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Mary Kirk's Smooth Jazz Cruise Journal

February 10, 2004 - Mary Kirk co-owner of the Wave 94.7 in Hamilton was not only taking in all the great music at Warren Hill's recent Smooth Jazz cruise - she was taking notes. Kirk along with Wave contest winners experienced a smorgasbord of "A" list Smooth Jazzer's including Hill, Jeff Golub, Chieli Minucci, Peter White, Marion Meadows, Euge Groove and Alexander Zonjic. Here are her notes. Thanks to Ross Langbell of RCS Canada for the pictures.

We have just spent our first night aboard the fabulous Costa Atlantica, sharing a magical time with hundreds of like-minded Smooth Jazz fans, including some of our most loyal Wave 94.7 listeners. After leaving Fort Lauderdale last evening, we dined in elegance and fashionably late, and then crammed into the Caruso Theatre, the main theatre on the ship, for the kick-off performance of the week. Warren Hill pumped up the crowd with his terrific band, including the talented Don and Bill Harris, then called on all his friends, one after another, Kirk Whalum, Chieli Minucci, Marion Meadows, Euge Groove, Alexander Zonjic, Peter White and Jeff Golub, who stole the show with his antics and incredible guitar playing. Of course we were all up and dancing for the grand finale with everyone jamming together on stage. What a night! And the midnight VIP party gave us a chance to mingle with the stars till the wee hours of the morn. Today we are in Key West and getting primed up for special performances this afternoon from Chieli Minucci and Marion Meadows. The featured evening performance will star Warren Hill and Jeff Golub. We'll be there sporting our new Smooth Jazz Cruise T-shirts!

What an absolutely fabulous time we Smooth Jazz Cruisers had yesterday. We toured Key West in the am, then set sail for Cozumel - unfortunately, minus Marion Meadows and his bride, who missed the boat! But that meant that we had the wonderfully gifted Chieli Minucci all to ourselves performing with Kirk Whalum's incredible band. They wrapped things up appropriately with Chieli's #1 hit, Cruise Control. An afternoon Star Search performance featured talented Wave listener, Peter Skingley, singing a very smooth version of "On Broadway" and a terrific young saxophonist from Syracuse, Evan Knight, with his version of Grover's "Winelight." After dinner, the ship got rockin', quite literally, helping up to sway to the great Jeff Golub, who was joined at times by Kirk Whalum and the incomparable Peter White. And then a fantastic, high energy set by Warren Hill. Warren is revered on board, as he should be for putting all this together. To cap things off, a 1 am. jam with Peter White and Michael Manson. Both amazing entertainers who give riveting performances. Wow! Good thing we can relax in Cozumel today, where a very embarrassed Marion Meadows has been waiting for his ship to come in. There will be many laughs at his expense, but all in good humor
among friends.

Yesterday, we had a wonderfully relaxing day at the beach in sunny Cozumel, followed of course by more, superlative Smooth Jazz from our good friend Alexander Zonjic and our new friends, Kirk Whalum and Marion Meadows. This cruise has provided a rare opportunity to get to know both the artists who create the music and the Smooth Jazz fans who love it so much. We have met many of our Wave 94.7 listeners and have had the pleasure of spending time dining or just chatting with them. One Wave listener was pretty excited from the moment he first arrived at his cabin and stepped out on the balcony to find Marion Meadows leaning over the railing from next door to say "Hi." Our listeners say they are ecstatic at having the rare opportunity to mingle with so many top artists and also hang out with other passionate Smooth Jazz fans who share their great love for the music. They also are very impressed with the extremely high caliber of the three back up bands that are on board. But the ultimate for one fan was the thrill of getting up on the dance floor to groove to the guitar of Chieli Minucci, who was standing less than a foot away! And then to have all the artists' CD's available for purchase on board. What more could one ask for! We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Hello from Ocho Rios, Jamaica, where the heat is cranked way up-not only there on the island, but especially inside the Caruso Theatre. Last night before dinner, Chieli Minucci got things cooking for Euge Groove, who gave a scorching HOT performance, gyrating like Elvis with a Sax to the screams of the women and leaping into the audience, playing up and down the rows and into the balconies. There was definitely some very special chemistry going on between us and him. And that was all BEFORE dinner!
For dessert, two icons of Smooth Jazz, Peter White and our own beloved Warren Hill. Talk about high energy! These guys can really work a room. But I must say the ultimate thrill personally was when Warren stood in front of MY seat to play only for me, in a room full of 1000 of the world's greatest Smooth Jazz fans. (At least that's the way I like to remember it!!) I am running out of superlatives. You really did have to be there, unfortunately. Maybe next year when we will be chartering an entire Cruise Ship for the week.

Friday January 23, 2004

Greetings from Grand Cayman Island on a magnificent day. We are indulging in our last chance to tour the island and the jewellry stores before heading homeward. We dread the thought of disbanding our close-knit Smooth Jazz family after sharing so much laughter, joy and even tears. The music we have come together to hear has truly connected us all- we to our favourite musicians and their families- as well as artists to other artists,some of whom had never met before. Certain artists were reconnecting after many years, perhaps not having seen one another since attending music school together. Marion Meadows and his beautiful bride are celebrating their honeymoon with us. Warren Hill shared with us his gift to his wife on their 10th wedding anniversary- a piece called "Still in Love", performed passionately for the first time ever. We shared Landon's elation when Peter White graciously invited this talented young passenger to perform with him at an evening concert.We were deeply touched by Kirk Whalum's most moving rendition of the gospel song, "Softly and Tenderly" in memory of Joe who passed away on board the morning after fulfilling his lifetime dream of seeing Kirk Whalum perform live. There will be more sharing tonight and especially tomorrow night when all the artists gather on stage for one final Smooth Jazz blowout that will be nothing short of spectacular.

We hate the week to be ending but we're going out in style. We spend the entire day at sea, affording lots of opportunity for another interesting discussion session with artists, more autograph signing, card exchanging around the pool, more eating, and an explosive afternoon concert featuring Jeff Golub and Euge Groove together. We all hastily jammed our clothes into suitcases so that we wouldn't waste a precious minute, but could linger over dinner and then gather poolside for the All Night Farewell Party. We danced into Sunday to the rockin' rhythms of the greatest All Star Smooth Jazz band ever assembled. All the artists crammed onto the little stage outdoors on a beautiful evening to play together for us one last time.

The camaraderie, the friendships, the music, the laughter all made for a magical, unforgettable final night. How quickly the week sped by. Incredibly, we were now having to bid one another farewell. However, our spirits were buoyed by the anticipation of reuniting for next year's grand Smooth Jazz Cruise, this time taking over the whole ship- Holland America's luxurious Zuiderdam. We can hardly wait!

If you wish information about the 2005 Smooth Jazz Cruise,
please e-mail:
mary@wave947.fm