The JazzSea Cruise organizers arranged a very enjoyable 10-day cruise from Ft. Lauderdale, FL to the Bahamas, Turks & Caicos, Dominican Republic, Bonaire, Curacao and Aruba, from Jan. 8 to Jan. 18, 2016, aboard Holland America's MS Oosterdam.
My wife, Nida, and I enjoyed good food and good music along with a little sight-seeing.
Every day, I conducted the "Banjos Aweigh" band, consisting of 25 banjos and ukuleles as well as harmonicas, drums, tuba, clarinet, trombone, washboard, drums, piano, and extra singers. We enjoyed performing in various venues on the ship. We always rehearsed and jammed in the lower deck Hudson Room, but on two concerts, we performed by the pool on the Lido deck. The lighting and acoustics were not the best, but here is a short video of 4 songs taken next to the pool one evening: Just Because, Somebody Stole My Gal, After You've Gone, You're Nobody's Sweetheart Now.
Aside from my own feature concert, I had the opportunity for some "trad jazz" jamming with other JazzSea musicians, including Dick Williams, on two occasions. Here is a video of a 2-song medley: Avalon and Indiana:
Our next JazzSea cruise will be June 29 to July 5, 2016 for a trip to Alaska from Vancouver, BC, aboard the MS Volendam!
