Host Lee Mergner welcomes brothers Chris Brubeck and Dan Brubeck on the Journey of Jazz Cruise 2025 to discuss growing up with their father, the legendary Dave Brubeck, and how they carried on his musical legacy.

Key Topics and Discussions:

• Dave Brubeck's Cowboy Roots: Dave Brubeck grew up a cowboy; his father, Grandpa Pete, was a tough rodeo champion and foreman of a vast 45,000-acre ranch. Dave's experiences riding horses and hearing the rhythms of nature, like the one-stroke engines for cattle water pumps, inspired his musical time concepts.
• The Grandparents' Marriage: The surprising marriage between "Grandpa Pete" (the tough cowboy) and the grandmother (a classical pianist who studied in Europe with a student of Franz Liszt, Derer Hess). The grandmother attempted to bring "high culture to the ranch," sometimes resulting in pranks played by Grandpa Pete on visiting opera guests.
• Military Service and the Wolfpack: Dave Brubeck served in Patton's army during World War II, present near the Battle of the Bulge. After playing piano impromptu for troops at a supply depot nicknamed "The Mud Hole," Colonel Brown reassigned Dave to put together a band. The band, nicknamed the Wolfpack, was significant as the first known integrated band in the army.
• Darius Mio and Composition: Dave Brubeck's interest in composition led him to study with the great French composer Darius Mio at Mills College after WWII. Mio, who encouraged Dave to "Praise your boogie woogie for me," inspired Dave to pursue large-scale compositions to remind humanity of the horrors of war (a pursuit that eventually led him to break up the classic quartet).
• Joining the Family Band: The brothers' journey into music was gradual, beginning with exposure to jazz musicians like Joe Morello as children. The formal establishment of the family group occurred when a promoter suggested Dave, Darius, Dan, and Chris perform as a quartet, eventually leading to the formation of the New Brubeck Quartet. Chris played fretless bass in this group.

Musical Selections Mentioned/Played:

• "Ode to a Cowboy": Written by Dave and lyricist Iola Brubeck, originally intended for Dan Brubeck. The track played is from the album In their own sweet way.
• "The Real Ambassadors": The anti-segregation musical co-written by Dave and Iola Brubeck. The original recording featured Louis Armstrong, Carmen McCrae, and Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. The show was performed live only once by the original cast at the Monterey Jazz Festival.
• "Someday My Prince Will Come": Dave's version, inspired by hearing Disney tunes playing softly through the wall from his children's record players. Dan Brubeck, the drummer, explains the new approach to the jazz waltz developed by Dave and Joe Morello.
• "My One Bad Habit": A ballad written by Dave and Iola Brubeck, inspired by a line Ella Fitzgerald told Dave at a diner: "my one bad habit is falling in love". Chris Brubeck confirms playing the trombone on this track.

Send us a text

• Listen to more episodes of Jazz Cruises Conversations on Spotify, iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts. The back catalog contains more than a hundred interviews from past sailings.
• Theme Music: Provided by Marcus Miller from his song "High Life" on his album Afrodeezia on Blue Note.

This episode of Jazz Cruises Conversations features an interview by Michael Lazaroff with Journey of Jazz co-hosts Marcus Miller and Gregory Porter. The session evolved into a candid conversation where the three shared memorable cruise stories, discussed their musical influences (including Miles Davis, Luther Vandross, and Nat King Cole), recounted their extensive work in scoring films, and debated the double-edged sword of technology in the creative process. Marcus and Gregory were praised not only for being brilliant musicians but also for being two of the most wonderful, thoughtful, and caring men.

Key takeaways in bullet form

• Gregory Porter's Influences: Gregory draws inspiration from artists spanning the musical space between Nat King Cole and Donnie Hathaway, as well as local singers like Pastor Richardson. Gregory noted that standards are "community builders".
• Cruise Anecdotes: Marcus recounted the time he had to deal with McCoy Tyner's displeasure over performing on a Fazioli piano on the North Sea Jazz Cruise. He also shared a story about Joe Sample pausing a smooth jazz concert to scold the band for their tempo and lack of leadership.
• Film Scoring Careers: Both guests have notable careers in film scoring. Gregory Porter was scheduled to record a song for a movie featuring Kate Winslet. Marcus Miller detailed his film scoring start with Miles Davis, who passed off a movie score (completed in two and a half weeks) to him. Marcus has since scored films like House Party, Boomerang, and Marshall (a 1939-set film for which Wynton Marsalis provided music using the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and studio, refusing payment).
• Creative Process: Gregory Porter shared the deeply personal inspiration behind his song "Take Me to the Alley," which was written to express how his mother lived her life by running church missions in the "worst part of town."
• Technology in Music: The conversation addressed how technology has negatively impacted music by reducing the need for musicians to play with each other and fostering "deception" through manipulated recordings. Marcus noted that producers can now "fix" vocals to the point where singers don't sound like the record live. Gregory stated he dislikes the practice of fixing "the pimples" in his recordings, valuing organic expression.
• Future Plans: Marcus expressed a strong desire to produce music for Gregory Porter, calling him "the real".

