Artist Interviews

A conversation with the noted comedian about jazz cruises, the NPR audience and the Los Angeles Clippers Comedian Alonzo Bodden got his first break as one of the finalists in the popular TV show Last Comic Standing, and since then has developed into a headliner at clubs and festivals throughout North America.  He’s a regular guest on the weekly NPR radio show “Wait, Wait, Don’t [Read More]

A product of the same Houston high school program (HSVPA) that produced Jason Moran, Helen Sung, Beyonce, Eric Harland and other luminaries in contemporary music, keyboardist Robert Glasper has been leading his own groups since the beginning of this century.  He came to NYC to study music at the New School and worked around the region with his trio for several years before being signed [Read More]

The bassist/producer/record label executive talked with Lee Mergner about Blue Note Records’ involvement with Blue Note at Sea and what he thinks is unique about the experience. Lee Mergner: How did you and Blue Note got involved with the cruise initially? Don Was: Michael [Lazaroff] found us originally. He thought there was an opportunity to do a cruise that was programmed differently from both the [Read More]

The prolific bassist/bandleader/producer talks about his role as musical director on the various jazz cruises Marcus Miller has been a first-call bassist since the late 70s, when his distinctive jangly rhythmic sound seemed to be on every jazz and funk cut of note—from “Just the Two of Us” with Grover Washington, Jr. and Bill Withers to “Power of Love” with Luther Vandross.  A member of [Read More]

A conversation with the trombonist about doing the gospel show for the jazz cruises and about his life as a player, composer, arranger and educator. Trombonist, composer and occasional vocalist Wycliffe Gordon rose to prominence in the 90’s as a member of Wynton Marsalis’ Septet, alongside Todd Williams, Wess Anderson, Marcus Roberts, Reginald Veal and Herlin Riley.  Since then, he’s become one of the foremost [Read More]

ECP’s president spoke with Lee Mergner in 2017 about the creation of Blue Note at Sea and the unique aspects of each of the jazz cruises he produces.  Lee Mergner: You’ve been doing jazz-oriented cruises for 17 years now. The Blue Note at Sea cruise is a new offering, with its first sailing earlier this year. What was the origin of that new venture?   [Read More]