Lineup

Multifaceted jazz pianist and composer Emmet Cohen is one of this generation’s pivotal artistic figures. Downbeat praised the “nimble touch, measured stride and warm harmonic vocabulary” he employs to communicate with other musicians and audiences at what he terms “the deepest level of humanity and individuality.”

Leader of the Emmet Cohen Trio, Cohen is an international jazz artist and clinician who inspires student performers of all ages to become, like himself, responsive to their audiences. He has appeared in the Newport, Monterey, and North Sea Jazz Festivals, among others, and at many famous music venues, including Rose Hall and the Kennedy Center. Cohen has also played in legendary nightspots, such as the Village Vanguard, The Blue Note, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Birdland, Jazz Standard, Ronnie Scott’s, and Jazzhaus Montmartre. He is Hammond B-3 organist-in-residence at Harlem’s SMOKE jazz club. A Suzuki piano student at age 3, Cohen holds jazz piano degrees from the Manhattan School of Music and the University of Miami.

He was a finalist in both the American Pianists Association’s Cole Porter Fellowship (2015, 2011) and the Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition (2011).

Over the course of a multifaceted career, GRAMMY® Dee Dee Bridgewater has ascended to the upper echelon of vocalists, uniquely spinning standards and taking intrepid leaps of faith re-envisioning jazz classics. Fearless pioneer and keeper of tradition, the three-time GRAMMY®-winner’s most recent win was for Best Jazz Vocal Album – Eleanora Fagan (1915-1959): To Billie With Love From Dee Dee.

Bridging genres, her first professional experience was as a member of the legendary Thad Jones/Mel Louis Big Band. Throughout the 70’s, she performed with jazz notables Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon and Dizzy Gillespie among others.

With a parallel career in musical theater, Bridgewater won a Tony Award for her role as “Glinda” in The Wiz (1975). Her other theatrical credits include Sophisticated Ladies, Black Ballad, Carmen and Cabaret. With film, television and soundtrack credits, Bridgewater is an accomplished entertainment “polymath.”

As a legacy Goodwill Ambassador to the UN FAO, Bridgewater champions global efforts in the fight against world hunger. A 2017 NEA Jazz Master, Bridgewater is an ASCAP Champion Awardee, Doris Duke Artist (2018) and Memphis Music Hall of Fame inductee (2019). She serves as co-Founder and co-Artistic Director of The Woodshed Network.

Renowned for his singular combination of robust swing and poetic insight, two-time GRAMMY® winner Kurt Elling has secured his place among the world’s foremost jazz vocalists. Declared “the standout male vocalist of our time” by The New York Times, Elling has garnered unprecedented accolades, including a 14-year run atop the DownBeat Critics Poll, a dozen GRAMMY® nominations, and eight Jazz Journalists Association awards for “Male Singer of the Year.”

Kurt has toured the world in a variety of contexts, including UNESCO-sponsored “International Jazz Day” performances in Havana, Cuba, in St. Petersburg, Russia, in Melbourne, Australia and in Washington DC. He has twice performed at the White House, including a performance in collaboration with the late Marvin Hamlisch and the National Symphony Orchestra for President Obama’s first State Dinner. He has served as Artist-In-Residence at the Monterey and Singapore Jazz Festivals.

In recent years, Kurt has been recording and performing with guitarist Charlie Hunter in their SuperBlue project. Before that he also collaborated as a co-leader with Branford Marsalis and his quartet on Upward Spiral and Danilo Perez on Secrets Are the Best Stories; the former was nominated for a GRAMMY® and the latter won a GRAMMY® for Best Jazz Vocal Album in 2020. Influenced by Mark Murphy and Jon Hendricks, Kurt is also known not only for adapting instrumental compositions for vocals, but also for taking poetry and turning it into a stirring jazz tune.

The Jazz Cruise proudly counts Kurt among those very special performers who make the cruise special every year. We call them the Pillars of The Jazz Cruise.

The world first learned of the incredible vocal artistry of Cécile McLorin Salvant when she won the prestigious 2010 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. In just under a decade, she has evolved from a darling of jazz critics and fans, to a multi-GRAMMY® Award winner, to a prescient and fearless voice in music today. The sound of McLorin Salvant’s voice covers the gamut from breathy to bold, deep and husky to high and resonant, limpid to bluesy, with a clarity and richness that is nearly unparalleled. When she first burst onto the jazz scene, many listeners were struck by her ability to recall the sound of Bessie Smith, Sarah Vaughan or Betty Carter. Yet with each new album, McLorin Salvant’s voice has become more her own, more singular.

For more than a decade, Sullivan Fortner has been stretching deep-rooted talents as a pianist, composer, band leader and uncompromising individualist. The GRAMMY® Award-winning artist received international praise as both key player and producer for his collaborative work on The Window, alongside Cecile McLorin Salvant with whom he frequently tours and records. As a solo leader, he has released four recordings to critical acclaim: Moments Preserved, Aria, Tea for Two and Solo Game.

In addition to his associations with such diverse voices as Wynton Marsalis, Paul Simon, Diane Reeves, Etienne Charles and John Scofield, Sullivan’s frequent and longtime collaborators have included Ambrose Akinmusire, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Stefon Harris, Tivon Pennicott, Peter Bernstein, Nicholas Payton, Billy Hart, Gary Bartz, Christian Scott, Atunde Adjuah, Fred Hersch and the late Roy Hargrove. Recent collaborations include GRAMMY-nominated releases Dear Love (Empress Legacy) and Generations from leaders Jazzmeia Horn and The Baylor Project, respectively. Sullivan’s accolades include the 2015 Cole Porter Fellowship awarded by the American Pianists Association, Leonore Annenberg Arts Fellowship, the Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists and the prestigious Shifting Foundation Grant for artistic career development.

After 27 years and nearly 20 albums, it still bears repeating that Bill Charlap is one of the great jazz piano players, and that his trio with bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington is one of the great working jazz groups of our day.

Pianist Bill Charlap has performed with many of the leading artists of our time including: Wynton Marsalis, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ron Carter, Phil Woods, Gerry Mulligan and Tony Bennett. The album, “Tony Bennett and Bill Charlap: The Silver Lining, The Songs of Jerome Kern” (RPM) won a 2016 Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. It features the pianist with Mr. Bennett in duet, in collaboration with the Bill Charlap Trio and in duo piano with his wife, the renowned pianist and composer, Renee Rosnes. Mr. Charlap’s latest releases are “The Bill Charlap Trio: And Then Again” (Blue Note Records) and ”Dee Bridgewater & Bill Charlap: Elemental” (Mack Avenue). Born in New York City into a musical family, Charlap began playing the piano at age three. His father was the musical theater composer Moose Charlap, whose credits include the Broadway production of Peter Pan, and his mother is the Grammy nominated singer, Sandy Stewart.

Vocalist Catherine Russell is a native New Yorker and was born into musical royalty. Her father, Luis Russell, was a legendary pianist, composer, bandleader and Louis Armstrong’s long-time musical director. Her mother, Carline Ray, was a pioneering vocalist and guitarist. After graduating with honors from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, she toured and recorded with Steely Dan, David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper, Paul Simon, Jackson Browne, among others, appearing on over 200 albums.

She began her own solo career in 2005 and would go on to release eight albums as a leader, two of which, Harlem On My Mind and Alone Together, earned GRAMMY® nominations for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Her latest album, Send For Me, received rave reviews in national media outlets, while she performed a concert for NPR Tiny Desk (Home).

A favorite on The Jazz Cruise, Catherine has been a hit at major jazz festivals including Monterey, Newport, North Sea, JazzAscona, Montreal, Bern, Tanglewood and at sold-out venues like The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Scullers in Boston, The Dakota in Minneapolis, Jazz at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall in NYC, SFJAZZ in San Francisco and Pasadena Pops in Los Angeles.

In recent years, Catherine has been performing concerts with the John Pizzarelli Trio in a show called “Billie and Blue Eyes,” in which the two pay tribute to Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra.

John Pizzarelli, world-renowned guitarist and singer, is a premier contemporary interpreter of the Great American Songbook, with a repertoire that includes Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Tom Waits, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Frank Sinatra and The Beatles. He has been hailed by The Boston Globe for “reinvigorating the Great American Songbook and repopularizing jazz.” The Toronto Star pegged him as “the genial genius of the guitar.” A walking history of American popular history, John has performed and recorded with a wide variety of icons in American music, including George Shearing, Rosemary Clooney, Johnny Frigo, Sir Paul McCartney, Michael McDonald and various orchestras.

John’s “formal” musical education was held on the road with his famous father, the legendary Bucky Pizzarelli. The teaching produced great results, accelerating John’s ascendancy in the music world. John has created musical tributes to both Nat King Cole and, more recently, Pat Metheny. He’s recorded more than 30 albums as a leader, including his latest, Stage and Screen, featuring compositions from various films and musicals.

