Jazzed about jazz cruise - Travelers' Intercom

Listening to great jazz at night while cruising the Caribbean, and stopping at tropical ports during the day: that sounded like heaven to us, and it's why we couldn't resist signing up for the "Jazz Cruise 2002" last November.

It all was put together by Anita Berry, owner of Travel Line Agency in St. Louis, who chartered Holland America Line's MS Maasdam. This was her second jazz cruise, her first venture in 2001 having sold out. With her previous success, Anita decided to schedule two back-to-back cruises in 2002. Fans could sign up for one or two weeks.

Her decision to go into the charter business came after years of putting customers on jazz cruises, such as those put on by Norwegian Cruise Line. Often she heard passengers complain that not everyone on board came for the music, which sometimes created conflicts. Berry figured she could do a better job by chartering a ship and signing up the musicians herself.

The ship sailed its regular Carribean itinerary with stops in Mexico (Cozumel), the Cayman Islands, Jamaica and the Bahamas the first week and in the Bahamas (Nassau), St. Thomas and St. Maarten the second.

Jazz greats galore were on board, some 130 in all, waiting to entertain us, for 14 days. Acts ranged from the Count Basie Orchestra to veterans such as saxophonists Red Holloway and Houston Person with their groups. Younger performers included the likes of pianists Cyrus Chestnut, Bill Charlap and Taylor Eigsti as well as organist Joey De Francesco. Barbara Morrison, Marlena Shaw and Carrie Smith were among the singers represented.

On shore excursion days the music began at 7 p.m. and continued until at least 1 a.m, with jam sessions sometimes going until 3 a.m. On days at sea, jazz started in early afternoon. Concerts were held in three venues simultaneously. Believe me, we were like kids in a candy shop with all this music to select from.

Our big "problem" every day was who to see and when. Often we skipped Out of one show to see part of another. If we didn't get to hear a favorite group one night, we didn't fret; the group would be playing several times during the week. We were able to see our favorites several times.

Most rewarding was being able to sit next to the musicians, watching them acknowledge each other with a smile when a subtle cue was picked up. Audiences seldom get this close in clubs or concert halls.

Another great advantage of a cruise like this was the opportunity to talk to the musicians. In a sense, we all were on a vacation together.

I had a chance to talk with drummer and band leader Frankie Capp about the merits of Cuban cigars. I also had a memorable encounter with Jimmy Cobb, drummer with the legendary Miles Davis Sextet in the late '50s. I asked him about the recording session of the group's classic "All Blue" album, considered by many to be the greatest jazz album of all time.

My wife got a kick out of conversing with younger musicians, many of whom were there with their families.

Anita's three sons, Michael, Dick and Bob, help her out.

"Putting on the cruise is a lot of work," son Michael said, referring to the seemingly endless details of scheduling performers and getting them to the ship. "We have to rent five grand pianos and then get them on the ship. It's no small feat." Once on board, each piano had to be tuned at least once daily.

At the various ports, passengers had the option of touring an island on their own or signing. up for excursions. It was surprising how many just stayed on board; they had signed up for the music, not to shop or tour. We love to snorkel and had plenty of chances to do so.

In Cozumel we took a taxi to beautiful Chankanaab Lagoon Park and relaxed on the sand. Excursion possibilities that day included a visit to Mayan ruins in Tulum or a "Tropical Safari" in a 4-wheel-drive.

On Grand Cayman, after a stroll through the British colonial town of Georgetown, we snorkeled over a sunken cargo ship in the harbor.

In Ocho Rios, Jamaica, lots of folks took the famous climb up Dunn's River Falls. We had done that in a previous stay, so we opted to hire a local boatman to take. us out to a reef.

On the final day of our first week, nearly everybody got off ship at Half Moon Cay, a pristine atoll owned by Holland America. The weather was perfect in this idyllic tropical setting and we all enjoyed a barbecue on the white-sand beach.

We had two full days at sea the first week and three the second. When at sea, concerts were scheduled throughout the day, along with historical jazz films in the ship's theater and panel discussions with performers. On these days, it was also just nice to relax in a deck chair with a good book, occasionally looking up at the turquoise sea.

During our second week we stopped in Nassau and strolled around this picturesque Bahamian capital. The next day we sailed into St. Thomas just before lunch. Most guests were eager to disembark there and pick up on reportedly the best bargains in the Caribbean. We booked an exciting snorkel trip to a turtle habitat.

It was butterfly season in St. Maarten, our final stop, and swarms of the beautiful yellow creatures were everywhere. The island being half French and half Dutch, the multicultural atmosphere made for a variety of interesting side trips. As usual, we found a good beach where we swam and lounged with several musicians from the ship.

When our cruise was over, I thought about the many highlights during the two weeks: Cyrus Chestnut reaching the end of the keyboard and, in apparent frustration, looking up because he ran out of keys to hit in his ingenious rendition of "Take the 'A' Train"; pianists Bill Cunliffe and Bill Charlap bringing classical and jazz together with their versions of Bach and Rachmaninoff; hearing the full force of the Basie band as it played the Count's vintage arrangements, making them sound just as fresh as ever; seeing middle-aged jitterbuggers getting out on the floor at the urging of bandleader Frankie Capp; hearing an 18-year-old Taylor Eigsti with the Brubeck sons, Chris and Dan, paying tribute to father Dave with "Blue Rondo a la Turk," and seeing organist Joey De Francesco bringing the audience to its feet with a rousing rendition of the unofficial African American national anthem, "Lift Your Voices."

On our cruise, we paid $1,690 per person per week for an outside cabin, not including airfare. We opted for both weeks. The cruises, Nov. 3-10 and Nov. 10-17, left from Fort Lauderdale.

"Jazz Cruise 2003," one week only, takes place Nov. 1-8 and costs from $1,350 per person for an inside cabin. Anita has chartered the MS Zaandam with a capacity of 1,440. Already signed to perform are pianist Kenny Barron and the Four Freshmen.

For information, call Travel Line Agency at 800/762-6737 or check www.thejazzcruise.com.

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