offerings. The cruise is billed as The Greatest Party at Sea and the Artists delivered. 

Despite the fact that over 4,000 passengers (2,000/cruise) went home happy and thrilled, the "what do we call this music" cloud continued to hang above our heads. "Smooth Jazz" was a radio station music director's stab at unifying what was then a new form of instrumental music. Few monikers have been more inaccurate or more detrimental to a product than "smooth jazz." Granted, some of the early offerings were gentle and mood setting instrumental music, often maligned as being "elevator music". Kenny G is the poster child for this image, of course.

As the years have gone by, the music has become more R & B and Funk. The character of the music is driven more by the individual artist than by a genre. Each of our headliners has their own music quite frankly. Perhaps there are some musical conventions that still govern the production of this music, but they seem to be fewer and fewer. The "smooth jazz" movement is now a coalition of musicians who had been selected by "smooth jazz" radio stations years ago. They continue to develop and expand their horizons, and, if you were to compare their music now with their earlier works, you should find the differences to be significant. 

The "smooth jazz" artists are spectacular musicians, great showmen and near the top of the food chain when it comes to engagement of their fans. If I could come up with a name for the cruise that more accurately fit what is happening I would, but, being the 1st cruise of its kind and nature, we will continue to call it The Smooth Jazz Cruise, mainly as a tribute to the artists who built that music genre and whose skills, talents and dedication continue to produce amazing music that the fans just love!

Our Take is written by Michael Lazaroff, Executive Director of Entertainment Cruise Productions. ​