In 2020, John collaborated with the singer-songwriter James Taylor for his album American Standard, featuring songs from the Great American Songbook. In addition to working with Catherine Russell in a show they call “Billie and Blue Eyes”—a tribute to Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra—John performs regularly with his wife, vocalist Jessica Molaskey, with whom he hosts the popular radio show “Radio Deluxe” and appears in an annual residency at the Café Carlyle in NYC.

An adaptable and swinging jazz drummer, Jeff Hamilton has distinguished himself as an in-demand sideman and bandleader, working with both his own trio and the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. Initially emerging in Los Angeles in the 1970s, Hamilton built his reputation playing with big bands before coming to wider recognition as a member of the illustrious Ray Brown Trio in the ’80s and ’90s. Building upon Brown‘s trio format, Hamilton launched his own group, issuing a steady flow of highly regarded acoustic jazz dates like 1994’s It’s Hamilton Time, 2009’s Symbiosis, and 2017’s Dreamsville. At the same time, he co-leads his big band with bassist John Clayton and saxophonist Jeff Clayton, issuing sophisticated large group dates like 1999’s Explosive! with Milt Jackson and 2014’s Grammy-nominated The L.A. Treasure’s Project.

Houston Person is a legend in jazz. After years as producer and house tenor for HighNote Records and touring with the late Etta Jones, Person is now known as a master of popular songs played in a relaxed, highly accessible style reminiscent of the great Ben Webster.

Houston’s appearances as sideman are legion, and include recordings with Etta Jones, Lena Horne, Lou Rawls, Dakota Staton, Horace Silver, Charles Earland, Joey DeFrancesco and many others. As a record producer, he has worked with many artists, including Etta Jones, Freddy Cole, Charles Brown, David ‘Fathead’ Newman, Dakota Staton and Ernie Andrews.

The Jazz Cruise knows him best as the most influential person in the history and development of the program. From the start (2001), Houston has been the heart and soul of the cruise, offering his music in a style that makes everyone happy. His grace and leadership have kept The Jazz Cruise on the right track for more than 20 years.

Ann Hampton Callaway is one of America’s most gifted artists in pop and jazz. A leading champion of the great American Songbook, she’s made her mark as a singer, pianist, composer, lyricist, arranger, actress, educator, TV host and producer. Voted by Broadwayworld.com as “Celebrity of the Year” and two years in a row as “Best Jazz Vocalist,” Ann is a born entertainer.

She is best known for Tony-nominated performance in the hit Broadway musical Swing! and for writing and singing the theme song to the hit TV series The Nanny. She made her feature film debut opposite Angelina Jolie and Matt Damon in the Robert De Niro film The Good Shepherd. Callaway is a Platinum Award selling writer whose songs are featured on seven of Barbra Streisand’s recent CD’s. She has recorded over 50 CDs as a soloist and guest and her latest critically-acclaimed CD, Fever: A Peggy Lee Celebration!,” has been in high rotation on Siriusly Sinatra.

Ann’s honors include The Theater World Award, 16 MAC Awards, several Bistro Awards, The Mabel Mercer Award, The Johnny Mercer Award for Songwriting, The Blanton Peale Award for Positive Thinking and her induction into The Women Songwriters Hall of Fame. Her new record Finding Beauty, Originals Volume 1, was recently released via Shanachie Entertainment.

Acoustic and electric bassist John Patitucci has been at the forefront of the jazz world for the last 30+ years and active in all styles of music. He is a 4-time Grammy award winner, has been nominated over twenty times and has played on many other Grammy award-winning recordings. He has performed and/or recorded with jazz giants such as Dizzy Gillespie, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Stan Getz, Freddie Hubbard, Roy Haynes, Wynton Marsalis, Michael Brecker, Kenny Garrett, Victor Feldman, Nancy Wilson and countless others. John has also performed and/or recorded with pop artists such as Natalie Cole, John Mayer, Alicia Keys, Joni Mitchell, Bono, Sting, Norah Jones, James Taylor, Carole King and Paul Simon. He has been active as a composer with sixteen solo recordings of his own and has been commissioned to write for various chamber music groups. John has performed as a soloist with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, the Estonian National Symphony, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Trondheim Symphony of Norway, the St. Louis Symphony and the London Symphony Orchestra. In early 2020, John’s composition, a protest piece entitled Hypocrisy, was premiered in Toronto and performed by the Royal Conservatory Orchestra, along with Danilo Perez, Brian Blade and Mr. Patitucci.

After touring with the award-winning Wayne Shorter Quartet for over 20 years, John continues to tour with his own projects, including the John Patitucci Electric Guitar Quartet, his Brazilian Trio, Children of the Light Trio, and a special collaboration with the Harlem String Quartet as a composer and a performer. John’s 16 th recording, a solo bass album entitled Soul of the Bass was released in 2019, and a remixed and remastered version of his Brazilian trio record, Irmãos de Fé, was released in 2020. Mr. Patitucci composed his first film score for a documentary entitled Chicago America’s Hidden War, which was released in May of 2021. In 2022, John released an album that resulted from a 2021 tour of Italy with saxophonist Chris Potter and drummer Brian Blade, entitled Live in Italy.

Joey Calderazzo grew up in New Rochelle, New York, in a musical family. He began classical piano lessons at eight, jazz piano lessons at 14, and by his high school years was performing with saxophonists Frank Foster and Dave Liebman in New York City.

“I was practicing classical piano for five hours a day,” Calderazzo recalls. “I didn’t love it. I was pretty good at playing Bach and Chopin Etudes. I wish I’d been forced to continue playing classical music but as soon as I it soon as I found jazz, I was done.”

Jam sessions and gigs were plentiful during high school, and when his friends enrolled in Berklee, Calderazzo was awarded a scholarship. But his father died when he was 17—he wasn’t emotionally ready for the rigors of Berklee. Instead, he’d join impromptu sessions at the Boston college, where he interacted with the musicians, then students, who would eventually define the sound of ’90s New York City jazz: Branford Marsalis, Jeff Tain Watts, Kenny Kirkland, Donald Harrison, Wallace Roney, Marvin Smitty Smith.

Like many young and advanced musicians, Calderazzo was already playing solo piano, cruise ship gigs, and weekend hotel work. One such date changed the course of his life, forever.

“I was playing a house gig at the La Reserve Hotel in White Plains New York,” Calderazzo says. “We had heavy cats on the bandstand. Frank Foster and Jeff “Tain” Watts did the gig. Michael Brecker had heard of me and played the gig to check me out. I’d met Brecker at a clinic he was doing at Long Island University in Brooklyn. We played a couple of songs. He came and did a gig with me at the hotel.”

When Michael Brecker’s then pianist Kenny Kirkland left to join Sting, the famous session player and tenor icon invited Calderazzo to join his band. Brecker had just released his 1987 Impulse! Records debut with a cast including Pat Metheny, Charlie Haden and Jack DeJohnette. The sky was officially the limit.

“I have been so blessed, especially with Branford and Mike,” Calderazzo recalls. “With Branford, Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts, and James Genus, we developed something special, a way of playing. Mike would go out and do other projects, but Branford’s project is his quartet. I got spoiled. We play as a group and in jazz there aren’t a lot of groups. This is special.

“All these experiences I’ve had help me with my trio,” Calderazzo says. “The trio is a real improvising outlet. We play songs. Nothing’s hard. That’s what I like. We can play anything and improvisation is key. That’s good for that.”

Dave Weckl, a renowned drummer with over 40 years of experience, has earned a lasting reputation as one of the world’s premier drummers. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, on January 8, 1960, Weckl’s musical journey began at the age of eight when he started playing drums. His early influences ranged from rock legends like the Monkees to jazz greats such as Buddy Rich and Steve Gadd.

In 1979, he moved to the East Coast, where he gained recognition in the New York club scene. Collaborations with established musicians like Steve Kahn, Michael Brecker and Peter Erskine opened doors to significant opportunities, including joining the band French Toast and later performing on the 1983 Simon and Garfunkel reunion tour.

Weckl’s career continued to soar as he became a vital member of Chick Corea’s Elektric Band in 1985, earning a GRAMMY® award with the Akoustic Band. His innovative use of electronic and acoustic drums propelled him to international recognition.

In 1990, Weckl embarked on a successful solo career with the release of Master Plan, a landmark album that marked a new era in contemporary drumming. He has recorded numerous solo albums, including Heads Up and Hard-Wired.

Weckl’s influence extended beyond his performances through instructional videos and master classes, demonstrating his dedication to music education. His technical approach evolved after studying with Freddie Gruber, leading to the release of a series of educational videos.

In 1998, Weckl achieved his dream of forming a world-touring band, the Dave Weckl Band, releasing several studio records and instructional videos. He continued to innovate in the field of music education, creating play-along products and teaching materials.

