The final day on Jam Cruise is not for the uninitiated, nor the faint of heart. It requires a different gear—a fourth or fifth wind, if you will. After several days spent aggressively pushing the limits of stamina and sanity, the final frame is always packed to the gills with options, though at a time when one is working with the least amount of gas in the tank. Sleepless on the ship, you have to take down cabin decor, pack up your various costumes, trinkets, and tools of the trade, give out any remaining gifts or swag. Most imperatively, one must soak up as much of the remaining music as superhumanly possible before hobbling off the boat and blasting back to life, back to reality.
My musical day began poolside at the Garden Bar on the stern of the ship with a sublime solo guitar set by Nick Cassarino of The Nth Power, who performed a mix of originals and covers including a sweet arrangement of Prince’s “I Would Die 4 U”. It was a quick shot to the Pool Deck from there for a dose of Neville Jacobs, the long-running, soulful duo collab between Dumpstaphunk keyboardist vocalist Ivan Neville and Baltimore-based singer/songwriter Cris Jacobs (formerly of The Bridge) born years ago on Jam Cruise. Vocalist Rebecca Todd and Chali 2na guested on The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony”. Guitarist Joe Marcinek got in on the action, too. A touching moment during this mid-afternoon set in the sun was “River Behind Me”, a song written for Ivan’s late mother and dedicated to Eric “Benny” Bloom’s family following his mom’s passing earlier in the week.
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A priority was checking out the Masters Camp At Sea finale in the Black & White Lounge. Masters Camp at Sea is a program where cruisers get to learn from, and jam with, some of their favorite musicians aboard Jam Cruise. The interactive course culminates in a collaborative performance on Day 5. Upon arrival, I was impressed with Ohio native Jessie Thrasher, who assumed the role of Stevie Nicks for a verse on Fleetwood Mac’s ethereal 1977 hit “Dreams” while a hybrid band of fellow cruisers and prolific pros backed her up.
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For its final session, Masters Camp at Sea ensemble presented a monster band consisting of Nigel Hall (organ, keyboards, vocals), Amy Bellamy (keyboards) , Melody Trucks (choir leader, percussion), Cliff Porter (drums), Nikki Glaspie (drums, vocals), Nate Edgar (bass), Vaylor Trucks and Luther Dickinson (guitars), Ryan Zoidis (alto saxophone), and Alex Wasily (trombone). To a mostly seated, clearly exhausted audience, the virtuosos forwarded nuggets like “Freddie’s Dead” (Curtis Mayfield) and “What A Fool Believes” (Doobie Brothers). Parliament-Funkadelic’s “Do That Stuff” and “Unfunky UFO” got some haggard heads (myself included) up and moving. A stirring set-closer of Stevie Wonder’s “As” (a masterpiece from which I cribbed lyrics for my wedding vows) spotlighted Nigel Hall’s vocals and the Masters Camp at Sea Choir, made up of assorted singers onboard and Jam Cruisers who participated in the program all week.
A quick pop into the Atrium allowed me to catch a bit of New Orleans teenage keyboard prodigy River Eckert, who came highly recommended from friends in the Crescent City. The kid looked mighty comfortable behind the grand piano, and was joined by hometown heroes Ivan Neville, Galactic’s Rob Mercurio, and Mike Dillon, among others. A stirring duet between River and Ivan on John Lennon’s “Imagine” was unforgettable. Up on the Pool Deck, Jam Cruise queen Kanika Moore’s Superjam was in full effect, as members of The Psycodelics, The Sweet Lillies, plus Ivan Neville, Nikki Glaspie, and more tore through classics from the Band of Gypsys and Three Dog Night.
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The Golden Jazz Bar/La Luna Lounge hosted the ship’s annual auction by Positive Legacy, a non-profit organization that supports environmental and humanitarian projects benefiting various communities Jam Cruise visits (and assorted philanthropic efforts beyond). Memorabilia and merch from JC artists past and present was on display for bidding as lespecial’s Jonny G serenaded the surrounding area with a solo piano performance—though he didn’t last very long by himself. Soon, he was joined by Lettuce drum tech Jeremy Deitz, who banged-out beats with his hands while Jonny crooned Weird Al Yankovic’s “Amish Paradise” with startling accuracy. Next up were lespecial’s Luke Bemand and Lettuce’s Jesus Coomes, who traded Eminem and Dr. Dre bars with varying degrees of success. Throw in some cat named Duck Stevens, who rapped two Ol’ Dirty Bastard verses in a Donald Duck voice (no lie), all while Jonny G tickles the ivories on a plush baby grand. Only on Jam Cruise, I suppose.
