"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 outdoor stage on the stern of Holland America's
Zaandam gave fans an up-close view of an afternoon
blues show. (photo:Jan Schneider) |
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.
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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