Throughout his career, Weckl’s commitment to inspiring aspiring musicians remains unwavering. He believes in the power of music to contribute positively to spiritual happiness and encourages parents to nurture their children’s musical talents. Today, he continues to tour, collaborate with fellow musicians and run an online school, leaving an indelible mark on the world of drumming and music education.

Tyreek McDole, a 25-year-old Haitian-American vocalist from Florida, is making waves on the New York and international music scenes. His artistry is rooted in the belief that music is the highest form of communication a powerful tool for healing, reflection, and collective dreaming.

He first gained attention at Jazz at Lincoln Centers 2018 Essentially Ellington Competition, where he was awarded Outstanding Vocalist by Wynton Marsalis. Since then, he’s performed alongside an impressive roster of artists including Rodney Whitaker, Theo Croker, Gary Bartz, Maurice Brown, Joey Alexander, Terri Lyne Carrington, Nicholas Payton, and many others.

Tyreek has appeared at many of the world’s most hallowed stages such as Blue Note New York, Salle Pleyel, Nublu, Dizzy’s Jazz Club, Ronnie Scott’s, Birdland Jazz Club, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, and major international festivals such as the Newport Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Jazz in Marciac, and the Nice Jazz Festival.

In 2023, he won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, joining the ranks of standout vocalists like Cyrille Aimee, Lucia Gutierrez Rebolloso, and Samara Joy.

His debut album, Open Up Your Senses, released in June 2025 on Artwork Records, is #1 on Jazz Week, received 4 stars in DownBeat Magazine, and is being celebrated as one of the most thoughtful and spiritually resonant jazz debuts in years. He hopes you enjoy.

Jazz trumpeter and composer Randy Brecker has shaped the sound of jazz, R&B and rock for more than four decades. His trumpet and flugelhorn performances have graced hundreds of albums by a wide range of artists from James Taylor and Bruce Springsteen to Frank Sinatra, Steely Dan, Jaco Pastorius and Frank Zappa. His 19 GRAMMY® nominations and seven awards are testament to his talent.

Born in 1945 in Philadelphia, Randy’s musical talent was nurtured from an early age. He attended Indiana University from 1963-66 and later moved to New York where he landed gigs with such prominent bands as Clark Terry’s Big Bad Band, the Duke Pearson Big Band and the Thad Jones Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra. After performing and touring with Horace Silver, Randy and his brother, tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker, formed their own group that had immeasurable impact and influence, they released six albums and garnered seven GRAMMY® nominations between 1975 and 1981. Their eponymous first record, which Randy wrote, arranged, and produced, featured his now classic composition Some Skunk Funk. Randy would go on to release numerous acclaimed albums as a leader, and his recent co-led recording with Eric Marienthal, Double Dealin’, which earned them a GRAMMY Award in 2020. He also co-leads the Brecker Brothers Reunion Band with his wife, saxophonist Ada Rovatti, another all-star on The Jazz Cruise.

Without apology, we hold Randy in the highest possible regard as a musician and a person. He’s been a vital part of The Jazz Cruise since the beginning.

Perhaps best known as a trumpet virtuoso, James Morrison is, by anybody’s standard, a virtuoso in the true sense of the word. His showmanship extends to playing tuba, trombone, saxophone, clarinet, double bass, guitar and piano during his stellar career. James has been appointed a member of The Order of Australia, has won countless awards and has been inducted into the Australian Jazz Hall of Fame. James is recognized as one of the finest jazz players Australia has ever produced.

He has played alongside the best jazz musicians of our time, including Ray Brown, Dave Brubeck, Ray Charles, Dizzy Gillespie, Chick Corea and Wynton Marsalis. He’s performed at the world’s major jazz festivals, including Montreux, North Sea, Nice and the Hollywood Bowl, as well as at jazz clubs like Birdland, The Blue Note and Village Vanguard in New York, the New Morning in Paris, the Tokyo Blue Note and Ronnie Scott’s in London.

James Morrison’s career has included much more than just jazz. He has recorded with The London Symphony Orchestra, rock legends INXS and the European Brass Ensemble, written the opening fanfare for the Olympic Games and played for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. He has played classical trumpet at the Kremlin, broken a Guinness record conducting the world’s largest orchestra, and in 2016 was a guest of President Obama at the White House.

Did we mention that he’s also a pilot, rally driver, sailor, author and even an inventor? But not a cruise ship captain…yet.

Trumpeter Sean Jones is a musical chameleon, comfortable in any musical setting no matter the role or genre. After a six-month stint with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis offered him a permanent position as lead trumpeter of the ensemble, a post he held from 2004 until 2010. In 2015, Mr. Jones was tapped to become a member of the SJAZZ Collective. During this time, he has managed to keep a core group of talented musicians together under his leadership, forming the foundation for groups that have produced and released eight recordings on Mack Avenue Records.

Sean has been prominently featured in recordings and performances with many major figures in jazz, including Illinois Jacquet, Jimmy Heath, Frank Foster, Nancy Wilson, Dianne Reeves, Gerald Wilson and Marcus Miller. He was selected by Miller, Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter for their A Tribute to Miles tour in 2011. He has also performed with the Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Youngstown symphony orchestras, as well as Soulful Symphony in Baltimore and a chamber group at the Salt Bay Chamberfest.

Sean is an internationally recognized educator. He was president of the Jazz Education Network and has also taught at Duquesne University and at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, while regularly offering master classes and clinics all around the world.  He currently holds the Richard and Elizabeth Case Chair in Jazz Studies at The John Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute in Baltimore. Sean also serves as the artistic Director for the NYO JAZZ Program of Carnegie Hall.

Terell Stafford has been hailed as “one of the great players of our time, a fabulous trumpet player” by the late piano legend McCoy Tyner. Recognized as an incredibly gifted and versatile player, he combines a deep love of melody with his own brand of spirited and adventurous lyricism. Since the mid-1990’s, Terell has performed with groups such as Benny Golson’s Sextet, McCoy Tyner’s Sextet, Kenny Barron Quintet, Frank Wess Quintet, Jimmy Heath Quintet and Big Band, Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra, Carnegie Hall Jazz Band and Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Alumni Band. Stafford with the Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Terell performed on Diana Krall’s GRAMMY nominated From This Moment On (2006). John Clayton invited Terell to perform with the Clayton Brothers Quintet and Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra.

Terell is a member of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and they were awarded a GRAMMY in 2009 for their recording Live at the Village Vanguard. Stafford can be heard on over 130 albums including his own BrotherLee Love, Celebrating Lee Morgan, which received a 47th Annual NAACP Image Award nomination. Terell is the Director of Jazz Studies and Chair of Instrumental Studies at Temple University, founder and band leader of the Terell Stafford Quintet, and Managing and Artistic Director of the Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia (JOP). Terell is renowned in the jazz world as an educator, performer and leader and has received countless award nominations and accolades. He has sailed on The Jazz Cruise numerous times, both as a member of the Clayton Brothers Quintet and as an All-Star.

Described by The Wall Street Journal as “one of the most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation” and “the shining hope of hot jazz” by The New York Times, Bria Skonberg has been at the forefront of a revival of classic American music as both a performer and educator, programming concerts and workshops for students of all ages.

Originally from the small town of Chilliwack, British Columbia, Bria studied jazz and performance at Capilano University in Vancouver while balancing a full road schedule with two bands. After graduating she traveled extensively, performing in China, Japan and throughout Europe as a featured artist. Seeking new challenges, Bria moved to New York city in September of 2010.

A bandleader since her teens, Bria has performed festivals and stages the world over, including New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, and over a hundred more. In 2016 Bria released her debut LP on Sony Masterworks which won a Canadian JUNO award and made the Top 5 on Billboard jazz charts; her music has over 10 million streams on Spotify.

Emmy-nominated trumpeter and singer Benny Benack III has proven to be that rarest of talents: not only a fiery trumpet player, but also a singer with a naturally expressive delivery in the post-Sinatra mold, performing standards and his own astute songs with a thrilling sense of showmanship. This duel-threat ability was recognized by the 2022 DownBeat Critics Poll where he appeared as not only the #2 Rising Star Male Vocalist, but a top Rising Star Trumpeter as well. His superb intonation and bracing virtuosity enable him to handle astounding feats of originally composed vocalese. On top of it all, he’s a highly capable pianist as well.

Alongside his global touring as a straight-ahead/contemporary bandleader, Benny has appeared as a trumpet soloist in more commercial circles alongside Josh Groban, Ann Hampton Callaway and more. He’s been featured at Birdland, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Mezzrow, The Carlyle and other leading NYC venues. He has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert where he frequently performed in the House Band.

Third in a generational line of Pittsburgh jazz notables, Benny follows in the footsteps of his trumpeter/bandleader grandfather, Benny Benack, Sr. and his father Benny Benack, Jr., a saxophonist/clarinetist who gave the young Benny his first professional experience. Benny III returns to Pittsburgh often to perform, saluting his family forebears and the jazz heritage as a whole, nonetheless staking his own bold and highly individual artistic claim.

