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 Travel & Outdoors | May 2007 
Cruisin' with the Blues
 Michael Kinsman - San Diego Union-Tribune
| | Guitarists Deborah Coleman, Chris Duarte and Tommy Castro joined bassist Sam Green in a pro jam on the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise in October. (Joe Rosen) | 
| | The outdoor stage on the stern of Holland America's Zaandam gave fans an up-close view of an afternoon blues show. (Joe Rosen) |
Late at night, Mississippi blues pianist Eden Brent crossed paths with an older woman in one of those narrow cruise ship hallways that seem way too small for side-by-side traffic.
“My feet are aching,” the older woman complained, holding her jeweled sandals in her hand.
“Well, honey, put those feet up here and let me rub 'em,” drawled Brent.
The older woman looked surprised, but agreed. Brent massaged her feet briefly, the two women laughed and then went their separate ways.
Brent's eyes lit up when she learned who the older woman was.
“I just gave the Queen of the Blues a foot rub?” a stunned Brent asked. “That was Koko Taylor? Wow! Isn't that something.”
It's like that on cruise ships, where the world gets smaller as soon as you sail from port. Brent and 1,200 others were traveling on the inaugural Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise out of San Diego.
The blues cruise is one of dozens of music-themed cruises that have opened the cruising business to new markets. People come together because of a common love of music and share a series of concerts over a few days at sea.
What could be more fun for a music fan?
That was the very question Kansas City blues promoter Roger Naber asked several years ago. He and a now-deceased partner pioneered the idea of taking music fans out on the high seas in 1994.
The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, which has run cruises out of Florida since then, made its inaugural five-day trip out of San Diego in October.
The cruise aboard Holland America's Zaandam featured artists such as Taj Mahal, Irma Thomas, Tommy Castro, Janiva Magness, Koko Taylor, Ike Turner, Kim Wilson and Slick Ballinger.
The cruise linked blues fans and musicians together, allowing them to create their own world – if only for a week or so.
“I like to call it a blues candy store for the blues fan,” Naber says. “We have everything you could want as a blues fan right in front of you.”
From intimate workshops to piano bars, small clubs and large-scale indoor and outdoor stages, the cruise offers music from 11 a.m. until 1 a.m. every day.
At that hour, the jams kick in, some of which continue until 5 or 6 in the morning. Some are pro jams, where the performing musicians sit in with each other, while others allow blues fans of all abilities to play too, often with one of their musical heroes.
“I couldn't believe how much fun I had,” said Tom Stewart, drummer with North County's Backwater Blues Band, who went on the cruise with his wife, Lydia.
Stewart got 10 chances to play during the trip, including late-night gigs with professionals.
“It was the coolest thing I've ever done,” he said. “I can't wait to do it again this year.”
Even casual blues fans such as Kaley and Rodney Mish of Mission Beach appreciated the atmosphere. Veterans of 14 cruises, they chose the October cruise because they like blues, even though they were only familiar with a few of the artists.
“I was stunned at how good all the musicians were,” Kaley Mish said. “And, the people on the ship were all so friendly. It was like a big party. Usually, you go on a cruise and you read a lot. Here you just went from one show to the next.”
The informal nature of the blues cruise gives fans a chance to mingle with musical artists, sharing quiet conversations or even joining them for dinner. Naber says most people seem to understand when to approach musicians and when to respect their privacy.
Blues fan Mary Ann Haskell of Ocean Beach carried her camera at all times, never wanting to miss a chance to get a photo of one of her favorite performers.
“It was great for me,” she said. “I could walk up and get a photo of anyone.”
The musicians took it in stride. Most of them spend weeks at a time on the road, often traveling 300 or 400 miles a day in a van to play a show. Here, they relax, visit with each other and fans, and play three times during the week.
“They really seem to like it because the road can be so grueling,” Naber said. “Here, they just get to relax and spend time with other musicians. They don't usually get that opportunity, and they all seem to agree it's one of the best parts of the cruise for them.”
Tommy Castro, a San Francisco singer-guitarist whose band plays up to 200 dates each year, was taking his 11th cruise and enjoyed every minute.
“I'm a public person and I like talking to people,” he said. “This is a very important thing for me because you get to build your base of fans. I think of the blues cruise as the greatest thing to happen to the blues in years. I really think of this as the greatest blues festival there is.”
Castro said the cruise allows him to meet fans from all over, fans who are eager to reconnect at his shows when his band travels through their city.
“They come out and they wear their blues cruise shirts,” Castro said. “And, they are the best publicity for the cruise and those of us who perform on it. Ask them how a concert was and they will tell you how they like it and that's that. But ask them about the cruise and these people will talk forever.”
The cruise is bound by people's love of the blues. The San Diego trip included people from Norway, the Netherlands, Italy, Great Britain, France and Australia as well as the United States.
“They really seem to like it because the road can be so grueling,” Naber said. “Here, they just get to relax and spend time with other musicians. They don't usually get that opportunity, and they all seem to agree it's one of the best parts of the cruise for them.”
Tommy Castro, a San Francisco singer-guitarist whose band plays up to 200 dates each year, was taking his 11th cruise and enjoyed every minute.
“I'm a public person and I like talking to people,” he said. “This is a very important thing for me because you get to build your base of fans. I think of the blues cruise as the greatest thing to happen to the blues in years. I really think of this as the greatest blues festival there is.”
Castro said the cruise allows him to meet fans from all over, fans who are eager to reconnect at his shows when his band travels through their city.
“They come out and they wear their blues cruise shirts,” Castro said. “And, they are the best publicity for the cruise and those of us who perform on it. Ask them how a concert was and they will tell you how they like it and that's that. But ask them about the cruise and these people will talk forever.”
The cruise is bound by people's love of the blues. The San Diego trip included people from Norway, the Netherlands, Italy, Great Britain, France and Australia as well as the United States.
The relaxed atmosphere aboard the Zaandam was evident early on. The Lowrider Band (former members of the band War) was in the Mondriaan Show Lounge – the largest indoor venue on the ship – as singer Howard Scott walked the room, letting various women sing along with him on the band's song “Why Can't We Be Friends?”
His eyes widened when he heard the voice of San Diego singer Michele Lundeen, who was one of those near the front of the stage. Scott grabbed her hand and led her to the stage to sing with the band.
“I was really surprised when he got me on stage,” said Lundeen, who was on the ship as a passenger and had never met Scott. “But after spending years on stage, it seemed totally natural. I was honored to be able to sing with them.”
Several days later, Scott planted Lundeen in the audience to reprise what had been a totally spontaneous event at the start of the cruise. He has even talked to Lundeen about recording with her.
Unlike other cruises where the destination is part of the attraction, blues cruisers seem perfectly fine at sea.
“I wouldn't care if we ever went into a port,” Kaley Mish said. “We've got the music we love right on ship.”
M.C. Burnett, a vocational counselor for the Veterans Administration in Louisville, Ky., was on her second blues cruise. She had no qualms about going as a single woman.
“One thing is that it did spoil me for concerts,” she said. “Here, you can get up close to every artist, mingle with them during the week and even have dinner with them. That doesn't happen in real life.” |
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