The final day of Jam Cruise is always a blur. You pack your bags and leave it all on the Pool Deck for one more night of peak performance and collaboration, then you’re off the boat and in Miami early the following morning—back in the real world, still wobbling from the waves as you make your way home, body exhausted and heart full.
You sleep, then you sleep some more, and all of a sudden you realize you’ve been off the boat for days already, you’re back in your regular routine, and the whole week at sea feels like a hazy morning memory of a far-fetched dream. Remember that time we spent six days at sea for a giant floating music festival? Feels like ages ago for me, too…
Still, before we close the book on Jam Crusie 19, we have one more set of highlights to recount from a day six schedule featuring performances by Neighbor, Karina Rykman, Mihali, phoffman, Neal Francis, Umphrey’s McGee, Oteil & Friends, Butcher Brown, Polyrhythmics, lespecial, Galactic, DJ Airwolf, and SunSquabi in addition to a Pickin’ Lounge set helmed by Jake Simpson (The Lil Smokies) and a Roosevelt Collier-led Jam Room session.
With several sets running simultaneously throughout Saturday night and into the early hours of Sunday morning—and five nights worth of boat daze and sun-kissed malaise layered over proceedings—our takeaways from the sixth and final day of Jam Cruise 19 largely came in broad strokes rather than specific songs or sit-ins. Here are just a few of the most memorable moments.
Neighbor, Karina Rykman Soak Up The Final Rays Of Pool Deck Sun
The final two outdoor daytime slots on Jam Cruise 19 went to a pair of rising acts making big waves in the jam scene, Neighbor and Karina Rykman. Even with a full twelve-plus hours of music still left to go once they had finished their respective sets, these two shows carried a certain climactic weight. Both acts had earned new fans with performances and guest spots around the MSC Divina throughout the week, and both met invigorated crowds with particularly energetic showings on the Pool Deck as they soaked up the last rays of Jam Cruise sun.
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phoffman Serenades A Serene Scene At The Garden Pool
Greensky Bluegrass‘ Paul Hoffman, a.k.a. phoffman, popped up at the back of the ship as afternoon slipped into dusk for an intimate performance overlooking the Garden Pool and the vast ocean behind it. The set conjured the kind of surreal ambiance that makes Jam Cruise so unique as Hoffman played Greensky favorites, took requests from the audience, and welcomed the occasional friend to the stage while fans floated leisurely in the pool before him, myself included. It’s tough to track a setlist when you’re watching from the water—I recall a moving “The Four” and an audience-requested “Reverend”, at least—but the feeling of floating in a pool on the top of a cruise ship as the sun faded from the sky while phoffman sang sweet songs was, in a word, unforgettable.
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Yacht Rock & The Dave Watts Super Jam
A pair of one-off collaborative sets highlighted the dusk and sunset hours on the Pool Deck. First, guitarist Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz (ALO) captained an appropriate set of Yacht Rock classics with a band featuring Sammi Garett (Cool Cool Cool), Josh Schwartz (Cool Cool Cool), Dan Kelly (Neighbor), Mike Dillon (Punkadelick, Fackn’ A), Michelangelo Carubba (Cool Cool Cool), and Joel Cummins (Umphrey’s McGee) as well as a long list of featured guests including members of Dogs In A Pile, Fruition, Lettuce, Umphrey’s McGee, Dumpstaphunk, The Motet, and more.
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Later, The Motet drummer Dave Watts hosted a funk-rock super jam of his own featuring members of Cool Cool Cool, Andy Frasco & The U.N., Umphrey’s, Polyrhythmics, Trouble No More, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, lespecial, and many more. When the list of players on the stage starts getting just as long as the list of artists on the entire six-day event and you don’t even bat an eye, it must be the last day of Jam Cruise.
Butcher Brown & All The Horns
Richmond, VA outfit Butcher Brown was one of the most talked-about acts on the boat all week. While the DJ Harrison-led group’s more composed approach contrasted with the often loose, improvisational tilt of Jam Cruise, the smooth, dream-like vibe they honed in the Black & White Lounge on Saturday night was a perfect complement to the jam-heavy lineup.
