Smooth Sailing for WTJRC 2018!

Smooth Sailing for WTJRC 2018 report by Noah Schaffer for Reggae Reflection. Marley Brothers cover photo by Mochilla Group. Other photos by Evan Wollenberg unless otherwise noted.

After a few literally rocky years, the 5th edition of the Welcome to Jamrock Cruise saw markedly better weather as well as improved food, organization and an expansion of both the lineup and non-concert activities. They all added up to an impressive enough outing that the December 2019 cruise is now sold out — a feat no doubt powered in part by those hoping that the recently freed Buju Banton will join the ranks of visa-less reggae stars who perform while the ship is in Jamaica. (To date no 2019 acts have been announced.)

With the move out of hurricane season the seas were calm enough to allow the show to happen outside every night, which kept attendees from being shut out of the too-small theater which had served as the rain location the prior two years. The first night started off with a strong set from Jah9 and her band offering outspoken tracks like “Mr. Preacher Man” and “Humble Mi.” “Feel Good”, an ode to taking care of one’s body, was given a ska bounce. The next day Jah9 turned those lyrics into action as she led a well-attended beginners yoga session while her band played meditative live dub.

Third World is on the eve of releasing a new LP on cruise host Damian Marley’s Ghetto Youths International imprint. Their set included the lilting first single, “Loving You Is Easy,” where lead singer AJ Brown proclaims he feels “like a winner on my own game show.” The eclectic set also saw Brown singing opera while Cat Coore played Bob Marley melodies on the cello.

A keyboard snafu resulted in a 90-minute band change before Jr. Gong himself hit the stage with his band that include Coore’s son Shiah, but of course just about the entire ship stayed around as Gong Zilla delivered a lengthy set touching on both his own tracks and his father’s “War” and “No More Trouble.” After his performance Jr. Gong stayed around to take a photo with anyone who wanted one — not that it was hard to find him most nights as he partied at the mid-ship “street dance” late into the night.

Reggae’s Golden Era celebrated

On my other Jamrock cruise, two years ago, sea days would include relatively brief afternoon performances — for instance, a soca act playing to tracks. This year both sea days saw extended segments grouping together artists from two of reggae’s golden eras. The Sunday afternoon show looked at reggae’s origins and started with the band that started it all, the Skatalites. Legendary Jamaican musicians Sparrow Thompson, Val Douglas and Vin Gordon all were featured in an opening hour of instrumentals including “Confucious,” “Two for One,” “Phoenix City” and “Rockford Rock.” (Original vocalist Doreen Shaffer usually still tours with the group but wasn’t on this show.) The Skatalites then backed three of Jamaica’s most revered veterans: Horace Andy, Ken Boothe and Leroy Sibbles, with the elders all performing well despite being in on an uncovered stage on a hot sunny day. Andy shined with “Fever” and “Skylarking” while Boothe’s unrivaled voice rang on “Freedom Street” and “Everything I Own.” Sibbles rekindled Heptones classics like “Sea of Love” and “Book of Rules” and borrowed Douglas’ bass to show the line he created on “Satta Massagana” before the epic revue, which ran nearly three hours, finished with his take on Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released.”

Another nice sea day addition was a series of lectures held inside the ship’s theater (which also served as a movie house showing the likes of “Third World Cop” and “Dancehall Queen”). Sunday’s lecture was by longtime Bob Marley associate Neville Garrick. He started by sharing his remembrances of fellow Wailers Bunny and Peter, and even showed some never released photos of Tosh after he’d been roughed up by police.

Tarrus Riley headlines annual White Night

Sunday night was the annual “White Night,” which as always was headlined by Tarrus Riley. Earlier in the evening Agent Sasco showed his versatility but Konshens was hampered by a monotonous backing band and material. Riley scored with his new single “Guess Who.” His finale of “She’s Royal” and “Gimme Likkle One Drop” saw an all-star, white-clad choir including Jr. Gong, Queen Ifrica and Kabaka Pyramid all joining on stage to sing along.

Monday morning the ship was in Ochi. While many cruisers hit the beach or other typical tourist attractions, a large contingency set out to Kingston to tour the Tuff Gong Studios and Trenchtown Cuture Yard.

Once they were back on board they were treated to a night of music that was kicked off by Jesse Royal and his dubwise band. Royal’s “people power” music included a nice inclusion of “Pillow,” his track with Notis and Kumar Bent whose origins lie in the 1950’s country music classic “Send Me The Pillow You Dream On.”

Marley Brothers celebrate together

While there have always been a few of Damian’s brothers on board, the 5th anniversary saw for the first time a five-way performance with Stephen, Julian, Ziggy and Ky-Mani. Backed by an incredible 13-piece band with horns and singers, the five took turns voicing Bob’s anthems along with occasional solo tracks like Ky-Mani’s “Love Over All” and Ziggy’s “Rebellion Rises” (which a few days after the cruise picked up a Grammy nomination). They ended with a rousing “Could You Be Loved?”

