Cruisin' for jazz

Reading the referrer logs for this site not only provides insight into how readers got here, it also occasionally serves up a lead on an item that might otherwise have slipped under the radar. For example, the other day I noticed that someone had arrived at StLJN after searching on the phrases "Don Wolff" and "jazz cruise," and after a little bit of searching of my own, I found that the host of KMOX's long-running Saturday Night Jazz Session program is indeed serving as on-board host for a cruise taking place in December.

Presented by a California firm called Jazzdagen Tours, the Jazz Alive Cruise runs from December 1 to December 8, 2007 aboard the ship Crystal Symphony, departing from and returning to Miami with stops in Key West, Cozumel, Belize City, and Puerto Costa Maya. While on board, guests can enjoy all the expected cruise ship amenities, but the big attraction is the music, which is presented in a sort of "jazz party" format that mixes and matches players from a pool of a couple dozen musicians.

The lineup for Wolff's cruise seems to made up of mostly swing and mainstream players, with the more recognizable names including singer Banu Gibson, trumpeter Warren Vaché (pictured), guitarist Howard Alden, pianist John Bunch, and drummers Jake Hanna and Butch Miles. With per-person prices ranging from $1,645 per person for a basic stateroom to $5,190 for a "penthouse" with its own veranda, it ain't cheap, but if sounds like your sort of thing, you can get details by visiting Jazzdagen Tours' Web site.

And, as it turns out, Wolff isn't the only St. Louisan involved in jazz cruises - in fact, our city also is home to one of the most prominent companies in the business, Jazz Cruises LLC. The company was founded in 2000 by Anita Berry, who ran jazz cruise events for more than 20 years on ships operated by Norwegian Cruise Lines before striking out on her own.

Jazz Cruises LLC started with a single event and has since grown to offer a number of annual variations on the basic theme, including The Smooth Jazz Cruise, hosted by Wayman Tisdale; Dave Koz & Friends at Sea; North Sea Jazz Cruise and The Latin Music Cruise, hosted by Arturo Sandoval. Unlike some other cruises, jazz fans don't have to share the trip with any other groups, because the company charters an entire ship for each event.

Jazz Cruises LLC also touts the hands-on involvement of its staff in every aspect of the trip, from developing programming and selecting musicians to having employees on board to oversee production, guest relations and ship operations while cruises are in progress. You can find out more about dates and prices for all their cruises by visiting the Jazz Cruises LLC Web site.