Cunard Announces Jazz Legend Herbie Hancock to Headline "Jazz at Sea" Transatlantic Crossing August 1, 2016

SOUTHAMPTON, England, Dec. 10, 2015 /CNW/ -- Hailed as one of the greatest jazz musicians in modern history, Herbie Hancock will headline the latest in a series of Cunard Blue Note jazz at sea-themed Transatlantic Crossings on board Queen Mary 2 in 2016.

The multi Grammy Award winning star will perform three, 45-minute intimate shows in The Royal Court Theatre on board Queen Mary 2's 8-night crossing from Southampton to New York on August 1-9, 2016.

"Some members of my band sailed on the first Queen Mary 2 Blue Note voyage in November this year and had an amazing time," said Hancock. "I am really looking forward to sailing across the Atlantic on such an iconic ship and sharing some great music with everyone on board."

Herbie's career spans over five decades, writing the very first jazz album ever to go platinum and winning 14 Grammy® Awards, including Album of the Year for River: The Joni Letters. Miles Davis, one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20^th century once described Herbie as, "the step after Bud Powell and TheIonious Monk, and I haven't heard anybody yet who has come after him."

During the westbound Transatlantic Crossing Herbie will be joined by band members, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, bassist James Genus and guitarist Lionel Loueke.

"It is such a privilege to welcome one of the greatest jazz musicians on board our flagship Queen Mary 2 as part of Cunard's partnership with Blue Note Records and Blue Note Jazz Clubs," said Richard Meadows, president, Cunard North America. "Having Herbie on board will be a pinnacle entertainment experience for our guests and for our company."

For more information about Queen Mary 2 or to book a voyage, contact your Travel Consultant, call Cunard toll free at 1-800-728-6273, or visit www.cunard.com.

About Queen Mary 2
Christened by Her Majesty The Queen in 2004, Cunard's flagship Queen Mary 2 defines luxury travel for the 21st Century and continues a 175-year legacy of transatlantic travel. Queen Mary 2 achieved her 200th Transatlantic Crossing in July 2013. Famous names who have experienced this iconic voyage since 2004 include President George H.W. Bush, Desmond Tutu, James Taylor, Wes Anderson, Tilda Swinton, George Takei, Kim Novak, Uma Thurman, Richard Dreyfuss, John Cleese and Angela Bassett.

About Cunard
Defining true excellence at sea with over 175 years of legendary voyages, Cunard is the operator of luxury ocean liners Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth that are renowned for impeccable White Star Service, gourmet dining and world-class entertainment. Cunard has long been synonymous with the quest for new discoveries since the company's first paddle-wheeled steamer, Britannia, crossed the Atlantic in 1840.Today Cunard offers the only regularly scheduled Transatlantic liner service and continues the legacy of world cruising which it began in 1922.

World's Leading Cruise Lines
Cunard is a proud member of World's Leading Cruise Lines. Our exclusive alliance also includes Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Costa Cruises, Seabourn and fathom. Sharing a passion to please each guest and a commitment to quality and value, World's Leading Cruise Lines inspires people to discover their best vacation experience. Together, we offer a variety of exciting and enriching cruise vacations to the world's most desirable destinations. Visit us at www.worldsleadingcruiselines.com.

About Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records was founded when a German immigrant named Alfred Lion produced his first recording session with two boogie woogie pianists on January 6, 1939 in New York City. Blue Note has gone on to represent The Finest In Jazz, tracing the entire history of the music from Boogie Woogie, Hot Jazz and Swing, through Bebop, Hard Bop, Post Bop, Soul Jazz, Avant-Garde, and Fusion, and into Jazz's numerous modern day incarnations. Blue Note's legendary catalog includes a true Who's Who of Jazz history: Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Jimmy Smith, Dexter Gordon, Grant Green, Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, McCoy Tyner, Donald Byrd, Andrew Hill, Ornette Coleman, and many more. Blue Note has since established itself as the most respected and longest running Jazz label in the world, remaining home to some of the most prominent stars and cutting-edge innovators in Jazz today while at the same time broadening its horizons to include quality music in many genres. Under the leadership of current President Don Was, Blue Note has renewed its dedication to Lion's original vision that "any particular style of playing which represents an authentic way of musical feeling is genuine expression." Blue Note Records is one of the flagship labels of the Capitol Music Group.

About Blue Note Entertainment Group
Blue Note Entertainment Group, founded in 1981 by Danny Bensusan, is a multi-faceted entertainment company that owns and operates New York's Blue Note Jazz Club, B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, Highline Ballroom, Subrosa, and Lucille's Grill; The Howard Theatre (Washington D.C.); and Blue Note Jazz Clubs Worldwide (Tokyo and Nagoya, Japan;  Milan, Italy; Waikiki, Hawaii and Beijing, China). The company also programs the Regattabar Jazz Club (Cambridge, MA). Blue Note Entertainment Group presents shows outside of its club network. The annual Blue Note Jazz Festival was established in 2011 and has since grown to become the largest jazz festival in New York City each June. Subsidiaries of Blue Note Entertainment Group include the GRAMMY®-nominated record label Half Note Records, whose catalogue includes over fifty titles recorded live at New York's Blue Note Jazz Club, as well as Blue Note Travel, Management Group and Media Group. The organization has presented many of the music industry's greatest artists over the past 35 years, including jazz legends such as Dizzy Gillespie, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, Dave Brubeck, Ray Charles, Oscar Peterson, Sarah Vaughn, Chris Botti, and many more.

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For additional information about Cunard, contact:
Jackie Chase, Cunard Line, 661-753-1035, [email protected]
Maria Andriano, MGA Media Group, 212-251-1015, [email protected]

For additional information about Blue Note, contact:
Cem Kurosman, Capitol Music Group/Blue Note Records, 212-786-8634, [email protected]

For additional information about Blue Note Jazz Clubs, contact:
Jonathan Kantor, Director of Marketing & Publicity, Blue Note Entertainment Group, 212-475-0049, [email protected]

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SOURCE Cunard Line