During her remarkable 21-year recording career, saxophonist/vocalist Mindi Abair has garnered 2 GRAMMY nominations, recorded with some of the biggest names in music, and built a substantial following among jazz and blues audiences with her soaring melodies and powerhouse style.  You might know her as the featured saxophonist on American Idol, sitting in with Paul […]

Though her career has taken her well beyond the jazz circuit, Niki Haris’s roots are are in the jazz circuit, but her career has taken her well beyond it. The daughter of Grammy-nominated jazz pianist Gene Haris, Niki and her father released two albums and a live CD before his death in 2000. Carrying on his legacy […]

A Los Angeles native who spent his teen years in Kansas City, KS, Marqueal Jordan has been based in the music-rich city of Chicago since 1995. Moving to the Windy City after earning a Business Administration degree at the University of Kansas, Marqueal began paying dues by playing gigs in every musical style imaginable. In […]

An unequivocal musical prodigy, singer-saxophonist-songwriter-composer and band leader Grace Kelly has rocked the jazz world with sold-out concerts, 14 acclaimed albums and a resume that includes performing at the Hollywood Bowl and as part of the house band for “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” – all before reaching her mid-twenties. Kelly’s early career featured […]

Cut from the same cloth as some of the world’s greatest vocalists, Larry Braggs has one of the most notable voices in the business. A vocal range over three octaves and a command of the stage like no other has gained him the respect and praise of his peers and fans all over the world. […]

If you are ever listening to Watercolors on SiriusXM, you can hear Talaya hosting some pretty amazing contemporary jazz. Every Saturday, she also presents on Real Jazz. Talaya’s radio career began in her hometown of Albuquerque at KUNM playing jazz and Latin jazz. She studied at San Francisco State University and was quickly hired by KRE, one […]

New Orleans-born Michael “Patches” Stewart blows from the summit of today’s trumpet players. Patches made his major recording debut at 16 playing in the horn section on LaBelle’s Allen Toussaint-produced classic “Lady Marmalade” in 1974. Upon high school graduation – though he had scholarships on the table from Berklee School of Music and more – […]

An incredible fusion jazz artist with ten studio albums on his list of accomplishments, saxophonist Marcus Anderson brings R&B, Pop, Rock, Latin and Funk to make music that puts listeners in another atmosphere. Charting number one in both categories of Billboard’s Smooth Jazz and Sirius XM’s Watercolors with his exceptional hit “A Cup Of Joe” […]

Mr. Talkbox (Byron Chambers) is the world’s top Talkbox artist & voice, having collaborated on the Intro of Multi-Grammy Award winning song “24K Magic” by Bruno Mars. He’s also the sampled voice on Kendrick Lamar’s “Loyalty” featuring Rihanna and he’s featured on the Cardi B/Bruno Mars collab “Please Me.” The Orlando-born, Nashville-based hip-hop and R&B artist, who plays urban contemporary gospel, contemporary R&B and funk, has five No. 1 Singles in Japan, a 2016 Grammy Award nomination and is a 2-time Dove Award […]

Driven by the ever-evolving musical vision of core members – Brothers Eric and Billy Mondragon and close family friend Damon Reel – Southern California’s premiere R&B, funk and contemporary powerhouse band DW3’s deepening artistry continues to transcend a well-earned reputation as a high energy, fun and freewheeling party band. Eric, Billy and Damon all contribute […]

Multifaceted jazz pianist and composer Emmet Cohen is one of this generation’s pivotal artistic figures. Downbeat praised the “nimble touch, measured stride and warm harmonic vocabulary” he employs to communicate with other musicians and audiences at what he terms “the deepest level of humanity and individuality.” Leader of the “Emmet Cohen Trio,” Cohen is an […]

Often referred to as a jazz singer for the hip-hop generation, New York City-based vocalist José James combines jazz, soul, drum’n’bass, and spoken word into his own unique brand of vocal jazz. While he states his main influences as John Coltrane, Marvin Gaye, and Billie Holiday, his sound on early 12″ singles and in live performances brought […]

Warren Wolf, an acclaimed vibraphonist and multi-instrumentalist from Baltimore, is the drummer of choice for alto saxophonist Tia Fuller, who tours with internationally renowned pop star Beyoncé. Warren is also a member of the Donal Fox Group and the SFJazz Collective.  Starting at 3 years old, Warren has been trained on the vibraphone, marimba, drums and piano. He attended the Peabody […]

A remarkable 26 years after the release of his debut album Ties That Bind, Andy Snitzer is equally passionate and unsatisfiable as a solo artist, infusing every nuance with purpose as a player, writer, producer, arranger and curator. While he often refers to his 2011 album Traveler – an epic chronicle of his years on […]

Peter Martin is an acclaimed jazz pianist, composer, arranger and educator who over the past 25+ years has performed at most of the major venues and jazz festivals on six continents, including twice at the White House for President Obama. Peter performed on and arranged Dianne Reeves’ Grammy-winning release A Little Moonlight. He also appeared in George […]

Saxophonist & Composer Alex Han has been recognized as one of the most promising musicians of his generation. He identifies as more than just a jazz musician – while giving a nod to the jazz tradition, his music is deeply inspired by many genres with the goal of bringing contemporary instrumental music to broader audiences. […]

Blue Note at Sea is privileged to have one of the top trombonists of his generation, Wycliffe Gordon, return for an encore performance as our Gospel Show host. Both an accomplished soloist and leader of his eponymous quartet, Wycliffe tours the globe performing for audiences of every caliber, from elementary school students to heads of state. […]

Improvisation is not just a technique for Grammy Nominated artist Cyrille Aimée, it’s a way of life.  That adventure began in the small town of Samois-sur-Seine in France, where the young Cyrille Aimée (Sur-real M-A) was introduced to a wealth of diverse music by her French father and Dominican mother: everything from Michael Jackson to […]

Still relatively early in her professional career, Veronica Swift has already developed an impressive repertoire. Raised in Charlottesville, Virginia, she recorded her first album, Veronica’s House of Jazz, when she was only nine years old.  After releasing her sophomore album, It’s Great to Be Alive, when she was only 11 years old, Swift continued performing […]

Saxophonist and The Smooth Jazz Cruise Music Director Eric Marienthal has won 2 Grammy Awards and has been nominated 8 times as a member of the Chick Corea Elektric Band, Jeff Lorber Fusion and Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band. Having performed in over 80 countries and played on hundreds of recordings, films and TV shows, Eric also has recorded 15 solo […]

Grammy nominated drummer Damion Reid hails from West Covina, California.  He is the son of a well-respected bassist and astute operatic singer and teacher. By the age of three, Damion was already playing in church. At twelve, Damion began being mentored by the world-renowned drummer Billy Higgins. After high school, Damion attended the New England […]

Vicente Archer is a bassist, guitarist, composer, and producer hailing from the culturally-rich Woodstock, New York. Having absorbed much of the historical town’s arts culture, has made his work diverse ranging from folk to jazz to hip-hop. He attended New England Conservatory of Music and Northeastern University in Boston, where he earned a degree in […]

Four-time GRAMMY-nominated pianist/composer Gerald Clayton began his formal musical journey at the prestigious Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, where he received the 2002 Presidential Scholar of the Arts Award. Continuing his scholarly pursuits, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Piano Performance at USC’s Thornton School of Music under the instruction of […]

Two-time Grammy Award-winning bassist and Blue Note Recording Artist Derrick Hodge grew up outside of Philadelphia in Willingboro, N.J.  Within his formative years, Hodge pursued multiple styles of music as early as 6 years old ranging from gospel and pop music to jazz and orchestral music, continuing his formal music education at Temple University where he […]