NEW YEARS EVE Archives - Signature Cruise Experiences https://dev.scecruises.com/tag/new-years-eve/ The Gold Standard for Charter Theme Cruises Since 2001 Fri, 03 Jan 2025 16:44:31 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://dev.scecruises.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/cropped-web-app-manifest-512x512-1-32x32.png NEW YEARS EVE Archives - Signature Cruise Experiences https://dev.scecruises.com/tag/new-years-eve/ 32 32 OUR TAKE: Seeing the Forest for the Trees https://dev.scecruises.com/2024/12/28/our-take-seeing-the-forest-for-the-trees/ Sat, 28 Dec 2024 08:00:00 +0000 https://jazzcruisesllc.com/?p=7937 I often scoff at idioms. Generally, they appear when a more complex thought should be utilized. Reviewing some common idioms proves this point.  Do the phrases “break a leg,” “better late than never” or “it’s not rocket science” tell the real story you wish to share? To me, doing so is like “cutting corners.” I […]

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]]> I often scoff at idioms. Generally, they appear when a more complex thought should be utilized. Reviewing some common idioms proves this point. 

Do the phrases “break a leg,” “better late than never” or “it’s not rocket science” tell the real story you wish to share? To me, doing so is like “cutting corners.” I prefer to “get my act together,” “hang in there” and “bite the bullet.” Otherwise, let’s just “call it a day” and “hit the sack.”

Occasionally, an event or a series of events can be a “blessing in disguise,” force one to “hit the reset button” and “cut somebody (or something) some lack.” Last Sunday, December 22, “a light went on” and forced me to “go back to the drawing board” about the meaning of one particular idiom.

“Seeing the forest for the trees” refers to the admonition to see the big picture either together with or in lieu of the elements that comprise that situation. One can be so engrossed in a particular tree that they forget that they are amid a larger space, in this case a forest.

For those new to this column, not mentioning jazz by the fifth paragraph is the “final straw” before matters “get out of hand.” So, “to make a long story short” and to make sure that we do not “miss the boat,” let’s talk about the musicians that were on television last Sunday night. (Note: It was only recently that I came to know that “don’t miss the boat” was an idiom. I was taught it was a commandment.)

On Sunday, CBS’ celebrated news program, 60 Minutes, featured a segment on Samara Joy, which included some time with Christian McBride. Later that evening the annual Kennedy Center Honors show was aired. Arturo Sandoval was one of the honorees and Chris Botti performed in his honor, together with his band. Other performers included Keb Mo, Debbie Allen, Randy Brecker, Kendrick Scott, Chucho Valdes, Don Was and Kamasi Washington.

Sometimes, when we are working on our cruise programs, we view our stars without the stature and recognition that they enjoy elsewhere. We are so immersed in the trees (tasks and undertakings to make the cruises work) that we lose sight of the forest in which we reside. That forest is the international world of top talent, amazing musicians and world-renowned performers.

Earlier this year, my wife, Paula, was escorting Paquito D’Rivera and Chucho Valdes from one site to another in Miami. She described that four block walk as being part of a rock star entourage, with many, many people stopping to say hello and pay their respects. A similar reaction occurred years ago when David Sanborn joined the musicians of The Jazz Cruise for the pre-cruise meeting. The muttering of “that’s David Sanborn” resembled the “wave” that fans initiate in arenas and stadiums.

Seeing musicians that we know well and are part of our cruise programs year after year on national television and in worldwide settings is an example of the “proof is in the pudding” that our guests know and understand the significance of the entertainment they enjoy on our programs.

Jesus suggested that “a prophet has little honor in his hometown.” I doubt that is an idiom. Probably just a wise saying, but it points out the fact that let’s not forget the forest while discussing the trees.

The big picture here is that we are blessed to be able to enjoy great music, performed by the very best musicians in the world, and we have access to them that is unlike most other music genres. Next time you are fighting about the merits of fusion, the importance of smooth jazz or the current state of straight ahead jazz, just remember to realize that you are in the greatest forest in the world of music.

