Jambands Find An Audience At Sea

F O R T  L A U D E R D A L E, Fla., Jan. 23 -- A floating Woodstock? Mardi Gras atsea? Those aren't the typical descriptions of vacations on a cruiseship, but many passengers on two charter sailings featuring live,improv-heavy music said that's how it was.

"It was the real Love Boat. It was a lovefest," said SteveBate, a long-haired real estate agent from Wellington, Fla., aftergetting off the ship.

The Jam Cruises brought together more than a dozen so-calledjambands and disc jockeys ranging from Les Claypool of Primus tothe New Orleans-flavored Rebirth Brass Band. Most are known fortheir free-form, improvisational jams, which brought out about2,000 passengers who are usually more comfortable in Birkenstocksthan in cramped cabins.

The music helps lure people who normally think of cruises as astuffy luxury for the rich. Jessica Brooks had never been on onebefore and found the personal attention a little unusual.

"We came to dinner the first night. It's a formal dining room.They pull the chair out for you, they put the napkin on your lap,"said Brooks, 24, a graduate student from Fayetteville, Ark., whowent on a Jam Cruise. "We don't typically go to those kind ofrestaurants."

Ship-Swaying Jams

Two four-day cruises were chartered on an Imperial MajestyCruise Line ship. They left in early January, using Fort Lauderdaleas a home port and making stops in the Bahamas and Key West. Eachcruise had more than a dozen bands, with music including jazz,rock, electronic dance, funk and fusion. Concerts were held intheaters or poolside under the sun and DJs spun sets in a club.Many artists played together in impromptu jam sessions thatsometimes lasted until around dawn.

"We had a hell of a jam session.… Like 50 musicians on onestage, just going for it," said Philip Frazier, the Rebirth BrassBand's tuba player. Frazier, 37, said the swaying of the ship evenhelped people get into the groove and dance.