Host and guest info and relevant links

• Host: Michael Lazaroff, Executive Director of Signature Cruise Experiences.
• Co-host/Guest: Marcus Miller (Bassist, bandleader, composer).
• Co-host/Guest: Gregory Porter (Vocalist, songwriter).
• Future Cruise (Journey of Jazz '26): Marcus Miller and Gregory Porter return as co-hosts. The cruise sails January 24th through the 31st, departing from Tampa and includes two days in the birthplace of jazz, New Orleans. Wynton Marsalis will be performing for guests while the cruise is in New Orleans.
• Learn More: Sign up for updates at journeyofjazz.com.

Send us a text

• Listen to more episodes of Jazz Cruises Conversations on Spotify, iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts. The back catalog contains more than a hundred interviews from past sailings.
• Theme Music: Provided by Marcus Miller from his song "High Life" on his album Afrodeezia on Blue Note.

This episode, from a Jazz on Film session on the Journey of Jazz cruise, features an engaging discussion about the legacies of Ella Fitzgerald and Oscar Peterson with guests Cecile McLorin Salvant, Sullivan Fortner and Kelly Peterson, Oscar’s widow.

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Episode 110 of Jazz Cruises Conversations, is drawn from a "Jazz on Film" session on the Journey of Jazz Cruise. This session focuses on the lives, careers, and close relationship of Ella Fitzgerald and Oscar Peterson. The episode features the reading of a poem Oscar Peterson wrote about Ella, and includes audio excerpts from Oscar Peterson's 1980 BBC television show where he interviewed and performed with Ella Fitzgerald.

Following the clips, Lee Mergner hosts a post-screening discussion with vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant, pianist Sullivan Fortner, and Kelly Peterson (Oscar Peterson's widow), exploring the profound influence and dynamic between these two greats.

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Key Takeaways

Oscar Peterson's Dedication: The episode includes the reading of a poem Oscar Peterson wrote about Ella Fitzgerald, emphasizing her voice as "quite beyond belief". The voice reading the poem is identified as Christian McBride.
The 1981 Interview: The discussion includes audio from Oscar Peterson's television show appearance with Ella, recorded in 1981 when Ella was 64 years old. During this segment, Ella and Oscar perform "Mellow Tone," "Baby Won't You Please Come Home," and the Vincent Youmans tune, "More Than You Know".

Ella's Early Career: Ella Fitzgerald reveals that she initially wanted to be a dancer. She started singing after making a bet with girlfriends to enter an amateur contest in Yonkers. She tried to sing like Connie Boswell and performed "The Object of My Affection," winning the first prize of $12.50. She later joined the Chick Webb Orchestra after an attempt to join Fletcher Henderson's band failed because she was "real skinny" and "not the glamour type".

The Song Books: Oscar Peterson notes the "almost monumental project" of her Song Books. Ella mentions that the first one, the Cole Porter song book, was completed in about three weeks. Cécile McLorin Salvant considers this project a foundational part of American music history, setting Ella apart as a "historic Mount Rushmore figure" who archived the music.

The Accompanist's Role: Sullivan Fortner explains that a good singer, like Ella, creates a "harmonic need" within the accompanist, making the players better. For an accompanist, the lyric and the message behind the song must be the priority, overriding melody, tone, and the piano player's input at the bottom.
Ella and Oscar's Relationship: Kelly Peterson describes their relationship as a deep, loving friendship. She shares the story of Oscar's famous ink spill prank on Ella's new white fur coat. Kelly also recounts the moving anecdote of Oscar wearing his heavy gold lion pendant (his "medal" given by Ella) on the day he instinctively knew she had died.

Vocal Evolution: The guests discuss the comparison between early Ella (1957 clips) and later Ella (1981), noting that while the quality of her voice changed (wider vibrato, deeper, songs in lower keys), her core concepts remained largely the same and "spot-on".

Musical Configuration: Cécile McLorin Salvant expresses a preference for the quartet configuration because it maintains the versatility and looseness of a duo setting, although she enjoys singing with

Send us a text

• Listen to more episodes of Jazz Cruises Conversations on Spotify, iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts. The back catalog contains more than a hundred interviews from past sailings.
• Theme Music: Provided by Marcus Miller from his song "High Life" on his album Afrodeezia on Blue Note.