May/June 2005 Issue 274 Free 30th Anniversary Year www.jazz-blues.com The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise REVIEWED A Full Week on the High Seas with Taj Mahal, Dr. John, Shemekia Copeland, Little Charlie & The Nightcats, Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials, Derek Trucks Band, Susan Tedeschi, Chubby Carrier, Corey Harris, Kenny Neal, Anson Funderburgh, Bernard Allison, Tommy Castro & More...Plus Special Guests! May/June 2005 • Issue 274 Published by Martin Wahl Communications Editor & Founder Bill Wahl Layout & Design Bill Wahl Operations Jim Martin REVIEWED Pilar Martin Contributors By Bill Wahl Michael Braxton, Mark Cole, Chris Hovan, Nancy Ann Lee, David McPherson, Tim Murrett, Regular readers of Jazz & Blues thing that I am able to experience about Peanuts, Mark Smith, Duane Report are familiar with the fact that we once every six or seven years. I’m going Verh and Ron Weinstock. seldom print lengthy reviews of festivals. on the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise It is our policy to rather run previews of aboard a Holland America Line ship. Or Check out our new, updated web such events, such as last issue’s fea- at least I think I am...it’s all up to the page. Now you can search for CD ture on the Tri-C JazzFest. We feel that weather Reviews by artists, Titles, Record it is more important to give the space to Having spent a week in Puerto Rico Labels or JBR Writers. Twelve years events coming up so our readers can six years ago, I have been wanting to re- of reviews are up and we’ll be going attend them, rather than telling them turn to the Caribbean. But a cruise? That’s all the way back to 1974! what they missed, or even worse, tell- something I’ve never given much thought ing them what the already know because to. Two days at sea to spend a day on an Address all Correspondence to.... they were there. Occasionally we make island, only to have to quickly leave...sail Jazz & Blues Report an exception, and this is one of them. again...and spend a day at another...sail 19885 Detroit Road # 320 again...and on.... And then I had heard you Rocky River, Ohio 44116 The Legendary Rhythm & Blues cruised turned out to be an incredibly fun expe- have to take dress clothes along for din- Main Office ...... 216.651.0626 rience, and we want you to know about ner. Dress up for dinner? I usually dress Editor's Desk ... 440.331.1930 it as a possibility for your vacation plans up for weddings and funerals. Besides, the [email protected] for 2006 or another future year. After Caribbean is hot. Why should I make my- Web .................. www.jazz-blues.com this horribly long and snowy winter we self even hotter? And lug all that stuff on Copyright © 2005 Martin-Wahl Communications Inc. have just come out of (or have we come the plane...and onto the ship? out of it yet?) this cruise should sound But this just seemed like too much fun No portion of this publication may be like a marvelous idea! to miss...experiencing a cruise and a blues reproduced without written permission Those of you who are reading this festival at the same time. And no minor from the publisher. All rights Reserved. in our printed pulp issue might want festival either - this one would feature 16 Jazz Report was founded in Buffalo New to take note - this review is available top rate bands - including Dr. John, Taj York in March of 1974 and began in Cleve- for download in both e-book and print Mahal, Corey Harris, Shemekia Copeland, land in April of 1978. We are subsidized versions with lots of fine color pictures. Little Charlie & The Nightcats, Lil’ Ed & solely through advertisement and ask that The e-book version can be viewed on The Blues Imperials, Derek Trucks Band, you support our advertisers. your monitor with enough magnifica- Kenny Neal, Susan Tedeschi and many more. More you say? Yes...like Zac a W division of tion to make the type (which is larger artin-Wahl that this) easy to read. The print ver- Harmon, Rev. Billy C. Wirtz, Tommy c o m m u n i c a t i o n s Castro, The Phantom Blues Band (Taj’s sion can be printed out, or magnified backup band for many years) Anson to 300% on your monitor making the Funderburgh with Sam Myers, Bernard ON THE COVER pictures huge and still clear as a bell. Allison