Greetings from aboard Jam Cruise 20! How sweet it is to be back on the boat…
The five-day 2024 edition of the floating music festival on the MSC Divina set sail from the Port of Miami on Sunday evening with a strong Day 1 performance lineup featuring Lettuce, moe., Medeski Martin & Porter ft. Aba Diop, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, The New Mastersounds, TAUK Moore, Magic Beans, Eggy, Chali 2na & Cut Chemist, Jimmy Rea, DJ Soul Sister, and the first “Jam Room” of 2024 led by George Porter Jr. and Lebo.
With several sets running simultaneously throughout most of the night, it was impossible to catch all the music played on the ship, both on stage and otherwise. Here are just a few of the most memorable moments from the first day of Jam Cruise 20. Follow Live For Live Music on Instagram for more video content all week long.
Smooth Sailing With Lettuce
Pre-show jitters are real, and Pre-Jam Cruise jitters are a particularly powerful strain. From traveling to Miami to getting through a gauntlet of check-in lines to waiting for luggage to arrive, the first day of Jam Cruise can often be a hectic experience. On Monday, however, the buzz around the boat was less about “stress” and more about “simplicity” as the boarding process proceeded more smoothly than ever, creating a particularly welcoming Day 1 atmosphere. One fan even rolled out a literal red carpet to greet fans making their way to the Pool Deck for the first performance of the week.
“I think we all really need this week,” said Jam Cruise emcee Annabel Lukins at a welcome toast. “We need sunshine, we need the music, and we need each other.”
Longtime Jam Cruise favorite Lettuce quickly began to fill that prescription while the boat was still docked and went on to provide a funky soundtrack to the always-striking visual of the Miami skyline slipping into darkness in the distance as the ship got in motion. Bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes came away as the pound-for-pound MVP of the set, consistently elevating the proceedings with rumbling dance hall low-end, moody, melodic grooves, and deep-pocket embellishments that seemed at times to nod to both Rocco and Jaco.
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Medeski Martin & Porter (& Diop & Logic) Send Jam Cruise To “Ohio”
The novel combo of John Medeski, Billy Martin, and George Porter Jr. featuring percussionist Aba Diop was circled on many Cruisers’ schedules from the day they were announced. With frequent Medeski collaborator DJ Logic joining in on turntables, the set promised a unique mix of styles—a little Medeski Martin & Wood-like acid jazz, a little NOLA funk a la The Meters, a little West African rhythmic flavor, a little electro-soul texture from behind the decks. Unsurprisingly, this powerful combo checked all those boxes and then some throughout Monday’s set in the Pantheon Theater.
As the MSC Divina made its way from Miami toward Jamaica, Medeski Martin & Porter (& Diop & Logic) shifted Jam Cruise’s focus away from tropical locales and toward an unlikely destination, Ohio, via a haunting rendition of the classic Neil Young protest anthem sung with staggering emotion by Porter. Things only picked up from there as Eddie Roberts (The New Mastersounds) joined in on guitar to further elevate the standout set.
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moe. Recruits Daniel Donato For A Pearl Jam “Jammie Jam”
Plenty has happened for moe. since the last time the veteran jam-rock outfit played Jam Cruise in 2020, from guitarist Chuck Garvey‘s stroke and recovery saga to the addition of keyboardist Nate Wilson to the touring lineup. Riding renewed momentum, the band stormed the Pool Deck on Monday for an electrifying set that more than made up for the band’s weather-negated open-air performance from Jam Cruise 18.
Related: moe. Plans ‘Best.Summer.Ever’ Tour With Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country
In addition to towing the line between rock energy and jazz influence on lively renditions of fan favorites like “Tailspin” and “Moth”, the band took a clever approach to the evening’s “Jammie Jam” PJ party costume theme when they welcomed out Daniel Donato on guitar to jam on a cover of Pearl Jam‘s “Just Breathe”. After adding some country flavor to the Eddie Vedder original, Donato stuck around to go toe-to-toe on Telecasters with guitarist Al Schnier on boat-appropriate moe. favorite “Mexico” (“My folks don’t even know where I am / Hell I don’t even know where I am”).
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Eggy Has Entered The Jam Cruise Chat
While much of Monday’s music schedule was comprised of seasoned boat vets, Connecticut-based jam quartet Eggy made a strong first impression on Monday in the Black & White Lounge with its first-ever Jam Cruise performance. The band—comprised of Jake Brownstein (guitar, vocals), Dani Battat (keys, vocals), Mike Goodman (bass, vocals), and Alex Bailey (drums, vocals)—hit a groove early with funk-influenced fan-favorite “Here and Now” and continued to build momentum with creatively extended renditions of go-to originals like “Shadow”, “Lost and Found”, and “Sweat Equity” in addition to a pair of euphoric “Paul” covers, Paul Simon‘s “You Can Call Me Al” and Paul McCartney‘s “Coming Up”.
Look for Eggy to continue turning heads all week long on the boat: The band is scheduled for a special “Choose Your Own Eggventure” set in the Atrium on Wednesday and the final set of the week on the Brews at Sea Stage on Thursday, while members of the group will be joining in during sets by Everyone Orchestra and more throughout the voyage.
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TAUK Moore Gets More Help From The Horn Section, Lyle Divinsky, Elise Testone
TAUK Moore, the crossover project that pairs prog-jam quartet TAUK with dynamic vocalist Kanika Moore, delivered one of the most engaging performances of Jam Cruise 20 Day 1. With on-and-off help from frequent collaborators The Horn Section, this combo ensemble showcased its growing arsenal of collaborative material, from songs released on their 2023 TAUK Moore record to new creations that had yet to see the light of day.
Moore’s towering presence was only amplified by the Pool Deck stage’s elaborate LED display, while the group’s engaging original music—which continues to lean further into the the realm of deep, grungey, powerful live house music—felt more realized than ever. Other highlights of the performance included a sit-in by vocalist Elise Testone on one of the new TAUK Moore originals and a swaggering cover of Little Feat‘s “Spanish Moon” led by special guest Lyle Divinsky.
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Revisit highlights from the rest of Jam Cruise 20 here: Day 2 | Day 3 | Days 4 & 5.