Jam Cruise 14 Day 2: Snarky Puppy & Karl Denson Do Right At Sea (SHOW REVIEW)

2:18AM EST – Black and White Lounge, MSC Divina: The drums are getting tuned up, the bass levels seem to be feedback free and things in the Jam Room are about to kick off. There’s no scheduled end time but it’d be surprising if the house lights came back on any time before sunrise. What comes next is hard to predict but Day 2 on Jam Cruise 14 provided a lot to write home about…

Alternative options: While our first full day at sea was highlighted by Pool Deck sets by acts ranging from JJ Grey & Mofro to Nicki Bluhm, some of the most creative programming took place away from the sunbathers and colada sippers.  Weedie Braimah got everyone’s attention last year during The Nth Power’s Pool Deck set and the 104th generation percussionist was invited back this year to teach an interactive seminar in African drumming technique. Braimah’s not only a freakishly gifted djembe player who has polyrhythms in his blood, but the man knows how to educate. During the hour plus program, Braimah looped his student body in with call-and-response instruction, clever anecdotes and a warm wit that makes anyone in his company want to hang onto his every word.

Above our temporary percussion conservatory was a karaoke lounge that gave passengers the chance to sing classic rock tunes being performed by some of the guys from ALO.  A few of the vocalists dropped jaws and had folks in the crowd wondering if they were actually artists with a spot on the bill, while others… not so much. A buddy of Umphrey’s McGee’s Joel Cummins who lost a bet had to sing Billy Idol in a wig and his complete inability to carry a tune provided the amateur appeal that makes karaoke such a blast in the first place.

Off the beaten path: For folks looking for something unique, even by Jam Cruise standards, once in a lifetime opportunities were around every corner. The Masters at Sea program, currently in its third year, allows passengers to learn from some of the most prolific artists in the business and in addition to lectures, the students actually get to play with the Masters. Stanley Jordan’s two-handed tapping technique is like a classical version of what made Eddie Van Halen an icon and his fellow Masters welcomed sax/flutist Karl Denson to their classroom for an All-Star Jam that the overwhelming majority of Jam Cruisers were completely unaware was transpiring.

While karaoke was hitting its peak, some of the boys from Lettuce were helping themselves to a tea session that was entirely Eastern, not English. It was equal parts tasting, ceremony, meditation and 100% reviving after a day in the sun.

All inclusive: One of the things that makes the community aspect of Jam Cruise so special is the efforts made to ensure that anybody with the desire (and resources) can enjoy themselves on the boat. They’re a very small minority, but there are more deaf Cruisers than most people would expect. The social energy is more than enough to make the trip worth while and judging by the on-rhythm dancing, the deaf jammers among us were feeling the rhythm in their bones as much as the rest of us. To allow them to have as complete a musical experience as possible, there was a pair of ASL interpreters in the photo pit making sure that everyone within earshot and eyesight knew what a banging “Cumberland Blues” was being served up by Joe Russo’s Almost Dead.

Least we forget… There was some pretty killer music on Day 2 and with regards to the on-stage action, Snarky Puppy stole the show. The modern jazz-fusion collective really left their mark with their first appearance on the boat last year and were one of the very few acts invited back two years in a row. While every instrumentalist in the group is brilliant in their own right, Corey Henry (keys) was their MVP. His lead work on the Moog synth was both speedy yet spastically controlled and his stage presence is exceptionally magnetic compared to most with instrumentalists with that level of precision. Talk about a dude who deserves to be nicknamed Herbie Wonder.

Plenty off folks have excursions at Costa Maya, Mexico on Day 3 but judging by the way this dance floor has filled in over the past 42 minutes of writing this recap, it appears this crowd is content hitting the shore with bags under their eyes.

Here’s hoping everyone remembers not to drink the water…

Previous Day Coverage

Day 1- Joe Russo’s Almost Dead, Oteil Burbridge as Substitute, Bill Murray Tattoos

Related Content

One Response

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

New to Glide

Keep up-to-date with Glide

Twitter