Jazz Cruises Conversations

Jazz Cruises Conversations invites you to escape to the high seas for the most intimate and candid conversations in music. Go beyond the stage for full-length interviews with the biggest names in jazz and smooth jazz, recorded live on the world's premier floating music festivals.

Guided by veteran host Lee Mergner (and other musicians, comedians, and on-board talent), hear legends open up about their careers, creative process, and lives on the road, all recorded exclusively on sailings of The Jazz Cruise, Blue Note at Sea, Botti at Sea, and The Smooth Jazz Cruise. Mergner and his crew’s knowledgeable perspectives ensure these aren't just chats—they are engaging, entertaining, and truly informative deep dives into the music.

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Signature Cruise Experiences is the Gold Standard for Charter Theme Cruises since 2001. In that time, we have produced over 100 full ship theme charters, most of which featured a significant music theme and top performers.

Our goal has been to present the very best musicians possible and do so with authenticity and professionalism. Our music venues are the best at sea and our sound production is Performing Art Center quality. Nothing but the best for our talent which translates to the very best for our guests.

Guest

Joey DeFrancesco

Joey DeFrancesco was a four-time GRAMMY® Award-nominated organist, widely credited with igniting the resurgence of organ jazz in the 1980s. Raised in Philadelphia, his music blended traditional jazz and blues roots with a distinct modern approach, making it "unmistakably his own."
He learned trumpet rapidly after being recruited by Miles Davis in one of Davis's youngest-ever ensembles. He has recorded and toured with an extensive list of renowned artists, including Ray Charles, Van Morrison, Diana Krall, Nancy Wilson, George Benson, and David Sanborn.
With more than 30 recordings as a leader, he has consistently dominated the instrument, winning the DownBeat Magazine Critics Poll eleven times over 15 years and the Readers Poll every year since 2005. He was inducted into the inaugural Hammond Organ Hall of Fame (2014) and the Philadelphia Music Walk of Fame (2016).

Guest appearance on:

#59: Joey DeFrancesco with Alonzo Bodden