The 2023 Return of Blue Note At Sea | January 13th-20th, 2023

Announcing the Return of Blue Note at Sea
Hosted by Multi-GRAMMY Award Winners
Marcus Miller, Robert Glasper and Don Was

Weeklong Luxury Music Cruise
Sails from Ft. Lauderdale
January 13-20, 2023

BLUE NOTE (ˈblo͞o ˌnōt) – In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard.

That definition well describes the unique and powerful mix of music performed on Blue Note at Sea, a seven-day cruise produced by Jazz Cruises in partnership with Blue Note Records and The Blue Note Jazz Clubs. After going on a short hiatus due to scheduling issues around the pandemic, Blue Note at Sea returns to sail again in 2023 and will feature a diverse lineup of dozens of stellar artists performing more than 100 hours of live music. Blue Note at Sea ‘23 departs from Ft. Lauderdale on the m/s Celebrity Millennium on January 13-20, 2023, with Ports of Call to be announced.

Multi-GRAMMY Award winners Marcus Miller, Robert Glasper and Don Was serve as hosts for the onboard festivities alongside headliners Chris Botti, Christian McBride, Sheila E., Cécile McLorin Salvant, Brad Mehldau, Christian Scott and The Baylor Project. Featured Performers on Blue Note at Sea ’23 include Cyrille Aimée, Emmet Cohen, Veronica Swift, Julian Lage, Gerald Clayton, Avery Sunshine, Jamison Ross, Derrick Hodge and many more. Saxophonist Eric Marienthal serves as the music director, with Alonzo Bodden as the comic-in-residence.

Performances take place at six venues on the ship, including the main dining room, The Metropolitan Restaurant, which is turned into a top-flight jazz club each night during the week. All venues feature the highest quality of production and sound. In addition to multiple concerts by the headliners in the Celebrity Theatre, there will be numerous performances by the artists throughout the ship in a variety of collaborative configurations, many never seen anywhere else. Shows and events go from around the late morning until the wee hours, when guests can enjoy late-night jam sessions or DJ sets.

“I have hosted cruise programs for Jazz Cruises for nearly a decade now,” says Marcus Miller, Blue Note at Sea host and headliner. “We have traveled the world bringing great music to wonderful fans, but there is something special, something different about Blue Note at Sea. In terms of its music content, it is as pure as it gets.”

Blue Note at Sea is a highly immersive experience designed to satisfy any avid music fan. Because the ship is chartered by Jazz Cruises, the programming is totally dedicated to the music. Guests can participate in artist interviews, experience meet-and-greet opportunities and engage in a wide range of special events with the musicians—from Wine Tasting to Cigars Under the Stars to Martini Hour, and even a pick-up basketball game organized by Glasper (who hit the game-winning shot during the last sailing!). It all adds up to quite a hang. And an experience unmatched by any festival on land. A cruise where Great Music is the Only Rule.

2023 will mark the fifth sailing of Blue Note at Sea, which is the product of an unprecedented partnership between three major players in the music community: The Blue Note Jazz Clubs, Blue Note Records and Jazz Cruises.

“Blue Note at Sea is the only cruise program Jazz Cruises produces where there are active participants in the programming outside of our organization,” says Michael Lazaroff, Executive Director of Jazz Cruises. “The expertise and insights that Don Was (Blue Note Records) and Steven Bensusan (Blue Note Jazz Clubs) provide are amazing. Each has devoted his life to this music and it shows. The team at Jazz Cruises makes it all come together.”

Blue Note at Sea is one of three jazz cruise programs produced by Jazz Cruises, acting as a link between The Jazz Cruise with its focus on mainstream jazz and the two annual sailings of The Smooth Jazz Cruise.

“The quality of the musicians alone makes Blue Note at Sea special,” says Don Was, GRAMMY winner and President of Blue Note Records. “But the cruise is more than just great music. Each element of the cruise is way cool, but when you put them together, it is magic. I am proud to be a part of this project.”

A list of the past performers on Blue Note at Sea reads like a who’s who of today’s jazz scene: Wynton Marsalis, Pat Metheny, Gregory Porter, Dianne Reeves, Chick Corea, David Sanborn, Kamasi Washington, Melody Gardot, Chucho Valdés, Charles Lloyd, Maceo Parker and many more.

Stateroom prices for Blue Note at Sea ’23 start at $____ per person (double occupancy) and include meals, tickets to all concerts, activities, parties and other events. Further information, including the lineup and the luxury accommodations, are available at www.bluenoteatsea.com or by calling 844.768.5157.

Health and Safety Protocol
While Blue Note at Sea does not sail until 2023, all Jazz Cruises sailings will follow guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at the time of the sailing. Based upon current CDC recommendations, Jazz Cruises and Blue Note at Sea intend to require that all guests, performers, crew, and staff be vaccinated for COVID-19 and be prepared to provide proof of vaccination to board the ship.

About Jazz Cruises, LLC
All Jazz Cruises’ sailings are staffed by Entertainment Cruise Productions, the world leader in live entertainment at sea and producer of more than 80 full-ship charters since 2001. Starting with its tremendously successful Jazz Cruises, the company has expanded its offerings to other musical genres including Gospel, Elvis, Country Music, Soul Train and The 80s Cruise as well as diverse entertainment properties such as the iconic Star Trek franchise and NASCAR.