Charlie Shaffer Calendar
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Currently, except for the cruise dates listed below,
Charlie is performing at private functions and concentrating on recording
projects. He is acting as music director for his daughter, Laura, who has begun work on her new recordings for RKO Unique Records. Don't miss her website, Midnight Refrain, for further details. He has finished work on another album for Jerry Tiffe, an excellent
and popular singer in Las Vegas. Check out their earlier collaboration, "Let Him
Into Your Life", a collection of inspirational songs. It's available at gladmusicco.com, amazon.com, and other websites. Jerry's other
albums are to be found at jerrytiffe.com. Charlie is co-writing and
arranging music with Richard Addrisi ("Never My Love" and other hits) for a New
York producer, who is creating a new show for Broadway. This is an ongoing
project. The working title is "South Street" and it is currently being staged.
Upcoming recording projects in Charlie's studio (Charmar) include new albums of
beautiful piano music. The album he arranged and produced for Willie Nelson and
Don Cherry, "It's Magic", is now available at Don's web site. After the vocals and
orchestrations were recorded at Charlie's, Boots Randolph and Charlie McCoy
added some outstanding sax and harmonica, under the supervision of legendary
Nashville producer Fred Foster. One track from it ("It's Magic") can be heard on
the album "Joy" by Willie Nelson & Friends. The earlier album "Augusta"
(featuring Willie and Don, and produced-arranged by Charlie) is still available.
Check Amazon.com, Glad Music, or Don's site for it.
Charlie's music is now available as MP3 downloads (complete albums or solo
tracks) at iTunes.com and Amazon.com.
Be sure to tune in to internet radio station KSAV.org for fine entertainment and music. Charlie
has been the guest on Susan McCray's informative and entertaining program
"Getting to Know You". This episode aired on Tuesday, May 20th, 2008 at 6:30 PM
Pacific Time. If you missed it live, catch it in the archives at www.susanmccray.com. The archives are a
treasure trove of great interviews Susan has done in the past, well worth a
visit.
A word about Charlie's travel. The lady who introduced Charlie to cruising in
general, and Crystal Cruises in particular, is numero uno travel agent Mary Jean
Thompson. She can be found at Eagle
Travel, inc. If you need travel expertise, you could do no better than MJ
and her buddies at Eagle. And now, on to............
Charlie had a wonderful summer 2004 cruise in the Baltic and British Isles
area aboard the beautiful Crystal Symphony. His next cruise was November 20, and
was a seven day round trip from Fort Lauderdale on board the magnificent Crystal
Serenity. The itinerary included The Bahamas, Key West, and Cozumel. Everyone
had a fantastic time.
Charlie has returned to Las Vegas from his terrific cruise to China and Japan
on the beautiful Crystal Harmony . Charlie performed nightly in the Avenue
Saloon for cruises 5107, 5108, and 5109. These three cruises ran from March 15
through April 19, and visited Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Nagasaki, Dalian,
Osaka, and Taipei. The shopping was great, and the experiences of visiting the
Forbidden City and walking on the Great Wall, among many others, are
unforgettable. Charlie is a bit more dapper now in his tailor made suits from
Hong Kong.
HOME FROM ALASKA
Between August 22 and Sept. 15, Charlie played on board Crystal Harmony as
she made two consecutive San Francisco round trips. Ports included Vancouver,
Victoria, Sitka, Ketchikan, Skagway, and Juneau.
2006 CRUISES
Charlie is home from 3 cruises on the 6 star Crystal Symphony. From February
18 through March 30, he played nightly on these cruises, beginning in Miami and
ending in Chile. Ports included: Miami, Antigua/St. Johns, Barbados/Bridgetown,
Devil's Island, French Guiana, Alter do Chao, Brazil, Parintins, Brazil, Manaus,
Brazil (overnight), Boca de Valeria, Brazil, Santarem, Brazil, Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil (overnight), Montevideo, Uruguay, Buenos Aires, Argentina (overnight),
Puerto Madryn, Argentina, Punta Arenas, Chile, Cruising Cape Horn, Ushuaia,
Argentina, Cruising the Chilean Fjords, Puerto Montt, Chile, and
Valparaiso,Chile.
From July 26 through August 31, Charlie played for three more unbeatable
itineraries, once again on Crystal Symphony. This time ports included:
Athens/Piraeus, Greece (overnight), Istanbul,Turkey (overnight),
Kusadasi,Turkey, Rhodes/Lindos, Greece, Santorini/Thira, Greece, Split, Croatia,
Venice, Italy (overnight), Dubrovnik, Croatia, Taormina, Sicily, Italy,
Sorrento, Italy, Cannes, France (overnight), Florence/Livorno, Italy, Portofino,
Italy, Rome/Civitavecchia, Italy, Monte Carlo, Monaco, St-Tropez, France,
Barcelona, Spain, Lisbon, Portugal, Bordeaux, France (overnight), Guernsey/St.
Peter Port, England, London/Dover, England.
