Caribbean Queens & Kings: Jam Cruise 20 Hosts Lebo’s 2nd Annual All-Star Yacht Rock Set

The music on Jam Cruise 20 came to a close on Thursday with an action-packed day at sea featuring many highlights one of which was the second annual Yacht Rock set. Put together and directed by ALO guitarist Lebo (Dan Lebowitz), the 11-song, 90-minute performance included an impressive roster of musicians playing songs from a golden era of rock and soul.

Lebo first hosted a Yacht Rock set on Jam Cruise 19 and the performance was so well received organizers had to bring it back the following year. The guitarist was joined in the core band on the 2024 excursion by vocalists Shira Elias (Cool Cool Cool) and Sammi Garett (Cool Cool Cool), bassist Marc Friedman (The Slip, Ryan Montbleau Band), drummer Michelangelo Carubba (Cool Cool Cool), percussionist Yahuba Garcia-Torres (Remain In Light Band), vocalist/baritone saxophonist Josch Schwartz (Cool Cool Cool, The Horn Section), trumpeter Chris Brouwers, tenor saxophonist Greg Sanderson (Cool Cool Cool, The Horn Section) and keyboardist Chris Spies (Honey Island Swamp Band, Matador Soul Sounds). The ensemble welcomed a series of guests at various points of the set.

Lyle Divinsky (ex-The Motet) was the first featured performer as he led the crew through a spot-on version of Steely Dan’s “Peg.” Next, Garett starred on the Linda Ronstadt-popularized “You’re No Good” before Lebo had a turn in the spotlight on the 1985 Level 42 smash “Something About You,” the lone repeat from 2023. Bay Area songstress Viveca Hawkins channeled The Pointer Sisters during a guest appearance helming “He’s So Shy.” Next, Josch Schwartz showed off his massive vocal talents on Hall & Oates’ 1981 single “Private Eyes.”

Lebo mentioned some songs are on the periphery of what would be considered Yacht Rock but the next song was an absolute bullseye. With that, Mike Dillon and Ivan Neville came out to play vibes on the Toto favorite “Africa.” Lebo sang the early verses and then Sammi and Shira belted out the high parts. Garcia-Torres, Carubba and Dillon joined forces for a drum/vibes jam to end the song. Another bullseye followed in a Divinsky-sung version of Christopher Cross’ “Ride Like The Wind” featuring Ivan Neville on the harmony vocals originally recorded by Michael McDonald.

Lyle Divinsky stuck around to lead the talented ensemble through Billy Ocean’s “Caribbean Queen (No More Love On The Run).” Lebo then noted Karl Denson near the stage and had him come up to contribute to the one-two punch of The Eagles’ “One Of These Nights” and Chaka Khan’s “What Cha’ Gonna Do For Me.” The latter was sung by L.A.-based vocalist Adryon de León. Shira Elias had the honor of fronting the band on the set-closing “Don’t Stop.” The Fleetwood Mac number turned into a singalong affair and punctuated the joyous performance.

After two excellent Yacht Rock performances, here’s hoping the set becomes a staple of Jam Cruise moving forward. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for a feature detailing how Lebo put the performance together.

Watch fan-shot video of the Jam Cruise 20 Yacht Rock set below:

Setlist

Set: Peg (w Lyle Divinsky), You’re No Good > Something About You, He’s So Shy (w Viveca Hawkins), Private Eyes, Africa (w Mike Dillon & Ivan Neville), Ride Like The Wind (w Lyle & Ivan), Caribbean Queen (w Lyle), One Of These Nights (w Karl Denson), Watcha Gonna Do For Me (w Adryon de Leon), Don’t Stop