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

James Francies

James Francies is a visionary pianist, keyboardist, and composer whose meteoric rise is shaping the sound of modern music. A Houston native and Blue Note Records artist, he has quickly become an authority, renowned for melding jazz mastery with pop experience.
At just 28, he has played with jazz headliners like Pat Metheny and Chris Potter, while also racking up impressive hip-hop and R&B credits, including studio work for Chance the Rapper, Drake, and appearances with The Roots on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon alongside his mentor, Questlove. Called "a pianist with liquid dynamism in his touch" by the New York Times, his acclaimed Blue Note debut, Flight, embodies the label's ultramodern ethos, infusing jazz with pop and hip-hop.

Guest appearance on:

Kenny Barron, Gerald Clayton & James Francies with Don Was