The musicians on the boat seemed to be just as enamored with Butcher Brown as the fans: On day six, the band recruited the horn players from Cool Cool Cool, Lettuce, Andy Frasco & The U.N., Dumpstaphunk and more to form the baddest brass section the ocean has ever known. What’s even more striking on Jam Cruise day six than rotating super jams with scores of players? A nine-piece jam-funk horn ensemble diligently following the charts with a hip-hop band for an otherworldly showing of musicianship and collaboration.
As if that wasn’t enough, frequent collaborator Nigel Hall (Lettuce) also stopped by to pay homage to the late Kofi Burbridge, sing a few of his solo tunes (which he recorded with Butcher Brown as his backing band), and lead a lively cover of Steely Dan‘s “Black Cow”. Watch a video of the Steely Dan cover below.
Butcher Brown, Nigel Hall – “Black Cow” (Steely Dan) – 2/11/23
[Video: Spanish Castle Music]
lespecial Takes A Victory Lap
Connecticut trio lespecial had a big week on the boat, from a day three set on the Brews At Sea stage to an adrenaline-spiking jazz-punk performance with Mike Dillon under their new collaborative banner, Fackn’ A, on day five.
lespecial tipped the scales toward “heavy” once again on Saturday night with one of Jam Cruise’s final sets in the Black & White Lounge featuring a slew of guests like Mihali (on a cover of Nirvana‘s “School”), Kanika Moore (on lespecial favorite “Machine Elf”), and Sammi Garett (on a mashup/medley of Britney Spears‘ “Baby One More Time” and “Toxic” and Ginuwine‘s “Pony”). With creativity and charisma for days and a slew of Jam Cruise fixtures in its corner, lespecial is sure to be a staple on the boat for years to come. Just ask Jam Mom…
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Gale-Force SunSquabi Closes The Pool Deck
The honor of closing down the Pool Deck late on the final night of Jam Cruise 19 went to Kevin Donohue (guitar, keys, production), Josh Fairman (bass, synth), and Chris Anderson (drums) of SunSquabi, and the Colorado-native live-electronic trio approached the performance with appropriate grandeur. As gusts of wind walloped the Pool Deck and bursts of rain battered the crowd, SunSquabi tied a bow on six days of open-air music aboard the Divina with a raucous, dance-party finale. Highlights included sit-ins by guitarist Shawn Eckels (Andy Frasco & The U.N.), saxophonist Mike Quinn (Doom Flamingo), guitarist Joe Marcinek, drummer Adam Deitch (Lettuce), and more.
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Umphrey’s McGee & Friends
Umphrey’s McGee was the only act on Jam Cruise 19 with two separate Pool Deck sets, and the band took a unique approach to each of its slots. While the guest-free day five Umphrey’s set served as a resounding arrival announcement for the prog-jam sextet—most of whom did not board the boat until it docked in Grand Turk on day four—the day six performance dug into Jam Cruise’s deep artist roster for a parade of special guests.
After beginning with the core sextet on “Plunger”, “Day Nurse”, and “40’s Theme”, Umphrey’s McGee brought out Little Stranger to rap on “Push The Pig”, added lespecial’s Rory Dolan (drums) and The U.N.’s Andee Avila (percussion) on “1348”, welcomed bassist Ryan Stasik‘s Doom Flamingo bandmate Kanika Moore to sing Radiohead‘s “Creep”, and tapped Mike Dillon to add percussion to “The Linear” and “Glory”.
Revisit the rest of the action from Jam Cruise 19 with Live For Live Music‘s recaps from day one, day two, day three, day four, and day five and check out a selection of photos from day six below. We’re already counting down to Jam Cruise 20 next year!
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The post 7 Of The Best Things We Saw On Jam Cruise 19: Day 6 [Photos/Videos] appeared first on L4LM.
