Boy was the place rockin’! Rhythmic music and joyful voices rose to the heavens while shouts of “hallelujah” and “amen” emanated constantly from an enthusiastic crowd. That might be a scene from gospel revival night at church but this was in fact Jonathan Butler’s Uplifted: Gospel at Sea show that took place during the Dave Koz & Friends at Sea cruise in mid-June 2025. And uplifting it was; Butler’s guest performers and the congregation, er, crowd, were in high spirits throughout the 90-minute show.
Dave Koz’s Dave Koz & Friends at Sea cruises have become so popular that they routinely sell out well before their sailing dates, and it is easy to see why. Koz puts together lineups that are jam-packed with the stars of smooth jazz and the June sailings (there were two, back to back) featured the likes of Michael Lington, Adam Hawley, Eric Darius, David Benoit, Kim Scott, Maysa, Peter White, Mindi Abair, Richard Elliot, Marcus Anderson, Rick Braun, and dozens of others. The stars provided music on an almost non-stop basis while the host ship, Holland America’s Rotterdam, sailed from the Netherlands to two ports in Norway, two ports in Iceland and then back again. Talk about “cool” jazz!
Throughout the cruise, concerts were held at small venues like the ship’s Rolling Stone Nightclub – renamed Peter White’s Pub for the cruise – and larger venues like outdoors at the Lido Pool deck. The biggest venue, the World Stage, is where the ship’s live shows take place on normal sailings. The World Stage is where the big nightly shows — headlined by Koz, Peter White and Vincent Ingala, Maysa and Michael Lington, Rick Braun and Richard Elliot, and other stars — were held. It is also where Jonathan Butler’s Uplifted: Gospel at Sea show took place.
Many themed shows happened during the cruise, including a tribute to Frankie Beverly and MAZE, a Women of Soul show, David Benoit playing the music of Vince Guaraldi, Koz’s Christmas in June show, and a whole evening of shows focusing on the music of the 1970s. Butler’s gospel show took place appropriately enough on a Sunday, but it was repeated a few days later for those who missed the first go-round (and heard all the raves about it).
The Uplifted: Gospel at Sea show began with a brief greeting and introduction from Butler who then performed his song “Brand New Day,” a very fitting choice to kick things off considering its lyric of “Forget all your problems/ Forget all your worries” – which is exactly what the audience did for the duration of the show. Backed by a full band and a seven member choir, Butler constantly welcomed players on for cameos, including Koz who played sax during “Brand New Day” before giving way to other players, at least of dozen of which had quick spotlights.
The show was mostly high energy, but Butler performed the mellow “He Said He Would” early in the show where solos from choir members extended the song. Choir members were all featured players on the cruise and Ashling Cole in particular wowed the crowd with her impassioned vocals. While lots of gospel standards were performed there were also cuts that were written by the artists, like “Thank You for the Peace” by Maysa who explained that the song came to her one day as she was relaxing in the bathtub. Another original cut was performed by Mindi Abair who played sax and sang on “Say it With Love,” her “love song for the world.” Peter White on the other hand, joined by trumpet player Ilya Serov, reached way back for a stellar take on Bach’s “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.”
Many of the performers at the gospel show gave very candid explanations of their spiritual awakenings and how their faith changed their lives; some of these were very touching and there were tears of joy on stage and in the audience on occasion, especially when Ron Artis II spoke of overcoming many hardships. The latter part of the show included a stellar interpretation from flute player Kim Scott of “The Prayer,” made famous by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli, Marcus Anderson shining on the Bebe and Cece Winans favorite “My Redeemer Lives” – Chris Walker delivering smooth vocals on “I Won’t Complain” and Artis performing “Carry Me Along.”
In an amusing moment, Butler kicked off his shoes to join Artis, who is very tall and performs without shoes. Butler’s wife Nadira joined Jonathan, Koz, and guitarist Adam Hawley for a version of the Kirk Whalum-associated “Falling in Love with Jesus.” Everybody returned to the stage for the closing number “Oh Happy Day,” the gospel/pop crossover from 1967 originally performed by the Edwin Hawkins Singers. While loaded with spirit, Butler’s Uplifted: Gospel at Sea show wasn’t actually presented in a church, so no collection basket was passed. Had it been, it surely would have overflowed.
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