Jazz Cruises: The Jazz Cruise, The Smooth Jazz Cruise, & Chris Botti at Sea

This week on The Joy of Cruising Podcast, I am delighted to welcome Michael Lazaroff, Executive Director and Owner, Jazz Cruises, the world’s leader in full-ship charter jazz music cruises, having produced over 90 full-ship charters featuring more than 2000 musicians including several legendary performers and dozens of Grammy winners. Jazz Cruisesis comprised principally of a portfolio of three theme cruises: The Jazz Cruise, launched in 2001, the first and only full-ship cruise charter dedicated to “straight-ahead” jazz; The Smooth Jazz Cruise, the company’s flagship cruise it holds twice each spring. The Smooth Jazz Cruise sold out its first sailing in 2004 and has held 34 consecutive sold out cruises since; and, Botti at Sea, designed in the spirit and style of Grammy-winning world renowned trumpeter Chris Botti.

I wrote about Michael and Jazz Cruises in my new release, The Joy of Cruising Again http://amzn.to/3lAfyON. I got to meet Michael when I checked off a bucket list item by sailing The Smooth Jazz Cruise in 2023 which included performances by just about ‘everyone who is anyone in smooth jazz,’ such as Marcus Miller, Boney James, Gerald Albright, Candy Dulfer, Bryan Culbertson, Take 6, and one of my favorite comedians, Alonzo Bodden. I got to take photos with Michael McDonald, and with Peter White. I even met rising saxophone star Vince Ingala who agreed to come on The Joy of Cruising Podcast when I was first starting out and for that I am forever appreciative. (Vincent Ingala: Performing On Theme Cruises https://www.buzzsprout.com/2113608/12246466)

Many of you know about my love for music, and smooth jazz is my favorite genre. I have wanted to profile Michael and his importance to live jazz on the ocean since my first cruising book, The Joy of Cruising. I remember my reaction when Michael agreed to talk about Jazz Cruises, LLC in The Joy of Cruising Again, and I am similarly ecstatic to get to chat with him again for the global cruise community to hear.