GRAMMY® Award-winning trumpeter Bijon Watson’s recording, live, and touring credits are vast and the short list includes: Natalie Cole, Michael Bublé, Kurt Elling, Harry Connick, Jr., Diana Krall, Dianne Reeves, Stevie Wonder, Rosemary Clooney, Nancy Wilson and Joe Williams. Bijon plays lead trumpet for the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, John Daversa Progressive Big Band, and John Beasley’s Monkestra. When a jazz big band or orchestra needs a lead trumpeter, Bijon gets the call. In 2022, as co-leader with Steven Feifke, Bijon can be heard not only on lead trumpet but as a featured soloist with their GRAMMY® Award-winning Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra for Best Jazz Big Band Album.

On television, Bijon has performed on episodes of American Idol, The Voice, and The Tonight Show, as well as Grammy Awards shows, The BET Music Awards and Dancing With The Stars. His film appearances include appearing in the award-winning film La La Land and recording on several soundtracks with studios such as Paramount, Fox, and Disney, including Epic, Despicable Me 2 and The Secret Life of Pets.

​As a classically trained musician, Bijon has had the opportunity to perform as a guest with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, the Los Angeles Opera, the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, the San Diego Symphony and the San Francisco Symphony. A dedicated educator, Bijon is a sought-after clinician who gives master classes and clinics to colleges, and high schools throughout the United States, and Europe. Bijon rejoins The Jazz Cruise as an All-Star and essential member of Anita’s Big Band.

The Jazz Cruise Music Director Eric Marienthal has won two GRAMMY® Awards and has been nominated eight times as a member of the Chick Corea Elektric Band, Jeff Lorber Fusion and Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band. Having performed in over 80 countries and played on hundreds of recordings, films and TV shows, Eric also has recorded 15 solo recordings including his latest entitled Double Dealin’ with his friend Randy Brecker. Eric’s recordings have produced several top 10 radio singles including three tunes that reached #1 on its respective chart.

Eric is the recipient of the Berklee College of Music Distinguished Alumnus Award for outstanding achievements in contemporary music. Eric was also named one of the top 3 alto saxophonists in Jazziz Magazine’s Readers Poll along with Phil Woods and David Sanborn. For the past 22 years Eric has organized an annual charity concert for the High Hopes Head Injury Program in Tustin, CA. These concerts have raised awareness for this great organization and have raised over 2 million dollars.

For the past few years, Eric has applied his vast knowledge and experience in the world of jazz to being the Music Director for all of Signature Jazz Cruises’ sailings. In that challenging role, Eric is charged with curating the performances, schedules and support for hundreds of the top musicians in the world. His ability to perform this task with skill and professionalism has made the quality of the programming on those sailings among the very best in the world.

In addition to recording over 70 of his own albums, master clarinetist (and saxophonist) Ken Peplowski has worked and recorded with Mel Torme, Leon Redbone, Charlie Byrd, Peggy Lee, Madonna, Hank Jones, Rosemary Clooney, James Moody, Houston Person, Steve Allen, Woody Allen, Marianne Faithfull, Isaac Delgado and Erich Kunzel (“Although not all at once” says the very clever musician). He travels at least half of every year, playing clubs, concert halls, colleges, and pops concerts. He has headlined the Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall, the Blue Note and Dizzy’s Club amongst many other venues.

Ken also does many workshops for students of all ages. That longtime “student” is currently the artistic director of the Sarasota Jazz Festival, the Newport Beach Jazz Party, Oregon Jazz Festival, and the jazz director of the Siletz Bay Music Festival. He was the 2015 recipient of HotHouse Magazine’s “Fans’ Decision Jazz Award” on clarinet. Ken Peplowski has also been bestowed the 2018 “Creative Arts Prize In Recognition Of Outstanding Contribution In The Field Of The Creative Arts” by the Polish American Historical Association.

Ken’s contribution to The Jazz Cruise over the years is among the most influential and important of any musician. He performs at more different shows than anyone, curates and hosts the Welcome Show, and provides levity and fun wherever he goes.

Ever charismatic, prolific and inspired, GRAMMY®-nominated clarinetist-saxophonist Anat Cohen has won hearts and minds the world over with her expressive virtuosity and delightful stage presence. Anat has been declared Clarinetist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association every year since 2007 and has also been named the top clarinetist in both the readers and critics polls in DownBeat for multiple years running.

Anat was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, and raised into a musical family. At 16, she joined the school’s big band and learned to play the tenor saxophone. After graduation, she discharged her mandatory Israeli military service duty from 1993-95, playing tenor saxophone in the Israeli Air Force band.

Anat has collaborated regularly with one of her heroes, Cuban-American clarinetist-saxophonist Paquito D’Rivera, who introduced her onstage at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola in the Jazz at Lincoln Center complex as “one of the greatest players ever of the clarinet.”

Gary Smulyan is recognized as a major voice on the baritone saxophone. Gradually establishing himself as a young player, Gary was asked to share the stage and the recording studio with an impressive group of jazz luminaries including Freddie Hubbard, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Chick Corea and Tito Puente, as well as R&B/blues and soul icons Ray Charles, B.B. King and Diana Ross.

In addition to performing and recording in support of a myriad of people, Gary has a distinguished discography as a leader, with over ten recordings under his own name. In addition to his work with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Gary remains close with Joe Lovano, working with him in his nine-piece Nonet; then there was the Dave Holland Octet and the seminal bassist’s Big Band. Gary has also enjoyed stints in the cooperative Three Baritone Saxophone Band, as well as working with powerhouse tenor saxophonist George Coleman in his octet and the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band that, similar to the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, is comprised of some of the world’s best players.

Gary is a four-time winner of the DownBeat Critics and Readers Polls and a multiple winner of numerous other official polls including the Jazz Journalists Award for Baritone Saxophonist of the Year. He is a six-time GRAMMY®-award winner for his work with B.B. King, Lovano, Holland and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. Over the years on The Jazz Cruise, Gary has filled the baritone saxophone chair in Anita’s Big Band, as well as hosted jam sessions and performed in All-Star groupings.

GRAMMY® Award-nominated saxophonist, composer, arranger, educator, philanthropist, humanitarian and entrepreneur, Godwin Louis is a trailblazer in the world of music and beyond. Born in Harlem, New York, and raised in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and Port Au Prince, Haiti, his music taps all corners of his multicultural background rooted in Haitian heritage. An acclaimed alto saxophonist, Louis has graced stages around the globe including: Mali, Senegal, Togo, France, Finland, Spain, United Kingdom, Italy, Russia, Azerbaijan, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Venezuela, Brazil, South Korea, Indonesia and Australia. A graduate of Berklee College of Music and the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance, Louis has studied and performed with Herbie Hancock, Clark Terry, Roger Dickerson, Ron Carter, Al Foster, Billy Preston, Patti Labelle, Toni Braxton, Prince, Babyface, Madonna, Barry Harris, Howard Shore, Mulatu Astakte, Mahmoud Ahmed, Wynton Marsalis and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, to name a few. In addition, Louis has performed extensively as a sideman and guest soloist. As a composer and arranger, he received a GRAMMY® nomination for his work on world-renowned vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant’s album Mélusine; was awarded a Jerome Foundation Emerging Artist Grant and was named a 2013 Jazz Gallery Residency Commission recipient. Louis has cultivated a diverse musical palette, seamlessly blending jazz, gospel, classical, Afro-Caribbean rhythms and global sounds. His compositions serve as a testament to his creative depth, exploring the intersections of tradition and innovation. A professor at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, he has conducted clinics and master classes worldwide. The saxophonist also teaches at the summer music camps of the Connecticut jazz nonprofit Back Country Jazz. His work as a humanitarian and ambassador includes his having traveled from Benin to China to help promote cross-cultural understanding and introduce thousands to America’s indigenous art form — jazz — through public concerts, master classes and jam sessions. He is the founder of Experience Ayiti, a nonprofit educational, multidisciplinary arts organization in Haiti. In 2021, The Godwin Louis Rooftop Club opened in Lomé, Togo. Located at El Doria Hotel, the location is dedicated to performances and educational programs that promote music education in Africa. Louis’s debut album as a leader, Global, was released in February 2019. His album Psalms and Proverbs was released in August 2024 on the Blue Room Music label.

Dylan Band is a jazz saxophonist, educator, and bandleader celebrated for his performance and collaboration with prominent artists in the genre. As a teenager, Band studied at the Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts and the Kimmel Center Creative Music Program, before continuing his studies at Temple University, where he earned both his Bachelors’ (BM ‘20) and Masters’ (MM ‘22) Degrees. In 2020, Band placed second in the Vandoren Emerging Artists Competition. Band regularly performs with pianist George Burton, drummer Rodney Green, and vocalist Tyreek McDole. He has shared the stage with artists such as Christian McBride, Orrin Evans’ Captain Black Big Band, and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. His festival appearances include the Burlington Jazz Festival, the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, NYC Winter Jazz Fest, and the Guimaräes Jazz Festival. Band is featured on Burton’s album White Noise (2024) and McDole’s Open Up Your Senses (2025). He also leads the Dylan Band Quartet, which performs regularly in New York City and Philadelphia. In addition to the Quartet, Band co-leads the Philadelphia Ambassador Big Band, which has worked with with and commissioned arrangements for Jaleel Shaw, Seamus Blake, and Kurt Rosenwinkel.