“Does a tree that falls in the forest when no one is there make a sound?” is not a question we need to ask in jazz. We will always be there. We will always hear those sounds. We will continue to plant and nourish our trees.

God bless our music and may everyone enjoy a very Happy and Healthy New Year!

By Michael Lazaroff, Executive Director of The Jazz Cruise, The Smooth Jazz Cruise, Chris Botti at Sea, Christian McBride’s World at Sea, Journey of Jazz and Homecoming: The Cruise. Feel free to express your views or pose questions to him at michael@scecruises.com.

What Are They Doing on New Year’s Eve?

Several of our artists have made plans to perform shows tied to the welcoming of the New Year. Here’s a partial list (in alphabetical order). Our apologies for any we may have missed.

Mindi Abair
December 29-31
Loews Coronado Bay Resort, San Diego, CA

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Monty Alexander
December 28-31
Blues Alley, Washington, DC

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Benny Benack III
December 28-31
Black Cat, San Francisco, CA

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Alonzo Bodden
December 31
Helium Comedy Club, St. Louis, MO

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Chris Botti
December 28-31
The Blue Note, New York, NY

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Rick Braun with Gerald Albright,
Richard Elliot and Peter White
December 30
Rosen Shingle Creek, Orlando, FL

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Kurt Elling & SuperBlue 
December 31
The Kennedy Center, Washington, DC

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Boney James
December 29-31
Yoshi’s, Oakland, CA

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Gregory Porter
December 30
Dolby Theater, Hollywood, CA

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Signature Jazz Cruises’ Programs

THE JAZZ CRUISE 26 SIGNATURE CRUISE EXPERIENCES
THE JAZZ CRUISE ’25
Lineup Just Announced!

Hailed as “Jazz Heaven” by musicians and guests alike, The Jazz Cruise ’26 lineup will feature some of the most iconic musicians from the straight-ahead jazz genre. See the full lineup here. 

Guests sailing on The Jazz Cruise ’25 may reserve their current stateroom for the ’26 sailing now through Jan. 31, 2025. New guests and those not sailing in ‘25 may join the Pre-Sail now.

JOIN PRE-SAIL

THE SMOOTH JAZZ CRUISE 26 SIGNATURE CRUISE EXPERIENCES

THE SMOOTH JAZZ CRUISE ‘26.1 & 26.2
Reserve Your Stateroom Today!  

Both sailings for The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’25 are fully reserved and the Waitlist has more than 4,000 entrants. 
  
The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘26.1 & ‘26.2 are in Open Booking (anyone may reserve any available stateroom) and are over 80% reserved. Reserve your stateroom today!

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THE SMOOTH JAZZ CRUISE 26 SIGNATURE CRUISE EXPERIENCES
THE SMOOTH JAZZ CRUISE ‘26.3
Now in Open Booking!

For the first time in many years, The Smooth Jazz Cruise will sail on the West Coast, embarking in Vancouver, sailing to Victoria and San Francisco before disembarking in Los Angeles. Exciting land excursions will be available in the ports-of-call!

The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘26.3 is in Open Booking! Anyone may now reserve any available stateroom. 

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CHRIS BOTTI AT SEA SIGNATURE CRUISE EXPERIENCES
BOTTI AT SEA’25 is Fully Reserved!
BOTTI AT SEA ’26 Just Announced!

Sailing from Los Angeles to Vancouver, with calls on San Francisco and Victoria, BC, Botti at Sea III (’26) is moving to the West Coast in September ’26! 

The website for the cruise will be available early next year, just before Botti at Sea II (’25) sails in February! Establish your priority for reserving a stateroom NOW by joining the Pre-Sail. 

JOIN PRE-SAIL

CHRISTIAN MCBRIDES WORLD AT SEA SIGNATURE CRUISE EXPERIENCES
CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE’S WORLD AT SEA
Open Booking Now Available!