Things shifted from silly to serious in the Black & White Lounge thanks to Jam Cruise contest winners Ernie Johnson From Detroit, a swaggering, horn- and bass-driven 9-piece syndicate hailing from Cincinnati, Ohio. Their sound is part lo-fi garage funk on 45s, part cocaine-fueled 1970s cop TV show theme song, and part Kung Fu film soundtrack RZA might have sampled circa ‘95, all lined up in white mechanic jumpsuits and ready to rage. Ernie Johnson From Detroit delivered haymakers of freight train funk energy when we needed it most, and their steamrolling, ninety-minute set welcomed sit-ins from guitarist Eric Lindell (Dragon Smoke), saxophonists Karl Denson and Destiny Pivonka (Sneezy), and percussionist Rob Houk (Aqueous). Lethal joints included Ernie original “It’s Cool”, “Slippin’ Into Darkness” (War) with Lindell, and a set-closing cover of afro-funk/highlife artist Ebo Taylor’s 1980 cut, “Victory”. Word to Johnny Drama.
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In the Atrium, a pop-up set by a group of Asheville musicians and serious special guests was among the best-kept secrets of the whole boat ride, announced only 24 hours before it went down. Headed up by trombonist Jonathan Lloyd, this J.Lloyd Mashup—dubbed Spirit of Asheville—featured the divine Rebekah Todd on lead vocals and a very capable cast behind her, which counted keyboardists Marcus White and Rob Kellner, Snarky Puppy horn section Chris Bullock and Mike Maher, and others among its ranks. A fiery interpolation of Little Feat’s “Spanish Moon” saw this eclectic collective coalesce and burn hot. Eventually, Dopapod’s Neal “Fro” Evans gave up his seat to Adam Deitch (Lettuce), who along with Tony Hall powered an electrifying version of Michael Jackson’s Off The Wall deep cut “Day and Night”. Deitch passed the sticks to Dumpstaphunk’s Deven Trusclair (onboard JC21 with Tank & the Bangas), and Snarky’s Michael League took over on bass. Before I knew it, the squad was sailing through D’Angelo’s scorching “Spanish Joint”, the Charlie Hunter-assisted aural aphrodisiac from landmark 2000 LP Voodoo (though swingin’ a bit faster, akin to how D performed it with 2015’s Vanguard band). With League laying down Pino Palladino bass lines like a boss and AVL-based singer Katrina Fortier harmonizing, Ms. Todd nailed the torrid D’Angelo vocal, at once faithful to the original vibe yet brimming with sublime femininity. Never in my life have I been so in the right place at the right time.
The JLloyd Mashup – “Spanish Joint” (D’Angelo) – Jam Cruise 21
I couldn’t help but slide through the Black & White for a hot minute to tap into the prodigal sons of the Jersey shore, Dogs In A Pile; five affable lads who I had the pleasure of interviewing at length earlier in the cruise. The Dogs were raging “Disguise” at full force upon my arrival, with cult leader Nick Gerlach wailing away on sax. From there I darted over to the Pantheon Theater where Galactic was serving up their trademark Crescent City gumbo with special guests Big Chief Donald Harrison (sax), Robert Walter (keys), and Mike Dillon (vibes and percussion). Vocalist Angelika “Jelly” Joseph displayed dynamite chemistry with emcee-at-large Chali 2na and his patented baritone bars. After boldly declaring his love for the late Joe Cocker, the Tuna Fish Man led Galactic and Jelly through an euphoric romp that flipped the script on “Feelin’ Alright?”.
Galactic w/ Chali 2na – “Feeling Alright” – Jam Cruise 21
On the Pool Deck, a revamped Thievery Corporation battled persistent late-night winds to unleash a torrent of seductive sonics. Thievery OG Rob Garza led the troupe, powered by a robust rhythm section of drummer Jeff Franca, bassist Dan Africano (who’s completely leveled-up the outfit’s grooves/pocket since joining), plus percussionist Frank Orral. The lineup was filled out by longtime corporate raider Rob Meyers on guitar/sitar, and a brass duo of Ben Otieno (trumpet) and Greg Sanderson (sax) at stage right. Thievery’s throbbing soundscapes felt thunderous and immersive, juxtaposed with alluring, subtle sensuality that permeated the Pool Deck for much of the journey. In addition to the spirited efforts of emcee Mr. Lif and the irie patois stylings of Puma Ptah, Thievery welcomed enchanting songstress Kanika Moore for a unique reading of the beloved “Lebanese Blond”, and later “Passing Stars” and “Sweet Tides”. The group dug deep to dust off “Unified Tribes” for the first time in several years, a potent and intentional selection for its militant messaging. A bombastic “Warning Shots” delivered a frenzied finale that featured the full band and both vocalists turning up something fierce.
