No Troubles On Jam Cruise 19: Day 3 Recap

While Jam Cruise has “jam” in its name, organizers present a diverse slate of performances aboard the MSC Divina for Jam Cruise 19. The one thing nearly all acts have in common is a willingness to take chances and to bring attendees on an aural journey. Wednesday was the third day of Jam Cruise 19 and the first port stop – Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic – which meant the music started around 6:30 p.m. but was still going strong when I hit the hay at 5 a.m.

Cruisers had plenty of options on how to spend their morning and afternoon. Some attended Positive Legacy’s Day Of Service at a local school where they had a chance to spend time helping to build the facility and witnessed an Everyone Orchestra jam featuring such musicians as Fruition and Karl Denson. Positive Legacy is so popular, the excursion sells out every year as many attendees want to give back during their week of joy. Others enjoyed the sandy beaches, visited a monkey sanctuary, ate local cuisine or simply caught up on sleep.

One of the first activities of the day was Doom Flamingo hosting a listening session for their recently released debut full-length studio album, Peaches & Bobbi. Though it seemed a bit awkward for the band members to sit on a stage while their LP played, they each added interesting insights and facts about the recording process, songwriting and how the material will translate to the stage.

Australian funk/soul outfit The Bamboos took the Pool Deck stage as the MSC Divina set sail from Puerto Plata. Guitarist/musical director Lance Ferguson spoke of how hard it was to be stuck in Australia during the pandemic. He thanked those who spend their money on live music and support the industry around the world. Wednesday was The Bamboos’ second set of the trip. While they played a number of the same songs, there was extra energy and flair at the Pool Deck. A highlight was an instrumental number of which every member of the ensemble took a long and strong solo.

Among my favorite parts of Jam Cruise are the sets in the atrium. The intimate and unusual setting often leads to magic, and that was true on Wednesday. Up first in the atrium was keyboardist Chris Spies who welcomed a bevy of friends to join in at points of his set including George Porter Jr., Shira Elias, Josh Fairman and Michelangelo Carubba. Spies starred on a particularly cool arrangement of Phish’s “Foam” and then was accompanied by a fiddler for Zappa’s “Peaches En Regalia” before Elias belted out “Bennie And The Jets.”

Later, bassist Reed Mathis presented a hour-long Electric Beethoven set in the atrium. I caught Mathis jamming on a Beethoven composition with keyboardist Brian Haas and drummer Nikki Glaspie. Mathis and Haas were so impressed with the power Glaspie brought to her drumming.

On the eclectic tip, I hopped over to the Black & White Lounge for hip-hop duo Little Stranger. The pair of John Shields and Kevin Shields may be best friends but they are not related despite the shared last name. John is an extremely talented multi-instrumentalist who would lay down a beat or groove while Kevin sang and rapped. John also has an impressive voice and I loved every minute of their performance. The best part was the wit and humor the Shields brought to the stage.

After brief stops at The New Deal and lespecial (Kanika Moore singing Tool’s “46 & 2”!) I saw Trouble No More’s full Pool Deck set. One year after The Allman Brothers Band tribute act’s first performance, the group made their Jam Cruise debut. I was blown away at how tight they’ve become over the past 12 months, which gave the individual members plenty of opportunities to let loose. Trouble No More features guitarists Daniel Donato and Brandon “Taz” Niederauer, vocalist Lamar Williams Jr., bassist Dylan Niederauer, keyboardist Peter Levin and drummers Jack Ryan and Nikki Glaspie.

Donato, Ryan and the Niederauers bring a youthful exuberance to ABB music as they shined on such songs such as “One Way Out,” “Les Brers In A Minor” and “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed.” Each was nicely extended with Butch Trucks’ son, guitarist Vaylor Trucks, adding to “Blue Sky.” The set was a special one for Taz who first came aboard Jam Cruise in 2014 as a 13-year-old willing to sit in with anyone who’d have him. Now, his band was headlining the Pool Deck. What a ride!

I ended my night in the Jam Room where guitarist Shawn Eckels (Andy Frasco & The U.N.) served as host. Eckels was joined at various points by guitarists Joe Marcinek and Peter Stelling as well as members of lespecial, Neighbor, Doom Flamingo, SunSquabi, Honey Island Swamp Band and more. Highlights include a spot-on “Girlfriend Is Better,” Frasco taking over the stage for “Blame It On The Pussy” and lespecial bassist Luke Bemand giving his best Eminem impression on “Stan.”

Jam Cruise 19 continues on Thursday with a full day at sea. The music is about to start, so I’m going to get out there. Follow along on the JamBase Instagram page.