Jam Cruise 21: The Home Stretch – Highlights From Days 4 & 5

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” — Dr. Seuss

---

Jam Cruise 21 returned to Miami on Wednesday morning after five action-packed days aboard the MSC Divina. Dr. Seuss’ famous quote came to mind as the ship passed by South Beach around 5 a.m. on the way to the port. I’ll carry the memories of the one-of-a-kind collaborations, precious time spent with friends and musical discoveries with me forever and will bask in the post-trip bliss for the weeks to come.

People have asked me where this excursion ranks among past Jam Cruise experiences and I have hard time with that question. Each is special in its own way as the differing lineups and attendees create unique configurations for sit-ins, chances to catch acts I’ve never seen before and hangs. But if forced, I’d say Jam Cruise 21 was within the top five of the 14 I’ve attended. I’ll also say the five days went by extremely quickly. I often found myself on Tuesday thinking it was only the fourth day, while on several past trips I was ready to go home as we approached Miami.

The Jam Cruise 21 schedule was absolutely stacked as the musical adventure at sea scored high points on both the quality and quantity scales. So, I’m both excited and a little wary to find out about all of the music I missed as cruisers return home and share their own experiences. But I saw so many incredible performances that it’s hard to have regrets about the decisions I made when it came to spending my time on the ship.

Picking up on Monday, the fourth day of the trip, Jam Cruise 21 made its second and final port stop in Belize City, Belize. I used the opportunity to catch up on some much needed sleep before Tank and the Bangas performed the Sail Away Set on the Pool Deck at 3:30 p.m. Frontwoman Tarriona “Tank” Ball and her crew delivered a theatrical performance as they mixed material from throughout their career. The set culminated with the potent “Hey! Hey! Hey!” featuring Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'” as an introduction.

MarchFourth took the Pool Deck stage next and turned Jam Cruise into a carnival-like atmosphere. Members of the troupe walked around the deck hyping up attendees and in some cases walking on stilts. The bombastic song “Hotstepper” was played for a fan from Arizona who hosted the band when their tour bus broke down in the state, something that has apparently happened several times. A crowd-pleasing cover of The Band’s “Ophelia” was thrown in for good measure.

Ricky James (Pink Talking Fish, Neighbor) played the atrium set on Day Four and looked to the Neighbor repertoire for a beautiful solo rendition of “White Flag.” James was joined by guests for the rest of the 45-minute performance including his PTF bandmates, Dogs In A Pile guitarist Brian Murray, bassist Aaron Bellamy and Neighbor drummer Dean “The Dux” Johnston for choice covers including the Beatles’ “Taxman” and “A Day In The Life,” the Grateful Dead’s “Jack Straw” and Los Lobos’ “When The Circus Comes.” The latter two showcased PTF guitarist Cal Kehoe sharing vocal duties. Jeff Lloyd of The Heavy Pets helped James & Co. close out the set with “Tweezer Reprise.”

Back on the Pool Deck, Bertha: Grateful Drag welcomed a new collaborator, Steve Kimock, to the project. “Donna Jean Kimock” sported a dress actually worn by vocalist Donna Jean Godchaux during a Grateful Dead concert. Kimock contributed to “Iko Iko” at first and came back later for a sensational “Eyes Of The World.” Bertha: Grateful Drag is far from a gimmick. These musicians are the real deal and have some of the best harmonies and vocals of any Grateful Dead tribute act.

Over in the Pantheon Theater, ALO gave their second performance of the trip. Highlights included a “Blew Out The Walls” they slickly segued into INXS’ “Need You Tonight,” The Horn Section adding to “Try” and “Undertow,” saxophonist Karl Denson on “Room For Bloomin'” and a wonderful set-closing “Barbecue” featuring the apropos theme from “The Love Boat” within.

LP Giobbi was up next on the Pool Deck for her “Dead House” set. The producer/DJ offered a fresh spin on the music of the Grateful Dead by weaving elements of their songs with house beats and other elements she created. My favorite part was a wild rendition of the holy triumvariate of “Help On The Way”/”Slipknot!”/”Franklin’s Tower,” which I was blown away to learn was a new addition to the “Dead House” concept the EDM star has been performing on occassion over the past five years. Giobbi drew a big crowd and it was hard to spot anyone who wasn’t dancing.

Snarky Puppy followed at the theater and embraced the collaborative spirit by welcoming guests including hip-hip great Chali 2na and Club d’elf keyboardist Amy Bellamy. I got a text after that inviting me to witness a private set from frontman Brock Butler. The Perpetual Groove frontman played on a balcony in front of perhaps 12 Jam Cruisers in which he performed material from his forthcoming solo album, John Prine’s “Illegal Smile,” Tom Petty’s “Time To Move On” and more. This was another “Only On Jam Cruise” experience, and I was so grateful to be in attendance.

