Cunard/Blue Note “Jazz at Sea”

In late October, I was thrilled to be invited by DownBeat Magazine to cover the inaugural Cunard/Blue Note “Jazz at Sea” cruise – a transatlantic crossing from Brooklyn to Southampton, England aboard the Queen Mary 2. Don Was, the president of Blue Note Records for the last four years, came along to present some of his label’s stars – Gregory Porter, Robert Glasper, and the all-star Blue Note 75th Anniversary Band. It was Don’s first cruise, and he thoroughly enjoyed it. So did I.  I’m writing several pieces about the cruise, one for the print edition (cover date: February), and others for the DownBeat.com website.  The first of them will probably appear this week – a review of Gregory Porter, backed by the Blue Note all-stars. I’ll post them as they appear.