You KNEW You Needed to Be on Jam Cruise BEFORE You Saw the Lineup
Let’s speak truth here. You didn’t need to see any lineup to know you NEEDED to be on Jam Cruise 16 next January. Of course it’s going to be awesome: 3000 of your closest freaky friends on the open sea heading to Roatan and Grand Cayman.
Pre-book is over, and cabin selection takes place next Wednesday through Friday (May 10-12). What rooms — if any — are left will go on sale May 16th.
And you prebooked before the lineup appeared, so you knew that the Norwegian Jade would be your home next January 17-22. And you knew the lineup — as always — would be epic.
Somehow — as usual — epic doesn’t quite cover it. Damn, this is gonna be fine!
Start with Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood, Galactic, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Lettuce, The New Mastersounds, Dumpstaphunk, and legendary Maceo Parker. That right there is a hunk o’ funk, and we’ve barely started. You can pile on some Antibalas, The Main Squeeze, and last year’s opening master blasters Turkuaz.
Dayenu. That would be enough. As if…
There is so, so very much more, in every direction.
Keller Williams madness. Steel Pulse rhythms. Lotus trance-dance. How about Voodoo Dead, courtesy of Steve Kimock, Jackie Greene, Jeff Chimenti, George Porter, Jr., and John Kimock?
Thought so.
The Marcus King Band will be on board; King had stunning sit-ins at Wanee in addition to his 11 AM packed-house set. Brilliant NOLA jazz sextet Naughty Professor and Chali 2na will collaborate, and Gramatik plans to do his thing. Baltimore’s premier funkateers Pigeons Playing Ping Pong will be flocking on board, and you may never have seen a bluegrass band quite like Horseshoes & Hand Grenades.
Dayenu? Not hardly.
Of course there will be an Everyone Orchestra show, and Robert Randolph hosts a Super Jam that will be super indeed. Nathan Moore is back for some more of his magic from last year, and Holly Bowling’s amazing keyboard skills will be all over. You know you’re ready to see her in the Piano Lounge!
Aqueous will melt plenty of faces, DJ Logic always gets the party started, and for good measure add The Russ Liquid Test, Andy Frasco & the U.N., The Lil Smokies, Con Brio, and Kat Wright.
NO, WE’RE NOT DONE YET!
Special guests include the dynamic duo — Natalie Cressman and Jennifer Hartswick — along with Ryan Montbleau, and Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz. Also, two of our most favorites: the incomparable Skerik on saxophone and Roosevelt Collier on pedal and lap steel.
And, most of all, looking forward to seeing Mike Dillon, who had planned to meet Jam Cruise 15 in Grand Cayman before nasty weather kept us away from that port. Not sure why they didn’t airlift you onto the Norwegian Pearl. They do it in movies all the time!
How can it still be eight months away? *SIGH*