2007
Charlie is home from three cruises in Asia, including Southeast Asia
(Singapore, Bangkok, Rangoon, Phuket, Bombay, Ho Chi Min City, and others) all
the way to Dubai (some call it the Las Vegas of the mideast).This series of
three cruises began April 6th, concluding May 17.
Following Asia were three 11 day summer cruises which visited all the
Scandinavian Capitals, plus Northern European favorites Amsterdam, Warnemunde,
Gdansk, Talinn, St. Petersburg, Bordeaux, London, and more. As always, the trips
were great, and we were blessed with fine weather.
Charlie, Mary Jean, and extra special guest, Paul Berlin, hall of fame
Houston radio legend, brought in the new year with a holiday party cruise. We
began in Galveston for a seven day holiday cruise on Royal Caribbean's Voyager
of the Seas. It was a Galveston round trip, including Cozumel, Roatan
(Honduras), and Progresso (Mexico), gateway to Chichen Itza. Charlie played for
private cocktail parties, for this group only. About 80 of Charlie's fan club
members and Mary Jean's preferred Eagle Cruises customers joined us for an
unforgettable New Years Eve cruise, bringing in the year.........
2008
Charlie stayed close to home for most of the year, but he played nightly on
the Crystal Symphony as we rediscovered the beauty of New England and Canada in
the Fall. Beginning Sept. 16 in New York, we cruised to Montreal in 11 days,
followed by a second 11 day cruise back to New York. Ports included Boston, Bar
Harbor, Halifax, Quebec City, St. John, Newport, and Corner Brook.
This is a BIG travel year. We have seen an exciting part of the world with
Charlie so far, once again aboard the top ranked Crystal Symphony. We began May
1st in Singapore, on cruise number 9210. Ports included Phuket, Rangoon (three
days), Cochin, Mumbai (Bombay), and concluded in Dubai (two days). Cruise 9211
(May 17) continued from Dubai to Thu Salalah, Oman, Luxor and Karnak/Safaga,
Egypt, Tue Aqaba, Jordan, Suez Canal, Alexandria/Cairo, finishing in Athens on
the 31st. 9212 then sailed to Greek Isles Mykinos, Rhodes, and Santorini. Also
Kusadasi, Turkey, Sorrento and finally Rome on June 7th.
Next on the calendar, a block of three cruises designed to get you away from
the summer heat. Cruise number 9219 began August 12 in Stockholm. Ports included
St. Petersburg (three days), Helsinki, Warnemunde/Berlin, Copenhagen, and
concluded in Dover/London. Cruise 9220 (British Isles) began in Dover Aug. 23
and continued to Edinburgh, Belfast, Liverpool, Dublin, Waterford, St. Peter
Port on Guernsey Island, concluding a round trip back to Dover Sept. 3. Cruise
9221 was a North Atlantic crossing, beginning in Southampton and ending in
Boston on the 17th. Along the way we visited Invergordon, Scotland, Lerwick,
Shetland Islands, Reykjavik, Iceland, Nuuk, Greenland, and Halifax, Nova Scotia.
For a total change in geography and climate, consider this December trio.
Cruise 9228 began Dec. 5th in Manaus, Brazil, way up the Amazon. This
fascinating cruise took us to Buenos Aires by way of Boca de Valeria, Santarem
(both on the Amazon), Rio de Janeiro, and Montevideo, disembarking on the 20th.
We continued with cruise 9229, which journeyed from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso,
Chile. This cruise had much to recommend it. In addition to stunning scenery,
including the Falkland Islands and Antarctica, we had a Christmas and New Year's
Eve holiday like none we've had before. After two days in Buenos Aires, we
visited Montevideo, then Puerto Madryn, Argentina, followed by Port Stanley in
the Falklands. We then cruised Antarctica for 3 days, then followed Magellan's
path around the Cape into the South Pacific. After an overnight stop in Ushuaia,
Argentina, we visited Punta Arenas, Chile, then spent a day cruising the Chilean
fiords before visiting Puerto Montt. It was like being in Scandinavia. After a
final day cruising the South Pacific, we arrived in Valparaiso Jan. 8th. This
cruise was really nothing short of spectacular. Continuing on cruise number
0201, we enjoyed the first Crystal Symphony cruise of 2010, from Valparaiso to
Miami. Ports on this 15 day cruise were Coquimbo, Chile, Lima/Callao, Peru,
Guayaquil, Ecuador, Cartagena, Colombia, and Key West, Florida. All this plus
the Panama Canal. We flew home from Miami on Jan. 23. This cruise was a jazz
theme, and featured some great music.
As always, Charlie played nightly in the Avenue Saloon on board Crystal
Symphony during these cruises. For more details on future cruises, visit Crystal Cruises.com. For the best in
personal service from a travel agent, call Mary Jean Thompson at Eagle Travel (800-326-7172, ext. 5655)
and tell her Charlie sent you.
This page updated 6/12/10
CRUISE NEWS from 2004 and 2005
HOME FROM JAPAN AND CHINA
2009