Natchez &8212; The New Orleans-based steamboat Natchez will dock at Natchez Under-the-Hill today for brunch and dinner jazz cruises.

On its historic downriver trip, the Natchez started out in Cincinnati and has made stops at ports along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, said Adrienne Thomas, spokeswoman for New Orleans Steamboat Company.

Billed as a hurricane river relief tour titled &8220;Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans,&8221; the downriver cruise features New Orleans food and music, Thomas said.

&8220;We have three entertainment acts on the boat, including the Dukes of Dixieland,&8221; she said. &8220;And we have two visiting chefs who will prepare the wonderful New Orleans cuisine onboard.&8221;

Chefs will include Willie Cohn and Daniel Bonnot, both featured chefs on several Great Chefs international television specials.

In Natchez, the steamboat will offer three cruises: Creole jazz brunch and cooking demonstrations with cruises beginning at 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.; and a dinner jazz cruise at 7 p.m.

Brunch cruises are $35 per adult and $17.50 per child; the dinner cruise is $55 per adult and $27.50 per child.

Tickets will be available at the boat one hour before each cruise, Thomas said. &8220;The Natchez is a big boat, and we&8217;ll have plenty of room,&8221; she said.

Today&8217;s steamboat Natchez, based in New Orleans, is the ninth to bear the name of Natchez. The antique steam engines that power the boat were built in 1925. The copper bell, inlaid with 250 silver-dollar coins to produce a pure tone, once was the bell aboard the steamship J.D. Ayres.

The Dukes of Dixieland are a Grammy-nominated group who regularly play for evening cruises aboard the Natchez. Joining them will be vocalist Luther Kent and the jazz ensemble The Pfister Sisters.