Musical ambassador and interpreter of the music, Wycliffe Gordon is one of the world’s most renowned and award-winning jazz trombonists touring today. Wycliffe is a former member of the Wynton Marsalis Septet and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. Named “Trombonist of the Year” by Jazz Journalists Association for an unprecedented 15th time, DownBeat Critics Poll has named Wycliffe “Best Trombone” six times, and he has been the recipient of the Louie Award, the International Trombone Award and the “Satchmo” Award, amongst many others.

Wycliffe tours as a soloist and regularly with his quintet headlining at legendary jazz venues and festivals. He’s released more than 20 albums as a leader and eight more as a co-leader. He’s performed with an impressive list of artists including David Sanborn, Dianne Reeves, Anat Cohen, Arturo Sandoval, Doc Severinsen, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Tommy Flanagan, Shirley Horn, Joe Henderson and Branford Marsalis.

A respected educator and mentor, Wycliffe is the director of Jazz Studies at Augusta University in Georgia and he presents master classes, clinics, workshops, children’s concerts and lectures to students from elementary schools to universities all over the world. He’s been an artist-in-residence or taught at prestigious educational institutions such as The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, Michigan State University, Peabody Conservatory, Temple University and Arizona State University.

Wycliffe has sailed on more Jazz Cruises programs than any other musician. He has performed in every configuration imaginable and is the guardian of The Jazz Cruise Gospel Hour, one of the most cherished and beloved elements of The Jazz Cruise.

Trombonist John Allred has made a significant mark in the world of music. His roots are deeply entwined with jazz, as he is the son of the renowned jazz trombonist, Bill Allred. After experience in the vibrant music scene of the Los Angeles music scene, John was invited to join Woody Herman and the Young Thundering Herd, marking a significant milestone in his career.

He later relocated to Orlando, Florida, where he continued to contribute his trombone skills to jazz performances and studio recordings. His talents led to an invitation to join the Harry Connick Jr. Big Band, with whom he not only toured extensively but also contributed to numerous studio recordings and television appearances. During this period, John Allred remained actively engaged in his father’s jazz ensemble and participated in various production shows.

In 1999, Allred moved to the bustling music hub of New York City. There, he shared his talents with esteemed groups like the Toshiko Akiyoshi Big Band, the Woody Herman Orchestra and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band. His dedication and artistry have firmly established him as a respected figure in the world of jazz, contributing his unique voice to the rich tapestry of American music.

John may have inherited the gift of playing jazz on a ship. It seems his grandfather, also named John, was a jazz pianist and banjoist who played on the steamboats of the Strecklus Line that sailed on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. A fixture of Anita’s Big Band and a frequent All-Star, John has carried on the family tradition.

Downbeat Magazine called trombonist Mariel Bildsten “irrepressibly spontaneous” and her 2023 release Steppin’ Out! exploded onto the scene as an exciting follow-up to Backbone, her 2020 debut. Mariel headlines jazz festivals, plays around the country and performs regularly in New York City, in the US and internationally. A frequent member of the Mingus Big Band, Mariel has performed alongside Jennifer Hudson, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Roy Hargrove, Wycliffe Gordon, Brian Lynch, Cyrus Chestnut, Frank Lacy, Jon Batiste, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jennifer Hudson, Roy Hargrove and many others. A passionate and popular educator, Mariel guides students through masterclass group instruction, workshops, and clinics, as well as leading educational shows in public schools through Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Renee Rosnes is enjoying an illustrious career as one of the premier pianists and composers of her generation, having performed and recorded with some of the most iconic figures in jazz including Joe Henderson, JJ Johnson, Wayne Shorter, Bobby Hutcherson and James Moody. She has released 18 albums as a leader, which showcase her virtuosity, creativity and collaborative spirit. Her recording, Kinds of Love (Smoke Sessions) featuring Chris Potter, Christian McBride, Carl Allen and Rogério Boccato, received a Canadian JUNO Award, her seventh. Rosnes is the musical director of the supergroup ARTEMIS, who were named 2023 Jazz Group of the Year by the 88th DownBeat Readers Poll. The band has performed at many of the world’s prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, the Monterey Jazz Festival, the North Sea Jazz Festival and the Newport Jazz Festival, among others. NPR raved, “A killer line-up of players, composers and performers who hail from all over the world…converge on an extremely cosmopolitan, sleek, rhythm-forward, modern sound.”

During the 2018 Montréal Jazz Festival, Rosnes was awarded the Oscar Peterson Prize in recognition of her outstanding contributions to jazz. In addition to leading her own bands, Rosnes is the pianist for the legendary bassist, Ron Carter’s Foursight Quartet. Rosnes’ piano duo with her husband and acclaimed pianist Bill Charlap, is marked by mutual respect and dazzling interplay. The duo was featured on the recording, Tony Bennett & Bill Charlap: The Silver Lining, which garnered a 2015 GRAMMY® for Best Traditional Pop Album.

Shelly Berg is the dynamic Artistic Director of The Jazz Cruise and has once again helped to curate an amazing line-up of performances for the cruise, as well as being a gifted member of our All Stars. A Steinway piano artist and a five-time GRAMMMY®-nominated arranger and orchestrator, Shelly has performed and recorded with a wide range of artists including Kurt Elling, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Niki Haris, Arturo Sandoval, Gloria Estefan, Stevie Wonder, Seal, Ledisi, Pharrell Williams, Renée Fleming and James Galway. His Film orchestration work includes Warner Bros. Almost Heroes and For Your Consideration, Fox’s Men of Honor and the NBC mini-series The ’60s. He has written for the Royal Philharmonic, the American Symphony and orchestras worldwide.

An award-winning educator with over 40 years of leadership in higher education, Shelly Berg is the Dean of the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. He previously held the McCoy/Sample endowed professorship of jazz studies in the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California where he taught for 16 years. He is a past president of the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE), and was named 2003 Educator of the Year by the Los Angeles Jazz Society. In 2002, Shelly was the recipient of the IAJE Lawrence Berk Leadership Award. He also hosted “Generation Next” on Sirius XM Real Jazz, currently serves as artistic advisor for Jazz Roots at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, and is on the board of SFJAZZ.

Two-time GRAMMY® Award-winning NYC-based pianist and composer Taylor Eigsti started playing the piano when he was four years old. Growing up in Menlo Park, CA, Eigsti was quickly labeled a prodigy, and has since released 9 albums as a bandleader, in addition to appearing on over 80 albums as a sideman.

In February 2025, Eigsti won his second GRAMMY® Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for his ninth and most recent album “Plot Armor” (2024, GroundUP Music), following a 2022 win for his eighth album “Tree Falls” (2021, GSI Records) in the same category.

Eigsti has garnered a total of 4 individual GRAMMY® nominations over the years for his work as a recording artist and composer, including Best Instrumental Composition, and Best Jazz Instrumental Solo, in addition to being featured on several other GRAMMY® nominated albums by Gretchen Parlato and Julian Lage, and co-wrote a featured composition with Don Cheadle for the GRAMMY® – winning soundtrack to the motion picture “Miles Ahead” (2017). Recently, Eigsti was the winner of Downbeat Magazine’s 72nd Annual Critic’s Poll for Rising Star “Pianist of the Year” for 2024.

Eigsti has performed, toured, or recorded with such luminaries as Dave Brubeck, Sting, Chick Corea, Joshua Redman, Joshua Bell, Snarky Puppy, Esperanza Spalding, John Mayer, Vanessa Williams, James Moody, Turtle Island Quartet, Chris Potter, Nicholas Payton, McCoy Tyner, Christian McBride, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Dianne Reeves, Kurt Elling, Vince Mendoza, Julian Lage, Ambrose Akinmusire, Tarriona “Tank” Ball, Lalah Hathaway, Joe Lovano, Hank Jones, and Frederica Von Stade, in addition to frequent touring collaborations with Ms. Lisa Fischer, Terence Blanchard, Chris Botti, Kendrick Scott, Ben Wendel, Erin Bode, Eric Harland, and Gretchen Parlato, amongst numerous others.

Mathis Picard is a pianist, composer and producer in the international music scene. Based in New York City and from France & Madagascar, Mathis honors his multi-cultural background by merging musical influences and elevating sonic synchronicity. Named a “rising star” by The Scotsmen paper, Mathis is an ASCAP Next Generation of Songwriters Recipient, a member of the Montreux Jazz Foundation, and a Juilliard Alumni under the mentorship of Kenny Barron. His band The Sound Orchestra has performed all over The United States. Their debut genre-bending EP World Unity came out in 2020 on Outside In which put him on the map as “a fascinating name to follow in any context” (All About Jazz).

