#104: Sullivan Fortner with Lee Mergner

Ravi Coltrane with Marcus MillerMarcus Miller interviews Ravi Coltrane about his musical evolution and the dual legacy of his parents, Alice and John Coltrane. This insightful and candid talk, recorded live on the Journey of Jazz cruise, covers the challenges of growing up under the shadow of a jazz icon and finding one's own voice through the music.Key TakeawaysThe episode is a conversation between host Marcus Miller and guest Ravi Coltrane, focusing on Ravi's development as a jazz saxophonist.Ravi's father, John Coltrane, passed away in 1967 when Ravi was 2 years old, leaving Ravi to be raised by his mother, Alice Coltrane. Ravi notes that his father’s instruments are currently in his stateroom.Ravi began his musical journey playing the clarinet throughout junior high and high school. He switched to the soprano saxophone at age 16 after his mother gave it to him for his birthday as a hint, later moving to the tenor saxophone.Ravi did not initially feel pressure from his famous last name because, during the 1970s in the San Fernando Valley where he grew up, John Coltrane was still considered "underground" or "counter culture".The death of Ravi’s older brother, John Jr., in an automobile accident when Ravi was 17, caused a "void" that Ravi later filled by studying his father's music. Ravi began listening to his father's records to gain answers for questions asked at parties, and through this, the music "hit" him.Ravi worked with key members of the John Coltrane Quartet, including joining drummer Elvin Jones's band in 1991 (though he felt he was "prematurely" ready) and later working with pianist McCoy Tyner in the 2000s.Ravi and Marcus discuss the meaning of being "ready" to perform at a high level, noting that it means being "prepared to do the job properly" and recognizing that evolution and learning are continuous processes.Host and Guest InfoHost: Lee Mergner (introduction), Marcus Miller (interview).Guest: Ravi Coltrane.This talk was recorded during the Journey of Jazz cruise. Marcus Miller provided the theme music, which is a clip from his song "High Life" on his album Aphrodesia on Blue Note.The talk was captured by Brian Ratchkco and his production team.Send us a text

This episode from the recent Journey of Jazz cruise features an interview of pianist Emmet Cohen by his longtime friend Benny Benack III. Emmet shared the story of his journey from being a student at the University of Miami to being a regular, then host, on The Jazz Cruise.  He also talked about his Masters Legacy series of recordings with his elders. And, of course, he explained the creation and evolution of his popular Emmet's Place online concert series. 

In this interview from the recent Journey of Jazz cruise, trumpeter Sean Jones talked with fellow brassman Wycliffe Gordon about his storied life in music. The trombonist talked about his early years playing music in churches, his introduction to jazz, his experience with playing in the McDonald's High School All-Star Band, and his work with Wynton Marsalis in both Wynton's Septet and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

This listening party session during the Journey of Jazz cruise featured Niki Haris spinning and talking about several tracks from her album "Lift Thine Eyes."  The stellar vocalist talked about the inspiration behind the music and even sang along with the tracks. 

This interview from the Journey of Jazz cruise was hosted by Marcus Miller, co-host of that sailing, who talked with John Clayton and Jeff Hamilton, longtime co-leaders of the Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra.  Their Grammy Award-winning big band performed during the cruise and the two also played with their old friend Diana Krall.   Marcus talked with John and Jeff about the group's formation and long 40-year history.  And he opened the floor to numerous questions from the audience.

This interview with pianist Sullivan Fortner was recorded on the Journey of Jazz cruise last month, Lee Mergner, the host, simply gave him prompts with the names of various people in his life.  He took right to it, starting with his parents, and moving on to Ellis Marsalis, Fred Hersch, Roy Hargrove, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Cecile and many others. As you'll hear, Sullivan is not only a great storyteller but an adept mimic, able to do the voices of so many people. And a musical mimic as well. In response to a prompt about Oscar Peterson, he even played the piano for us in the mode of Oscar.

This conversation came from the recent Journey of Jazz cruise on the West Coast.  The co-host of that cruise, Marcus Miller, interviewed the charismatic and expressive Dee Dee Bridgewater, who shared stories from her remarkable career of more than five decades.  Dee Dee talked about how she approaches singing a song, about her love for Nancy Wilson, about living in Paris for many years, about her unique connection to Josephine Baker, about the career of her daughter China Moses, about working with Thad Jones, and finally, about the mentoring organization for women that she ran called the Woodshed Network.  If there is a theme throughout the interview, it's about facing challenges and overcoming adversity.

This freewheeling conversation between two longtime friends, bassist Marcus Miller and comedian Alonzo Bodden, took place on the Journey of Jazz cruise that sailed from Vancouver to Los Angeles with stops in Victoria, BC and San Francisco.  The two decided to interview each other, with Alonzo asking Marcus about music and Marcus asking Alonzo about comedy. 

This interview with guitarist Dan Wilson by his friend and mentor Christian McBride was taped during The Jazz Cruise for broadcast on the radio show "The Lowdown: Conversations with Christian" on SiriusXM's Real Jazz channel. This LEARN session covers their joint history, as well as Dan's early musical development, playing in church.  In keeping with the format of Christian's show, the two also play some improvised music together.

This conversation was recorded during The Jazz Cruise earlier this year, and it featured a conversation between two of our longtime favorite performers – vocalist Catherine Russell and guitarist and vocalist John Pizzarelli, with Catherine taking on the interviewer role.  For the last few years, John and Catherine have been performing together in a project they call 'Billie and Blue Eyes,' spotlighting the music of Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra. John talked about coming up in the jazz and music world and hanging (and playing) with legends like Benny Goodman, Les Paul, Joe Venuti, Zoot Sims, Slam Stewart, Clark Terry, George Shearing, and of course, his father Bucky. Plus, John shared some stories about working with pop icons James Taylor and Paul McCartney.