Music fans continue to grasp at any sort of return to normalcy they can with the current hiatus of the concert and live events industry for the foreseeable future. At-home performances and archival couch tour broadcasts have become the go-to entertainment option within live music community for the time being, but it’s worth remembering that the power of captured live audio can be just as, if not more, inspiring and revitalizing for fans who lack the unparalleled thrills of live music right now.
So fans will be happy to know that the full-set audio of Turkauz & Friends‘ performance with sit-ins from Karl Denson, Ivan Neville, Robert “Sput” Searight, and more on day four of Jam Cruise 18 earlier this year has now found its way online.
The Turkuaz & Friends “Surprise Album” set in the Pantheon Theater aboard the MSC Divina on day four of Jam Cruise was easily one of the top highlights of this year’s cruise. Fans packed the indoor theater early on Friday night in anticipation of the secret “costume.” Before getting into the album, Turkuaz and full-set guest percussionist Nate Werth (Ghost-Note) ran through an hour’s worth of originals old and new, from fan-favorites like “Tiptoe Through The Crypto”, “The Mountain”, and “Percy Thrills, the Moon Dog” to new material like Kuadrochrome‘s “The Ballad of Castor Troy”.
Eventually, a video began to play on the stage screen introducing the album of the night: 1977 funk masterpiece Funkentelechy vs. the Placebo Syndrome by Parliament. As the video finished, a swarm of funky guests descended upon the stage including Karl Denson, Ivan Neville, Casey Benjamin, and a number of costumed Ghost-Note members including drummer/pianist Robert “Sput” Searight, guitarist Peter Knudsen, baritone saxophonist Sylvester Onyejiaka, alto saxophonist Jonathan Mones, keyboardist Dominique Xavier Taplin, and more.
Karl Denson handled frontman duties on a rowdy rendition of “Bop Gun (Endangered Species)” to kick off the album. Everyone but Turkuaz, Knudsen, and Sput cleared the stage next as Robert Walter and drummer Nikki Glaspie entered the for “Sir Nose d’Voidoffunk (Pay Attention – B3M)” while Sput moved over to keys. The various guests continued to rotate in and out as Turkuaz worked their way through the six-track record before the show culminated with a celebratory “Flashlight” complete with a massive, synchronized confetti cannon blast from the audience.
Revisit the entire set via the performance’s full audio below.
Turkauz & Friends – Jam Cruise 18 – 1/10/20
[Audio: Bryan Belay]