9X GRAMMY® winner Christian McBride will host our newest Signature Jazz Cruises’ program, Christian McBride’s World at Sea! The cruise will feature legions of musicians who comprise the various ensembles that are the hallmarks of Christian’s music world AND first class comedy talent. See the full lineup here!

Open Booking has begun! Reserve your stateroom today! 

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JOURNEY OF JAZZ SIGNATURE CRUISE EXPERIENCES

JOURNEY OF JAZZ ’25
Excursions Available to Book Now!

In addition to a spectacular lineup of musicians, Journey of Jazz ’25 includes a brilliant offering of special excursions, events and entertainment while the ship is docked in both Victoria, BC and San Francisco, CA.

Check out the wide range of Signature Jazz Cruises’ curated trips to Wine Country, Special Land Based Concerts and more. New opportunities are available to book now.

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HOMECOMING THE CRUISE SIGNATURE CRUISE EXPERIENCES

HOMECOMING: THE CRUISE
New Cruise Just Announced!

Join us for a celebration of HBCUs and inspired by the tradition of the Divine Nine Challenge from recent sailings of The Smooth Jazz Cruise. Our newest cruise, sailing January 15 – 20, 2026 (including MLK Day), will deliver Excellence, Education and Entertainment. 

Homecoming: The Cruise is produced in association with the National HBCU Alumni Alliance and features Babyface, Chanté Moore, Take 6 and more! The best part is that we will award over $200,000 in scholarships to deserving organizations! Establish your priority for reserving a stateroom NOW by joining the Pre-Sail.

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Mug Shot of the Week

Bill and Hilda S
Connecticut


Guests on the ’24 jazz cruises received The Weekender mug, which we hope you will use with your Saturday morning coffee while you read the latest edition. Please share a picture of yourself & your mug with us so that we can include it for the 100,000+ folks who receive The Weekender each Saturday.

Tag us @thejazzcruise, @bottiatsea, @thesmoothjazzcruise, #jazzcruises and #theweekender. Email your photo to MugShot@scecruises.com.

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]]> OUR TAKE: The Weekend Before Thanksgiving https://dev.scecruises.com/2024/11/23/our-take-the-weekend-before-thanksgiving/ Sat, 23 Nov 2024 11:35:00 +0000 https://jazzcruisesllc.com/?p=7645 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 Thanksgiving Eve. Lots of amazing leftovers. Who could ask for more? Thanksgiving is late this year, but it seems like Christmas is being celebrated earlier than […]

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]]> 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 Thanksgiving Eve. Lots of amazing leftovers.

Who could ask for more?

Thanksgiving is late this year, but it seems like Christmas is being celebrated earlier than ever. I am old enough to remember the beginning of Black Friday sales, which was named as such because retailers usually went into the “black” on the Friday after Thanksgiving. As with most things today, the concept has been tortured, compromised and beaten to death.

Thank goodness for our music. Amid an everchanging, overintense world we can rely upon a great recording, or, even better, a great live show, to settle our nerves, restore our optimism and touch our humanity.

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending an Emmet Cohen concert. Emmet was in town with his trio (Reuben Rogers and Joe Farnsworth). For countless reasons, I cannot say his name or listen to his music without smiling. First, performing on The Jazz Cruise was one of his inaugural professional gigs. Second, the development of his career has mirrored, almost in lockstep, with that program. Third, his growth, maturity and career path are very admirable and, to whatever extent The Jazz Cruise and our company had in that development means a great deal to us.

Before delving further into the personal traits that make Emmet special, let’s agree on one very important aspect of his career. The man can play! Serious chops. Warm and engaging stage presence and nearly perfect song selection for the event at hand. In a world where moments of bliss are thrown around like manhole covers, Emmet continues, night after night, to bring unbridled joy to his audience.