More collaborations were on tap for the end of the penultimate day of Jam Cruise 21. Pink Talking Fish brought out vocalist Sammi Garett for “Mother” and “Genius Of Love” before a musician wearing a Phantom Of The Opera mask emerged on keytar for “Frankenstein.” Andy Frasco & The U.N's set was chock full of special guests including members of MarchForth, guitarist Luther Dickinson and vocalist Kanika Moore. Moore leading the group through Tina Turner’s “The Best” was a goosebump-inducing experience.

Tuesday on Jam Cruise 21 was a Day At Sea as the ship steamed back to Miami, which meant music from noon through 5 a.m. Chicago’s Sneezy opened the Pool Deck and were among my favorite new discoveries of the trip for me. This eclectic crew infuses soul and hip-hop into an inventive blend of rock and jam music. Sneezy also doesn’t take themselves too seriously. I can’t wait to hear/see more.

Cris Jacobs and Ivan Neville presented a Neville Jacobs set on the Pool Deck next. The pair actually first met on a past Jam Cruise while playing blackjack in the casino. They were joined by a full band on the Divina and an emotional high point came with a performance of “River Behind Me.” Neville and Jacobs wrote the song in tribute to Ivan’s mother. Ivan found out his mother had passed when he was aboard Jam Cruise, a situation which repeated itself when Lettuce trumpeter Eric “Benny” Bloom learned his mother died a few days ago while he was on the ship. Neville dedicated “River Behind Me” to the Blooms.

Jam Cruise has hosted an Everyone Orchestra performance since its earliest days. This year’s set was in doubt for a period as conductor/founder Matt Butler was dealing with serious health issues. Butler is in between surgeries and was able to make the trip for the first EO set since last summer. The project brings together different musicians for each show/tour to play music improvised on the spot and conducted by Butler.

LP Giobbi made her Everyone Orchestra debut on keys as part of a set that also included bassist Brett McConnell, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong drummer Alex “Gator” Petropulos, Dopapod drummer Neal “Fro” Evans, vocalists Shira Elias and Aniana, Dogs In A Pile guitarist Jimmy Law, The Horn Section, ALO keyboardist Zach Gill and fiddler Allie Kral. Kanika Moore swung by for a bit before running off to front the Super Jam. EO vibed on such vocal lines as “If you’re feeling a little bit crispy, you hit ’em with the whimsy” and “Gotta embrace the mystery, all the rest is history.”

15-year-old pianist River Eckert hosted the last atrium set and lived out a dream by performing with Ivan Neville, who he called one of his heroes. Eckert displayed strong songwriting skills in performing his original tune “Paint A Picture” and teamed with a killer crew of NOLA musicians on “Tipitina” and more. Yet it was his duet with Neville on John Lennon’s “Imagine” that was the emotional crescendo.

Kanika Moore’s Super Jam saw The Psycodelics serve as the house band. Guests came on and off stage for a varied mix of songs featuring a focus on classic soul tunes. Highlights included Nick Cassarino singing The Temptations’ “Can’t Get Next To You” and Garett and Elias backing Moore on Janis Joplin’s “Piece Of My Heart.” I was also blown away by Moore’s unbelievable arrangement of “Find Yourself,” a Lukas Nelson & POTR tune she transformed into a soul-laden stunner.

Galactic shined the theater with Chali 2na and Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph handling vocal duties throughout. The group’s version of “Feelin’ Alright” had most on their feet and it was great to see a different side of Galactic’s musicality than what they showed off earlier in the trip on the Pool Deck.

More collaborations were in store as Dogs In The Pile played the Black & White Lounge. Saxophonist Nick Gerlach joined for “My Disguise,” Fro added to “Trickery” and Cris Jacobs let it rip on Little Milton’s “That’s What Love Will Make You Do.” Meanwhile, Thievery Corporation brought out Sammi Garett for a tune during their Pool Deck performance.

Pigeons Playing Ping Pong closed out the Pool Deck on JC21 with a mesmerizing performance. Kudos to LD Manny Newman who brought his own board on the ship and gave fans the true PPPP light show experience. Most Pool Deck sets featured wild video elements but I raise my cap to Newman for going without them. The Horn Section and ALO drummer Ezra Lipp came out on percussion for “Whoopie” and Lipp and the rest of his bandmates joined in on the “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” finale.

The Nth Power ended the action in the theater with a stunning “Earth Wind & Power” tribute to Earth Wind & Fire. The set climaxed with a powerful one-two punch of “September” and “Shining Star.” The latter featured Snarky Puppy guitarist Mark Lettieri and keyboardist Bobby Sparks.

The final performance of Jam Cruise 21 was LP Giobbi in the disco and I’ve never seen that room more packed. Giobbi played to the moment by delivering one high-energy cut after another as attendees got the last of their yayas out.

Now the wait begins for Jam Cruise 22 and I can’t wait to get back to my happy place.