Mathis has shared the stage with artists such as Braxton Cook, Ron Carter, Lillias White, Lee Ritenour, Wynton Marsalis, Veronica Swift, Etienne Charles and more. Rooted in the tradition of live acoustic performance and deemed as “one to watch” by Jazzwise magazine, Mathis also shines as a solo pianist, playing solo sets for NY Fashion Week, Little Island, Umbria Jazz Festival, and is featured on several records. Long awaited, Mathis presented his first solo piano album titled Live at the Museum. Recorded with a live audience at the National Jazz Museum of Harlem in New York City, Live at the Museum is a sonic journey through which Mathis explores the museum of his own life in music, honoring and spotlighting his roots in jazz, classical and electronic music. Mathis will perform on The Jazz Cruise with Cyrille Aimee.

Caelan Cardello started playing piano at the age of 5 and within two years had begun parallel arcs of formal training in both classical and jazz piano, starting with jazz pianist/arranger Allen Farnham and Juilliard classical alum Steve Masi. Caelan’s consistent musical growth enabled him to secure mentorships with some of the most sought after luminaries in the jazz piano pantheon, most notably Fred Hersch, Frank Kimbrough and Dave Kikoski.

Caelan’s early involvement with several distinguished arts programs figure prominently in his musical development. First and foremost was the renowned Jazz House Kids in Montclair, NJ – a comprehensive and immersive community jazz arts program developed and run by jazz vocalist Melissa Walker and husband, bass icon Christian McBride. Caelan often held “featured artist” status when playing with the JHK ensembles and his 7 years with the program afforded him invaluable opportunities to play and study with some of the most prominent figures in jazz today including Jimmy Cobb, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jack DeJohnette, rufus reid, Wallace Roney, Ravi Coltrane, Paquito D’Rivera, pop songsmith Bruce Hornsby and of course Christian McBride to name but a few. As an alumnist of the program, Caelan’s affiliation has continually opened doors for him to perform with many other celebrated jazz greats in NYC’s legendary jazz haunts like Dizzy’s Club, Minton’s Playhouse, Smalls Jazz Club and The Jazz Standard.

Over time, Caelan’s musical accomplishments and live performances have garnered him several prestigious awards including the New Jersey Governor’s Award, the James Moody College Scholarship Award for “Outstanding Musicianship,” the 2021 BMI Foundation’s Future Jazz Master Award, and the prestigious Herbie Hancock International Piano Competition. One honor of particular mention is the “Outstanding Soloist” award he received at the Charles Mingus HS Competition & Festival which resulted in Caelan being “tapped” for a “sub” slot with the Mingus Big Band at the Jazz Standard in NYC. Most recently, Caelan was selected as one of the five finalists for the very prestigious American Pianists Awards. The competition prize includes career assistance and touring, with a value of over $200,000.

Caelan graduated from William Paterson University with a Bachelors degree in Jazz Piano Performance. During his time there he found himself again under the tutelage of many venerable Jazz Masters including Bill Charlap and the late great Harold Mabern. He regularly performed with William Paterson Jazz Ensembles, being featured at WBGO and playing shows at Dizzys Club in NYC. When not performing, Caelan devotes his attention to furthering his musical studies in performance, composition, arrangement and digital music technology.

Combining a joyful swing feel with an impeccable touch, pianist Ben Paterson has established himself as one of the most exciting pianists on the Jazz scene today, garnering international acclaim for his superb musicianship and engaging performances. Whether playing lush ballads on the piano, digging into some hard-driving blues-tinged organ jazz on the Hammond B3, or singing classic tunes by the likes of Ray Charles and Nat King Cole, Ben combines effortless technique with soulful honesty, drawing in both aficionados and Jazz neophytes alike. Originally from Philadelphia, Ben studied both classical and Jazz music before moving to the great city of Chicago, absorbing the unique blend of Jazz and Blues that can only be found in the Windy City. Now based in New York, Ben is poised to bring his unique talents and style to a wider audience, performing regularly at top notch venues around town, and at clubs and festivals around the world. Ben currently has seven CD’s released under his own name: Breathing Space (OA2 Records 2007) Blues For Oscar (Meetinghouse Records 2012), Essential Elements (MAXJAZZ 2013), For Once In My Life (Origin 2015), That Old Feeling (Cellar Live 2018), Live at Van Gelder’s (Cellar Live 2018), and I’ll Be Thanking Santa (Meetinghouse Records 2019). Visit www.benpaterson.com for more information.

Tadataka Unno started playing piano at the age of 4, and Jazz piano at the age of 9. He began his career as a musician at the age of 18 while a student at Tokyo University of the Arts. He has performed with leading jazz artists in Japan including Yoshio Suzuki, Kimiko Ito, Masahiko Osaka and has been a standard-bearer for the younger generation.

In 2008, he moved to New York City to further explore the roots and culture of jazz. As he started his career from scratch, Unno was soon recognized by top musicians in his new home. Two pivotal opportunities arose in 2010, when Unno was selected as a participant in the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead program at the Kennedy Center (where he met his mentor, pianist George Cables) and then recommended for a spot in Chicago’s Lavinia Institute by legendary saxophonist Nathan Davis and trombone legend Curtis Fuller.

Unno has since been welcomed as an important new addition to the lineage of jazz. In 2013, he was the first Japanese pianist to perform with the Jimmy Cobb Trio at the Village Vanguard. In March 2022, he released his return album Get My Mojo Back on the Verve label and it became the top-selling new jazz album in Japan.

Bassist, Composer, Arranger and Producer, John Clayton is a busy man. He is a GRAMMY© winner with nine additional nominations and has written and/or recorded with artists such as Milt Jackson, Diana Krall, Paul McCartney, Regina Carter, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Gladys Knight, Queen Latifah, McCoy Tyner, YoYo Ma and Charles Aznavour, to name only a few. John was the principal bassist in the Amsterdam Philharmonic Orchestra (The Netherlands) from 1980-1984. In 1986, John co-founded the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and rekindled The Clayton Brothers Quintet. In addition to his individual clinics and workshops, he also directs the educational components of Centrum, The Port Townsend Jazz Festival, and the Vail Jazz Workshop. It is John’s arrangement of the “Star Spangled Banner” that helped propel Whitney Houston in her 1990 performance at the Super Bowl (the recording went platinum). His recordings with the Clayton Brothers, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Milt Jackson, Monty Alexander, Count Basie and others are plentiful. John feels “I’ve been guided by a village of musicians who helped me understand the humility that goes along with playing music at the highest level you can. Ray Brown used to tell me to ‘Learn how to play the bass!!’ Just take care of the music and it will take care of you.

Born in Newcastle, Australia, Nicki Parrott started her musical training at age four with the piano and flute. Nicki switched to double bass at the age of 15. After graduating high school, she moved to Sydney to study jazz at the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music where she was granted funds by the Arts Council to study in New York with Rufus Reid.

Nicki was bassist and vocalist for the legendary Les Paul for over 10 years. As part of the Les Paul Trio, Nicki worked side-by-side with guitar greats from Paul McCartney, Steve Miller to fellow Aussie, Tommy Emmanuel.  Paul said about Nicki that, “She has that special gift you cannot buy in a music store.” In addition, she performed in several Broadway shows and at most of the world’s top jazz venues and festivals including The Jazz Cruise and sold-out performances at Birdland and Dizzy’s in NYC.

Nicki recently returned home to Australia where she still tours the globe and records. Her newest release, Feelin’ Groovy (Arbors), is a retrospective and reimagining of songs from the 60s and features an all-Australian band, a first for the label. Nicki has performed with such jazz greats as Randy Brecker, Clark Terry, Bucky Pizzarelli, Dick Hyman, Michel Legrand, Houston Person and Arif Mardin. JazzTimes wrote about her that, “Nicki brings clear articulation, beautiful tone, a sense of rhythmic assuredness and a touch of allure to inventive arrangements.”

She has recorded over two dozen vocal records for Venus Records, Arbors Records and Ooroo Records.

Jon Hamar is a versatile artist who’s ability to find a tasteful, unique voice in any musical situation has made him a staple in the music scene. Hamar’s friendly nature, sense of humor and work ethic has kept him busy as a freelance bassist in multiple performance genres. Jon was born in Kennewick, Washington. He began playing the string bass at age 11 and a year later began playing the electric bass as well. Jon’s parents are musical and Jon grew up listening to his father play gospel, boogie woogie and classical music at the piano and his mother play the oboe and sing at church. His parents were a great musical influence to him at an early age.