Watching Emmet navigate the jazz world, his baseline (and his bass line for that matter) has always been “respect.” He respects, even worships, the jazz musicians who have paved the way for him, the audience and, most of all, the music. I have watched other stars, such as David Sanborn, Marcus Miller, Chris Botti, Christian McBride and Gregory Porter show a similar reverence. None of them, including Emmet, would do anything to cause embarrassment or lack of gratitude for the music or their time on the bandstand.

There are many other musicians with the same dedication and staunch reverence for the bandstand and the music. Confining my comments only to those musicians who have performed multiple times with us on our cruises, certainly John Clayton, John Pizzarelli, Wycliffe Gordon, Boney James, Brian Culbertson, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Catherine Russell are graduates of the School of Jazz respect as well.

There are many more who certainly qualify, but I have had the privilege and honor of working with those musicians for several years and each of them, regardless of where they are in the spectrum of jazz when it comes to their musical choices, present themselves with dignity, authenticity, and a deep respect for their craft.

Finding folks whose first goal is to provide a product or a service to others, rather than concentrate on what is best for them personally is harder than ever. Of course, all great musicians take pride in their work. They should. That type of motivation is healthy and nearly a requirement for excellence.

But what matters is which metric they use to measure their success. The great ones know that audience satisfaction is the only metric that matters. If that is achieved, then the other “goodies” will follow naturally and without further effort.

When Emmet performs, he will constantly be looking at the crowd, measuring their reactions, determining if he is connecting and making decisions about how to move forward with the next music. Guess what, for Emmet, checking out the audience is also like taking a victory lap or basking in the sun. 

The ever present smile on his face reflects his realization that he is making a whole bunch of people very happy.

By Michael Lazaroff, Executive Director of The Jazz Cruise, The Smooth Jazz Cruise, Chris Botti at Sea, Christian McBride’s World at Sea and Journey of Jazz. Feel free to express your views or pose questions to him at michael@scecruises.com

Signature Cruise Experiences Thanksgiving Break

SIGNATURE CRUISE EXPERIENCES

Our offices will be open for questions during normal business hours on Monday and Tuesday and until 2 PM ET on Wednesday. The office will be closed on Thursday (Thanksgiving) – Sunday and will reopen on Monday, December 2 at 10 AM ET.

The staff of Signature Cruise Experiences wishes you and your loved ones a Happy Thanksgiving!

Holiday Tours

The Thanksgiving holiday is coming up and we all know what that means: Family reunions, turkey dinners, sleepy football watching and perhaps some uncomfortable conversations. True, but musically, it means the onset of holiday music here, there and everywhere – in stores, restaurants and eventually in your head, and not all, or even much of it, good.
 
But several of our favorite artists will be out there on tour bringing you the good holiday music. ‘Tis the season. Here’s a rundown on just a few of the special tours happening during the coming weeks.

SAMARA JOY

Samara Joy

Samara Joy, the great young vocalist who was a sensation not only on our sailings but all over the world, will perform holiday music with her family in a show called “A Joyful Holiday Featuring The McLendon Family” at theaters and performing arts centers across the country December 3-23.

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Mindi Abair

On November 30, Mindi Abair kicks off her aptly named “I Can’t Wait for Christmas” tour that travels all over the country ending on December 23, just in time to open one of her vintage bottles of wine on Christmas Eve. Then, like Gregory, she’ll host some New Year’s shows, in her case in Coronado, CA, December 29-31.

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MINDI ABAIR
GREGORY PORTER

Gregory Porter

The co-host of Journey of Jazz ’25 and a longtime favorite of Signature Jazz Cruises’ audiences, Gregory Porter will be touring in the U.S. to support his GRAMMY®-nominated album Christmas Wish December 8-18. He also performs New Year’s shows at the Paramount Theater in Seattle (December 30) and the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles (December 31).

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Rick Braun

Another favorite of The Smooth Jazz Cruise, Rick Braun recently released his first holiday music album, It’s Christmas, and he’ll be doing shows in Seal Beach, California with his friends Peter White, Richard Elliot and Keiko Matsui. Rick will be hosting Rick Braun’s River Cruise at Christmas from Budapest on December 9 and will host Braun’s New Year’s Eve 2024 on December 30 in Orlando, FL.