and Chubby Carrier. But those The web versions also have Ron were just the ones I knew about. Each of Weinstock’s review expanding on the these annual cruises (this was the fourth music alone. You can get whichever one, although it did have a predecessor pdf you want at www.jazz-blues.com. under the name Ultimate Rhythm & Blues That said - let’s go bluesin’! Cruise) has a number of secret guest art- ists. The cruisers (as we will call the 1,800 It is Friday, January 21 and it is fans aboard from now on) don’t find out Shemekia Copeland and Phillip Walker snowing like mad outside. Not unusual who these guests are until they get to their in a jam on the Legendary Rhythm & for Cleveland, Ohio I suppose...but what respective rooms and look at the actual Blues Cruise. Photo by Ron Weinstock is unusual is that I am going on a week- schedule. long vacation. Yes, a vacation – some- The ports of call looked pretty invit- PAGE TWO May/June 2005 • Issue 274 ing too. St. Maarten in the Dutch Upper cruise as one of the “secret” guests. He Antilles, Tortola in the British Virgin Is- and his wife Barb and I would become lands, and Turks & Caicos. That last port cruise buddies. I wasn’t even on the ship was new to me, but it is 39 miles south- yet and I was already meeting some in- east of the Bahamas, just north of The teresting people. Well we got to the ship Dominican Republic and northeast of at around 4. I was so late my cabin stew- Cuba. I had always wanted to go to St. ard thought I had missed the cruise for Thomas (I must have been inspired by sure. I told him so had I! the Sonny Rollins tune of the same At this point I had very little time to name) and had been about 50 miles from acclimate myself to the new surround- there on the Puerto Rico trip. This time I ings before it was time for dinner at 5:30. would go well south of it, so that will be Unlike most cruises, although you are for another time. It is Cleveland...cold and assigned a time (either 5:30 or 8) on the snowy...downright depressing in first night, from then on you can go to fact....and I was going to the Caribbean either seating. You can also sit with who- on a floating blues festival! ever you want wherever you want. You But hold on here...we need to get can also wear whatever you want. That’s back to the snow in Cleveland. The right - no dressing up - ever! I had al- Weather Channel kept saying the horrible ready found that out and happily left the snow storm that was blanketing Chicago suit and ties at home with the snow, the was headed towards Cleveland! All I weddings and the funerals. I met up with could think of was the Blizzard of ’77 Doyle and Barb and after one look at the when I lived in Buffalo! Could this really menu I decided to toss out my diet for be happening? It was already snowing the week. Five course dinners...what a out there, and they were predicting we’d treat! As we sat down to eat the ship Taj Mahal is on the cruise every year. be getting somewhere in the neighbor- began to move. The party had begun. hood of 14" in the next 12 hours. Our web The music had already started with Photo by Ron Weinstock readers in Phoenix or Buenos Aires or Little Charlie kicking things off at 4:30 You can at least see a full performance other such places might think little of it. on the Pool Deck Stage. As we ate, Lil’ or two, or three from each band and still But believe me - 14" of snow is a heavy Ed’s outfit was playing in the largest manage to eat and sleep. But after the duty situation...even if you aren’t plan- venue, the Vista Lounge, nestled in 3 second day I tossed out that game plan ning to go anywhere! stories in the bow of the ship. Also at 4:30 and just winged it. That worked just fine. A couple of glasses of red wine was the Pro-Am Jam in the Crow’s Nest Waking early on Day 2 we were out would be needed to get me to sleep. In bar. I had heard that walking completely at sea and it finally dawned on me where the morning everything was white out- around Deck of the 951-foot-long ship 3 I was. Yes, I was no longer in snowy side, but my ride got me to the airport in three times was a full mile. I figured Cleveland, but rather on the m/s. time for the 9:30 a.m. flight - if, in fact, throwing the diet out would warrant that Zuiderdam somewhere east of Cuba.