St. Louis, MO (Top40 Charts/ Great Scott Productions) After celebrating its tenth anniversary earlier this year with another sold-out sailing, The Jazz Cruise, the first and only full ship charter dedicated to straight ahead jazz, has assembled a stellar lineup of musicians for the eleventh edition taking place January 29-February 5, 2012. With already sixty-percent of the ship sold, returning and new guests are booking cabins at a record pace for the Caribbean cruise from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Aruba, Curacao, and the private island of Half Moon Cay aboard Holland America's m/s Westerdam.
Striving to live up to its motto "The Greatest Jazz Festival at Sea," the talent slated to perform aboard The Jazz Cruise 2012 showcases a dynamic mix of venerable legends, Grammy winning headliners and rapidly rising stars. Making their cruise debut are John Pizzarelli, Carmen Bradford, Kurt Elling, Kirk Whalum, Scott Hamilton, Joe LaBarbera, Heath Brothers and Benny Golson. Regulars scheduled to perform are Randy Brecker, Renee Rosnes, Houston Person, Clayton Brothers, Freddy Cole, Jeff Hamilton, Jay Leonhart, Ken Peplowski, Shelly Berg, Tom Kennedy, Ernie Adams, Wycliffe Gordon, Bill Charlap, John Allred, Ann Hampton-Callaway, Ted Rosenthal, Bucky Pizzarelli, Terell Stafford, and Rickey Woodard along with sophomore performers Tommy Igoe and Anat Cohen. John Fedchock will lead The Jazz Cruise Big Band, which also adds Dick Oatts, Bobby Shew, Jerry Dodgion, Rodney Whitaker, Andy Martin, George Rabbai and Pete Christlieb to an already formidable ensemble consisting of Gary Smulyan, Bob Millikan, Butch Miles, Terell Stafford, and Jennifer Wharton.
"Every year, we aim to make The Jazz Cruise lineup reflect the most active and proficient musicians who perform standards-based, straight ahead jazz. The lineup for The Jazz Cruise 2012 may very well be our very best effort towards achieving that goal," said Michael Lazaroff, executive director of Entertainment Cruise Productions, LLC (Jazz Cruises), producer of The Jazz Cruise. "We provided guests a glimpse of the 2012 lineup on this year's cruise and we're excited about the enthusiastic reaction reflected in the early bookings. Like our 2011 sailing, The Jazz Cruise 2012 will sell-out."
In addition to providing guests with the best musical experience possible by showcasing jazz's finest musicians presented with top notch sound and production qualities, The Jazz Cruise, which sailed upon its maiden voyage in 2001, is an experiential vacation that offers passengers a wealth of opportunities to meet and interact with their favorite artists off-stage in an out-of-the-ordinary setting. While sailing in luxury to picturesque ports of call in the Caribbean, guests enjoy nightly headline concerts with unique artist pairings in a large showroom theatre as well as in more intimate lounges that foster spontaneous collaborations. Daytime activities while aboard the ship include cocktail parties hosted by the musicians, autograph and question & answer sessions, informative panels, historic film screenings, and fun contests. Reservations can be made from the U.S. and Canada by calling toll-free 888.8JAZZ.US (888.852.9987) and internationally by placing a toll-free call to 800-8JAZZ.USA (800.852.99872). Additional information is available at www.thejazzcruise.com.