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What more can be said about Earth, Wind, & Power? Born late-night at Jazz Fest 2016, the all-world tribute to Earth, Wind, & Fire is the passion project of The Nth Power and the first in their peerless series of legendary hero-worship revues. This Jam Cruise EWP iteration featured the core Nth Power trio of Nikki Glaspie, Nick Cassarino, and Nate Edgar augmented by Courtney Smith, Amy Bellamy, Alex Wasily, Chris Bullock, Mike Maher, Skerik, Benjamin Green, Eric Gordon, Kanika Moore, Shira Elias, and Mike Dillon. Plus choice sit-ins from Ivan Neville, Tony Hall, and several members of Snarky Puppy: guitarist Mark Lettieri, percussionist Keita Ogawa, keyboardist Bobby Sparks, and saxophonist Bob Reynolds. This enormous ensemble, fully dripped in afrocentric EWF garb, tore through the group’s voluminous canon with focused determination and joyful aplomb. From opener “Runnin’” to the intoxicating “Let’s Groove”, a stimulating “Getaway”, and a syrupy “Can’t Hide Love”, EWP didn’t merely cover Maurice White’s cherished songbook on Jam Cruise—they inhabited the compositions and characters within. The set finally came to a close with emotional chestnut “That’s The Way of the World”. Helluva concert to kick off my birthday on a boat.
The Nth Power presents Earth, Wind & Power – Jam Cruise 21
Running on fumes, we hustled across the ship to the Jam Room, where the ageless wonder George Porter Jr. was holding it down like the Godfather he is. Up way past his bedtime was NOLA keyboard wunderkind River Eckert, getting in on the action on Hammond organ. KDTU guitarist Ricky Giordano ripped it up for a good while before frequent GPJ collaborator Joe Marcinek took a turn on the axe for Jerry Garcia favorite “Sugaree”. At one point, fellow Crescent City icon Ivan Neville hopped up on drums for the timeless Meters anthem “People Say”.
To close out Jam Cruise 21 with appropriate authority, we mobbed deep to the Disco to shut it down with LP Giobbi. Let it be known, homegirl understood the assignment, unleashing a relentless array of ferocious four-on-the-floor bangers to keep the feet workin’ all the way to Port of Miami. Eschewing her popular Dead House material (the DJ presented a GD-themed set on the Pool Deck a day earlier), she instead went pretty damn hard in the deep house paint, hammering us with uptempo thump, sprinkling in some familiar remixes here and there, and traversing oceans and decades with a magic touch. The club stayed packed n’ bouncin’ ’til LP Giobbi dropped her last bombtrack at the stroke of five in the morning—and by the time the deal had gone down, just about everybody present was supremely satiated.
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Shorty thereafter, the sun came up once again, and that was all she wrote for the twenty-first sailing. Jam Cruise can feel like the the whole shebang flies by in a blink of an eye, or like the longest week of your life—often at the same time. The boat is many things to many people, but one concept most Jam Cruisers can agree on is that Jam Cruise is a unicorn experience, a musical carnival unlike any other, and a most jubilant family reunion.
While the live band badassery and improvisational high-wire acts are what lure us out to sea, I firmly believe that it is the human connection—between musicians, cruisers, production teams, ship staff, bartenders, porters, Cloud 9-ers, and other assorted souls on board—that really makes the Jam Cruise magic happen.
Beyond the otherworldly musical adventuring, what I will hold onto most from Jam Cruise 21 are the heart-filling conversations and mothership connections. Most of these insightful chats were with fellow rabid fans like me, but a number of them with various musicians and industry folks, too. Along with the smattering of wacky stickers, buttons, pins, and trinket, these are among the gems and treasured recollections I stuffed in my proverbial sack to take home with me from JC21.
A deep bow of gratitude to each and every beating heart who contributes something special to the mystic brew that is Jam Cruise. You know who you is.
Signing off from the big boat. I have no complaints.
words: B.Getz
Revisit the rest of our recap coverage from Jam Cruise 21: Days 1 & 2 Recap | Days 3 & 4 Recap