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RICK BRAUN

Signature Jazz Cruises’ Programs

THE JAZZ CRUISE SIGNATURE JAZZ CRUISES

The Jazz Cruise ’26 Full Announcement on 11.26.24!

The Jazz Cruise ’25 is fully reserved and cancellations will be filled directly from the Waitlist. Reservation details for The Jazz Cruise ’26 will be available soon! Sailing from January 27 – February 3, 2026, The Jazz Cruise ’26 will depart from and return to Ft. Lauderdale with calls on the private island of CocoCay and San Juan. Keep an eye out for the cruise lineup and website – coming November 26! 

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THE SMOOTH JAZZ CRUISE SIGNATURE JAZZ CRUISES

The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘26.1 & 26.2 – Reserve Your Stateroom Today!  

Both sailings for The Smooth Jazz Cruise ’25 are fully reserved and the Waitlist has more than 4,000 entrants. The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘26.1 & ‘26.2 are in Open Booking (anyone may reserve any available stateroom) and are over 80% reserved. Reserve your stateroom today!

BOOK NOW

THE SMOOTH JAZZ CRUISE SIGNATURE JAZZ CRUISES

The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘26.3 is Here – New West Coast Sailing! 

For the first time in many years, The Smooth Jazz Cruise will sail on the West Coast, embarking in Vancouver, sailing to Victoria and San Francisco before disembarking in Los Angeles. Exciting land excursions will be available in the ports-of-call! The Smooth Jazz Cruise ‘26.3 is in Open Booking! Anyone may now reserve any available stateroom. 

BOOK NOW

BOTTI AT SEA SIGNATURE JAZZ CRUISES

Botti at Sea ’25 FULLY RESERVED! Botti at Sea ’26 JUST ANNOUNCED!

Sailing from Los Angeles to Vancouver, with calls on San Francisco and Victoria, BC, Botti at Sea III (’26) is moving to the West Coast in September ’26! The website for the cruise will be available later this year and the amazing lineup will be announced just before Botti at Sea II (’25) sails next February! Join the Pre-Sail today! 

JOIN PRE-SAIL

CHRISTIAN MCBRIDE'S WORLD AT SEA SIGNATURE CRUISE EXPERIENCES

Christian McBride’s World at Sea – Sailing January 20-27, 2026!

Christian McBride will be hosting a new Signature Jazz Cruises’ program, Christian McBride’s World at Sea! 

The cruise will set sail from Fort Lauderdale in early ’26 with stops in Jamaica and Grand Cayman. The full lineup and website will be announced on November 26, but you can establish your priority for reserving a stateroom NOW by joining the Pre-Sail. 

JOIN PRE-SAIL

JOURNEY OF JAZZ SIGNATURE CRUISE EXPERIENCES

Journey of Jazz ’25 – Excursions Available to Book Now!

Hosts Marcus Miller & Gregory Porter will take you on an incredible musical journey onboard Journey of Jazz. The cruise also features a special show from Diana Krall while the ship is in-port in Victoria! 

Land-based excursions are now available to book! Check out Signature Jazz Cruises’ curated trips to Wine Country, Special Land Based Concerts and more HERE.

BOOK NOW

Mug Shots of the Week

SIGNATURE CRUISE EXPERIENCES MUG SHOTS

Yolanda B. and Sharon S.
California

Guests on the ’24 jazz cruises received The Weekender mug, which we hope you will use with your Saturday morning coffee while you read the latest edition. Please share a picture of yourself & your mug with us so that we can include it for the 100,000+ folks who receive The Weekender each Saturday.

Tag us @thejazzcruise, @bottiatsea, @thesmoothjazzcruise, #jazzcruises and #theweekender. Email your photo to MugShot@scecruises.com.

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