Jon earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Classical Double Bass Performance from Eastern Washington University under the tutelage of Roma Vayspapir and Kelly Ferris. Jon graduated from the Eastman School of Music with a Master’s degree in Jazz and Contemporary Media, studying with Jeffrey Campbell, James Vandermark, Harold Danko, and Fred Sturm. In 2001 Hamar relocated to Seattle, Washington, and was in high demand as a freelance bassist. Hamar performed for four years with jazz and blues great Ernestine Anderson as well as Northwest notables such as Greta Matassa, Jim Knapp, Kelley Johnson and John Hansen.

In Fall of 2015 Hamar joined the faculty at the Natalie Haslam School of Music at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee

Originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Philip Norris currently resides in New York City pursuing his degree in Jazz Studies at The Juilliard School. Philip first began his path in music on the Piano and Horn before his passion developed for the bass at the age of 13. Growing up in North Carolina he was a part of The Triangle Youth Jazz Ensemble and received The Ella Fitzgerald Outstanding Soloist Award at the Essentially Ellington Competition in 2016.

Other accolades include the NAfME All-National Jazz ensemble, Jazz Band of America and a YoungArts National Finalist in 2016. Since moving to New York, Philip has played in various parts of the world including Switzerland, Bolivia and Russia. He has also played with artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Ulysses Owens Jr., Harold Mabern, Joe Farnsworth, Eric Alexander, Jeff Hamilton, Helen Sung, Catherine Russell, Kenny Washington, Elio Vilafranca, Igor Butman and many more. Philip is currently playing in New York City and abroad with many of these artists as he continues his studies at The Juilliard School.

Bassist, Composer and Educator, Clark Sommers has toured and performed extensively throughout the world.

Clark completed his undergraduate degree in Jazz Studies and World Music at California Institute of the Arts in 2002, and completed a masters degree in Jazz Composition in 2021 from DePaul University.

Clark is proud to be at home in the bass chair with vocalist Kurt Elling, with whom he tours the globe, bringing jazz to everyone from Istanbul to the Canary Islands. Thus far, he has been privileged to play on multiple recordings with the Elling. One of which won the GRAMMY for best jazz vocal album in 2009 “Dedicated to You” Kurt Elling sings the music of Coltrane and Hartman and the second in 2020 for “Secrets Are The Best Stories” featuring Danilo Perez.

Tal Ronen is an accomplished young bass player living and working in New York City. As a highly sought-after sideman, Tal has been a frequent band member with many notable musicians such as Frank Wess (Sax.), Jimmy Cobb (Drums), Harry Whitaker (Piano), Shiela Jordan (Vocals), and many more. Ronen is currently the bassist for acclaimed Grammy winning international artist Catherine Russell. He also leads his own group featuring his own original compositions, as well as being a main collaborator and songwriter for up and coming artist Dida Pelled.

Ronen has played at many prominent New York venues and is a frequent presence on the world stage, participating in various international festivals around the world.

Born and raised in Rochester NY, Mike Karn was an accomplished saxophonist with recordings as a leader, until 2007 when he began to seriously pursue the bass and within a couple of years was working with some of New York’s best musicians, including tenor great Lew Tabakin and with jazz vocal legend Jon Hendricks. In 2010 Mike began playing with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra (VJO) and quickly established himself as that famous big band’s first call sub. In addition to numerous Monday nights at the Village Vanguard, Mike has traveled with the VJO throughout the U.S. and the world. Mike has played with Jimmy Heath and his brother and fellow NEA Jazz Master Albert “Tootie” Heath on numerous occasions including engagements at Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Blue Note, the Village Vanguard, and the Chicago Jazz Festival. In 2015, Mike had the opportunity to travel to Japan with yet another jazz legend, vocalist/pianist Freddy Cole. In 2018, Mike returned to Asia with Freddy, playing again at the Cotton Club as well as the Blue Note in Beijing. In 2015, Mike joined the band of guitarist/vocalist John Pizzarelli and since then has appeared with the guitarist/vocalist throughout the U.S. and Canada, as well as tours of Japan, Brazil and multiple trips to Europe. He is also featured on many of John’s recent albums including, most recently, Stage and Screen. Of course, Mike will return to The Jazz Cruise with John and pianist Isaiah J. Thompson.

Bassist and composer Martin Wind was born in Flensburg, Germany in 1968 and moved to New York in 1996 to study at New York University (NYU) with a scholarship by the German Academic Exchange Service.

Since his move to New York Martin has become a regular at all major jazz clubs and is also in demand as a session player; his credits include movies such as “The Alamo”, “Intolerable Cruelty”, “Mona Lisa Smiles”, “Fur”, “True Grit”, “The Adventures of Walter Mitty”, and “Gemini Man”.

Martin has released more than 20 albums as leader/co-leader including his debut album “Gone with the Wind” (1993), quartet recordings “Salt & Pepper” (2007) and “Get it?” (2009), as well as the orchestral album “Turn out the Stars – music written or inspired by Bill Evans” (2014) featuring Scott Robinson (tenor sax), Bill Cunliffe (piano) and Joe La Barbera (drums), which Paquito D’Rivera called “disgustingly beautiful”. More recent releases include “Light Blue” (2018) and “White Noise” (2020), and “My Astorian Queen” (2021) in celebration of the 25th anniversary of his move to New York City. In 2022 he presented a new project, the New York Bass Quartet: in his 4 ½ star review for Downbeat Magazine, Bill Milkowski called it a “bass manifesto”.

Currently Martin is a member of the trios of Bill Mays, Dena DeRose, Bill Cunliffe, Ann Hampton Callaway, Ted Rosenthal, as well as the quartets of Matt Wilson (“Arts and Crafts”) and Ken Peplowski. Since 2013 he has also been touring with Belgian guitarist and jazz legend Philip Catherine, playing material from their duo album “New Folks” (ACT Records).

In 2018 he premiered his bass concerto “Legacy” with his hometown orchestra; he has also written the sonata “Into the light” for bass and piano, many arrangements, and original compositions for bass ensemble and about 100 jazz tunes and concert pieces.

Bassist David Wong was born and raised in New York City. In 2004, he graduated from the Juilliard School in classical music. He has studied with Orin O’Brien (New York Philharmonic), and Ron Carter. He is currently a member of Roy Haynes’ Fountain of Youth band, the Charles McPherson Quintet and The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. He was also the last bass player in the Heath Brother’s Quartet led by Jimmy Heath and Albert “Tootie” Heath as well as Hank Jones’ Great Jazz Trio and is featured on the piano master’s last recording.

David is on faculty at Temple University, Purchase College, The New School, and The City College of New York.

Lewis Nash is one of jazz’s most recorded musicians, appearing on over 500 recordings including 10 GRAMMY® winners and numerous GRAMMY® nominees. Nash has the distinction of being the only musician in jazz history featured on the winners in both the “Best Jazz Vocal” and “Best Jazz Instrumental” album categories in two separate years: the 2004 GRAMMY® s with Nancy Wilson and McCoy Tyner, and again in 2010 with Dee Dee Bridgewater and James Moody.

A native of Phoenix, Arizona, Lewis first gained international recognition as a member of vocalist Betty Carter’s trio. In the years to follow, Nash toured, recorded and performed with many of jazz’s most celebrated icons, including Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie, JJ Johnson, Sonny Rollins, Clark Terry, Stan Getz, Benny Golson, Art Farmer, Gerry Mulligan, Hank Jones, Horace Silver, McCoy Tyner, Ray Brown, Milt Jackson and many more.

In 2012, The Nash, a jazz education center and performance venue named in Lewis’s honor, was established in his home town of Phoenix.  It has been a focal point of the city’s jazz activity since its inception.

Lewis is in great demand for his educational expertise as well as his drumming skills, and presents clinics, masterclasses and workshops at institutions worldwide.  He has been a member of the faculty of the annual Vail Jazz Workshop for the past 20 years. In 2017, Nash joined the jazz studies faculty at Arizona State University, where he was named the Bob and Gretchen Ravenscroft Professor of Practice in Jazz.  (TJCHOF)

A native of New Orleans, Herlin Riley started on the drums when he was three. He played trumpet through high school, but he went back to drums in college. After graduating, he spent three years as a member of a band led by Ahmad Jamal. In the ensuing years, he worked often with Wynton Marsalis as a member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and of Marsalis’s small groups and appears on more than two dozen of the trumpeter’s albums. Riley played a large part in developing the drum parts for Wynton Marsalis’s Pulitzer Prize-winning album, Blood on the Fields. As a leader, Herlin has released four albums: Watch What You’re Doing, Cream of the Crescent, New Direction and Perpetual Optimism.

He’s also co-led a group with fellow Crescent City drummers Jason Marsalis and Shannon Powell, the New Orleans Groovemasters, that celebrates the music of New Orleans—past, present and future—with a fiery sound that evokes second lines of that city, as well as funk, R&B and jazz.