The rest of the night belonged to two stars who haven’t been able to tour the US. Jah Cure dedicated “Unconditional Love” to his wife Kamila McDonald, who was on board leading a series of aerobics classes. Bounty Killer finished with a lengthy performance touching on his early hits and critiques everything from men who wear tight pants to governments that fail to help the poor.

Rub-a-Dub Style in session

That night, as the ship made the very short trip from Ochi to Falmouth, King Jammy presented a memorable rub-a-dub session in the venue normally used as the ship’s skating rink — quite apropos for those who’ve watched 80’s dancehall videos filmed at roller rink venues like Skateland in Half Way Tree or Empire Rink in Brooklyn. Around 4 a.m. a whole heap of veteran artists starting passing the microphone around, including familiar rub-a-dub faces Johnny Osbourne, the ever-flamboyant Pinchers and Admiral Bailey, as well as Bunny General and singer Pad Anthony, two excellent artists rarely seen on American stages. At 6 a.m. I thought the session had concluded so I went back to the top deck and enjoyed the traditional Nyabinghi drumming and chanting as the ship sailed into Falmouth at sunrise. It was a truly spiritual experience I wouldn’t have traded for anything — even if it means I missed seeing Jr. Gong, Cham and Kabaka Pyramid playfully bumrush the Jammy’s dance.

Dancehall Night WTJRC 2018

A minor mechanical issue meant that the ship stayed in Falmouth a few hours later than expected. As the ship finally departed for Florida it was time for dancehall night, which ended up being by far the most prompt of the whole week. With Ruff Kutt Band handling all of the musical duties the artist turnovers went by quickly.

Shenseea kicked things off with a relatively brief set that would have pleased anyone who wants to see more females represented in the dancehall arena. She dedicated “Love I Got For U” to her fellow females, offered a remix of Bob Marley’s “Is This Love?” and invited some audience members on stage to show off their dance moves.

Dexter Daps and Aidonia both pleased their fans with Aidonia stringing off a number of 90’s covers before promoting what will actually be the first full-length album of his decade-long career due out next year.

Elephant Man was slated to close the show, but with the sudden death of his mother he needed to cancel. His replacement, Mr. Vegas, was more than up to the task with a high-energy show that found him jumping into the crowd and leading the crowd in some soca moves.

Soundclash at Sea!

There were two big changes to the cruise’s annual Soundclash at Sea: It was moved from the rink to the main stage, and eternal victor Mighty Crown was retired so someone else could have a chance at winning. (Crown were still on the cruise juggling a late-night 90’s party.) The entire five-sound clash was a joy for anyone who enjoys smart musical battles more than the boring, juvenile insults that have become too common in the clash scene. The finalists ended up being Tony Matterhorn and Italy’s Heavy Hammer. The audience gave the Hammer an early lead by Matterhorn won the night with a Ken Boothe dubplate.

The final day of the Jamrock cruise was stuffed with activities. A salute to 90’s dancehall included General Degree, Red Rat, Buccaneer and finished with Spragga Benz. By all accounts it was a good show but I missed it as I was in line for a meet and greet that ended up including most of those acts as well as Mykal Rose, Vegas and Mighty Crown. The non-musical highlight of the week was a presentation by Cindy Breakspeare, who gave a deep dive into her life as Miss World, Bob Marley’s lover and Junior Gong’s mother.

Stephen Marley’s son Jo Mersa Marley opened up the final stage show with “Three Little Birds” before offering a substantial amount of his own material. Junior Gong made a cameo with Jo Mersa and was back with Kabaka Pyramid on “Kontraband.” In between sets legendary sound man Jack Ruby showcased his dub plates along with live deejaying from Lord Sassafras.

Chronixx was somewhat subdued, his stationary presence and closed eyes a marked contrast with the many high-energy entertainers who’d been on the stage earlier in the week. That didn’t matter to his adoring fans, who especially came alive for the closer “Likes” (many ironically recording the song for their social media feeds).

A heavy wind had been making the stage area cold and uncomfortable. Combined with the late hour only a fraction of Chronixx’s audience were still present when Sly and Robbie took the stage at 2 a.m. Mykal Rose came bursting out with “Party in Session.” His intensity never flagged during a set that included Black Uhuru classics like “General Penitentiary,” “Abortion,” “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.” Junior Gong and Shiah Coore stood right behind Sly and Robbie as spellbound as the rest of those watching their rhythmic interplay.

With five nights of greats from all eras of reggae playing full sets with their own bands, as well as all the other activities on ship and land, it’s no wonder that the Jamrock cruise has become a bucket list item for many fans of Jamaican music. Although the 2019 cruise is full, those wanting to join are advised to both sign up on the waiting list and to check the multiple Welcome to Jamrock Facebook groups closer to the sailing, as inevitably some people will have to sell their cabins.