Variety Channel

Christmas on the Potomac

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Travel’n On will broadcast live from the Christmas on the Potomac celebrations at the Gaylord National Resort in Maryland. Join them as they travel though the ICE attraction — an exhibit carved by world renowned ice artisans who created a fantasy world from 2 million pounds of ice. Then see what the National Harbor has to offer for the holidays. Finally, jazz great Marcus Johnson will share the newest release and Christmas album with us.

Episode Segments

The Christmas Celebration at The Gaylord National

Bigger, brighter and more brilliant than any other Christmas event in the Capital Region, Gaylord National\'s Christmas on the Potomac celebration presents all the joy, wonder and merriment of the holiday season on a grand scale! Amie Gorrell, Director of Public Relations for the Gaylord, joins Ian and Tonya to tell us about their holiday celebration, and everything that you can experience, including the ICE! Attraction.

Christmas at National Harbor

Kent Digby, VP of Operations at National Harbor tells Ian and Tonya about all of the holiday events happening at his development & some of the new attractions that are opening soon.

Jazz Keyboardist Marcus Johnson

Keyboardist and Producer Marcus Johnson joins Ian and Tonya to talk about the success his new release “Poetically Justified.” He also talks about the Washington DC area’s music scene, living at National Harbor, and his Christmas CD, Marcus Johnson’s Smooth Jazz Christmas.

Guest(s) Appearing on this Episode

Marcus Johnson

Throughout his 10-plus-year career odyssey, jazz keyboardist, composer and producer Marcus Johnson continues to stand strong, staring – unblinking – in the face of myriad music industry challenges. Johnson got his start more than a decade ago. While pursuing both a JD and MBA at Georgetown University, Johnson independently produced and distributed his first album, Lessons in Love in 1997, which went on to sell 40,000 units – a phenomenal success for an unknown artist’s debut release. This album helped him launch his career as a renowned jazz musician and chief executive of Marimelj Entertainment Group LLC (MEG). During the next decade, Johnson would release several critically-acclaimed albums: Inter Alia, Chocolate City Groovin’, Coming Back Around, Urban Groove, In Person: Live@ Blues Alley; Just Doing What I Do, Smooth Jazz Christmas, and In Concert For a Cause, all charting at Top 20 or more on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Charts. His newest release “Poetically Justified” (June 2, 2009) promised to bef his most unique and multifaceted album yet. Over the course of his career, Johnson has shared the stage with many music legends including Boney James, Kim Waters, Peabo Bryson, Diana Krall, Erykah Badu, Peter White, Miles Jaye, Rick Braun, Norman Brown, Chaka Khan, Arturo Sandoval, Chuck Mangione, Marion Meadows, Rachelle Ferrell, Mike Phillips, George Duke and Jeffrey Osborne. He has also played at many of the world’s famous festivals and venues including The Capital Jazz Fest, Bermuda Jazz Fest, Atlantic Artscape, Huntington Beach Jazz Fest, The National Smooth Jazz Awards and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Bringing jazz to the masses is a challenge that any lesser man might see as too daunting. But to Johnson, his faith, his music and his ideas are the rock on which he plans to stand and raise jazz, steady and unbowed.

Friday • March 20

CST 9:11 | EST 10:11 | MST 8:11 | PST 7:11 | GMT 6:11

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