Hailed by Jazz Speaks as a “young prodigious drummer,” Los Angeles native Kyle Poole has been residing in New York City since 2011 and continues to impress wherever his drums take him next. Along with his band of fellow NY jazz upstarts aptly titled Poole & the Gang, Kyle has performed in New York’s most esteemed jazz clubs, notably Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola & SMOKE Jazz, culminating in a weekly residency at Small’s Jazz Club lasting nearly three years.

One of Poole’s chief missions is to expand jazz’s audience by incorporating all dance styles of music, reaching back to ragtime and bebop, while forging ahead all the way to funk, hip-hop & beyond. With the constant fluctuation of genre, rhythm and harmony, Poole & the Gang connects these musical dots in a uniquely improvised fashion, while audiences worldwide are delighted to simply “go with the flow.”

Tim Horner is a native of Roanoke, Virgina. He has spent hte last five decades performing with jazz greats and has recorded over 250 recordings as a sideman with our of his own personal projects. He has sailed with The Jazz Cruise in the past as a member of Ann Hampton Callaway’s group and as an All-Star.

Jazz’s newest enigma, who goes by the moniker of Jerome Gillespie Jr., is a multi-talented musician, drummer, composer, bandleader, and teacher who is at the fulcrum of an evolving jazz scene. Taught in Houston by Craig Green, Joel Fulgham, and Sebastian Whittaker, Jerome Gillespie, Jr. is a very different and uniquely wired musician who isn’t afraid to break the rules and push the boundaries of our perception with his deeply layered and well-crafted syncopated rhythms. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, he later attended music conservatory schools The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, and later transferred and graduated from the Manhattan School of Music. His drive, focus, and tenacity will lead him to become a relentless and emerging force in the independent circuit. Jerome Gillespie, Jr. is making music that is driven by a desire to motivate, inspire, and tell his story his way. Jerome grew up as a musically inclined child going to church, where his god-mother, Theola Booker, a well-known educator, and gospel composer was the minister of music. He also attended Johnston Middle School (now Meyerland Middle School) and Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA). Music is the vehicle by which he expresses himself. He has always been fascinated with instruments and the amazing way in which performing can touch and move people. He makes music that draws from his experiences and by using his musical acumen he articulates stories, emotions, and shared perspectives that will connect with audiences across the spectrum through his intricate drumming and innovative sounds. Jerome Gillespie, Jr. combines various unique and experimental elements from across genres as well as his own ideas resulting in Jazz-centered fusions that are still firmly stitched together by emotive undertones. Jerome Gillespie, Jr. has worked with legends such as Reggie Workman, Frank Lacy, Bobby Watson, Valery Ponomarev, Mark Gross, and Antonio Hart and he cites them as the pivotal influences in his music. This all culminates in Jerome Gillespie, Jr. producing an enjoyable, and easygoing musical experience that is authentic and grounded in reality. His overarching ambition is to empower people through his gift. He is driven by the desire to share emotion through music and to impact lives in a positive way. Jerome Gillespie, Jr. released his latest single dubbed “The Gift of Brotherhood” which will showcase his distinct style, taking listeners on a journey through various emotions and bringing them to a place where they can escape the world and be lost in the music. His upcoming projects will highlight his passion and love for music as an art form. He explores various themes by delving deeper into the emotions that encompass the human psyche. The talented Percussionist and Composer is here to reshape and leave an indelible mark in the industry.

As a Memphis native and Nashville resident, Marcus Finnie has toured with Kirk Whalum, Keb Mo, Taj Mahal, Lady Antebellum, Billy Preston, Earl Klugh and many others. Marcus has also recorded with Grammy and Stellar Award nominated and winning artists Kirk Whalum, Keb Mo & Taj Mahal, India Arie, Michael McDonald, Lalo Hathaway, Smokie Norful, Donnie McClurkin and others.

Domo Branch is a highly accomplished drummer, composer and bandleader known for his innovative contributions to the modern jazz scene. Splitting time both in NYC and his hometown Portland, Oregon, Branch has quickly risen as a leading voice in contemporary music, blending rhythmic sophistication with an emotional depth that resonates deeply with audiences.

Branch’s artistry is showcased in his groundbreaking album, We Are Made featuring Vibraphonist, and educator Stefon Harris, which weaves intricate rhythms and rich melodies into a tapestry that explores identity, community, and the human experience. The album has been celebrated for its singable melodies, bold arrangements and poignant storytelling, establishing Branch as a dynamic creative force.

Whether on stage, or in the studio, Branch exemplifies a commitment to pushing boundaries while staying rooted in the integrity of the soul of jazz tradition.

Dennis Mackrel began playing the drums when he was two; and became a professional musician at the age of ten when he performed in the Anchorage Community Theater’s production of  A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

Developing his craft in various playing situations, Dennis received numerous awards such as “Who’s Who in Music”, 1979;  National Endowment for the Arts grant for composition in 1983; and in 1992; “Outstanding Alumni” from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. While attending UNLV, he was a member of the acclaimed UNLV Jazz Ensemble where his drumming and arranging skills caught the attention of legendary jazz vocalist Joe Williams. In 1981, at 19 years of age, Dennis moved to New York City and landed a gig as a drummer on Broadway. His Broadway credits include “The First” and “A Chorus Line” and in January of 1983, Dennis joined the Count Basie Orchestra on the personal recommendation of Mr. Williams.

Dennis traveled extensively and worked alongside Mr. Basie until his death in April 1984. He continued with the orchestra under the direction of interim leader Eric Dixon followed by Thad Jones. In 1985 under Mr. Jones’s leadership, the Count Basie Orchestra recorded one of Dennis’s compositions entitled And That’s That.

Dennis stayed with the band, when Frank Foster took over as leader, until December of 1987. Dennis’s composition Bus Dust was included on the CD “Long Live The Chief” which was recorded during Mr. Foster’s tenure as leader. After leaving the Orchestra, he returned to New York and would soon become the drummer of choice for a number of large ensembles including the American Jazz Orchestra, the Carla Bley Big Band, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Buck Clayton’s Swing Band, and the Dizzy Gillespie All Star Big Band.

In 2010, he returned to the Count Basie Orchestra where he served as its leader and chief conductor until 2013 and in 2015, he was named chief conductor of the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw” in Amsterdam, Holland. In 2019, the orchestra was awarded the prestigious “Edison Award” for their double CD Crossroads.

Dennis toured extensively with the orchestra including performances in Europe, China, Russia, Indonesia and the United States until the global pandemic of 2020.

As an educator, he continues to conduct master classes, seminars, and workshops throughout Europe, Asia, Canada and the USA.

In addition to being a member of the jazz faculty at the Birch Creek Summer Music Academy in Egg Harbor, Wisconsin and the Skidmore Jazz Institute in Saratoga Springs, NY., He is currently the director of jazz studies at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College in Flushing, NY.

As the sparkling guitarist on several chart-topping jazz CDs, a critically lauded songwriter and nimble lyricist Matt Munisteri is an urban banjo-warrior and a sometime session musician, a selfless and devoted sideman, a wry-yet-honest singer, an engaging and winning front-man and an arranger whose ear-pulling re-inventions of well-traveled songs have contributed to GRAMMY® winning CDs.

After leaving his post as the guitarist and principal songwriter for The Flying Neutrinos in the late ’90’s, Matt quietly self-released his debut CD Love Story in 2003. Word-of-mouth saw to it that it wound on several critic’s “Best Of” lists, and garnered the number two slot on Amazon’s Top Ten Jazz CDs of The Year. A formidable lyricist, his literate songs have been compared to Randy Newman, Mose Allison and Bob Dorough.

Matt’s CD Still Runnin’ Round In The Wilderness, is the first volume of two planned CDs to explore the “lost” compositions of the under-recognized, but truly prototypical, American singer-songwriter Willard Robison. Matt is partial to big ideas and prefers projects with challenges and substance, and tackling Robison’s music met all of these criteria.

Niki Haris is a multi-talented singer, dancer, actress and choreographer. Daughter of GRAMMY® Award-nominated jazz pianist Gene Harris, Niki may be best known as “The BIG VOICE” behind Madonna for over 18 years. Her vocal collaborations read like a “Who’s Who” of the music business. Niki has been a musician on The Jazz Cruise for many years.

After 30 years in comedy and over 30 Signature Jazz Cruises, Alonzo Bodden has been able to marry his two passions: comedy and jazz. “There is nothing like the cool and creativity of the jazz world, I love it,” says Alonzo. His big break was New Faces of Comedy at the Just for Laughs Festival (Canada). He credits winning Season 3 of NBC’s Last Comic Standing, as his introduction to America. With four comedy specials, sitcoms, The Tonight Show, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Comedy Central’s The Daily Show and The Nightly Show to his credit, he has done it all. His comedy CD, Man Overboard, was recorded on The Smooth Jazz Cruise. His latest comedy special Stupid Don’t Get Tired is available on YouTube. “The highest compliment I get is when I’m riffing onstage during a cruise and one of these brilliant musicians says “that’s jazz.” What could be cooler than that?”