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Capital Jazz SuperCruise 2017 | Capital Jazz SuperCruise 2016 | Capital Jazz SuperCruise 2013 | One Love Gospel Cruise | Tom Joyner Fantastic Voyage Cruise

 

Sea Day #2

Just like our first sea day, our second sea day was filled with activities and daytime concerts. I went to the Q&A session of Spyro Gyra. I enjoyed listening to them talk about their early days and how they have managed to keep the group working for forty years.

While I was listening to the Spyro Gyra Q&A in the lobby, I noticed that people were already starting to line up for the 1 PM Gospel Show even though it was only 12:30 PM. Unlike the evening concerts, the artists who perform during the day normally only do one show instead of two. The line for the show seemed to be getting exponentially longer by the minute. As much as I hated to leave the Q&A, I decided I should probably call the cabin to tell Traci to come downstairs to get in line with me. Despite this, we were not able to find seats together when the doors were opened. In fact, I was not able to find a seat at all. I ended up standing along the back wall of the top balcony.

The show was a great mix of jazz and gospel. It started with jazz saxophonist Kirk Whalum who is also an ordained minister. During his set, he performed with other artists such as Jonathan Butler, Lalah Hathaway, bassist Gerald Veasley, and guitarist Chuck Loeb. And then, the gospel duo Mary Mary hit the stage for a high-energy performance. They tore it up!

Gospel Show

Kirk Whalum

 

Jonathan Butler

 

Lalah Hathaway

Mary Mary

Afterwards, Traci, a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, went to the Greek Mixer. I, on the other hand, made a visit to the Lido buffet for pizza and other delightful unhealthy eating. The Pool Deck was my next destination. The Old School Hip-hop Block Party was happening there. It featured performances by Chubb Rock, members of Whodini, and Big Daddy Kane. It was fun to rap along with some of our favorite jams from back in the day. The funny moment was Big Daddy Kane who complained about the pool party with no one in the pool. To get things started, he partially stripped down and got in the pool - still holding the cordless microphone. And yes, people followed him in there. All was good. It was a fun party.

Old School Hip-hop Block Party

Chubb Rock

 

Whodini

 

Big Daddy Kane

Big Daddy Kane

After dinner, Traci and I stayed entertained with a great evening concert lineup. We went to the 8 PM concert in the International Lounge. We managed to get seats at arm's length from the stage for this show. Not only was this a great way to see and hear the show but we also discovered that these seats were among the most comfortable temperature-wise in the freezing cold International Lounge. The featured vocalist was Goapele. Her name means “to move forward” in the South African language Setswana. Not many people we met had heard of her but I was familiar with some of her music because I saw at least one of her videos on the VH1 Soul channel and her song "Closer" was in rotation on the adult R&B stations for a while. Goapele has a great voice and great smile. I felt like she really meant what she was singing.

Lobster Night in the dining room

 

Goapele

 

The main stage concert in the Victoriana Lounge was a funk concert. Performing that night were Cameo and War. The show consisted of hit after hit from 9:15 to midnight. It was bangin'! There were plenty of funk faces and head bobs all over the arena.

Funk Concert

Cameo

 

War

 

Back in our cabin, I caught some of the midnight Get Down Club show on TV. It was being simulcast from the International Lounge. Trumpeter Joey Sommerville and members of Spyro Gyra were playing some awesome smooth jazz and fusion. I wish I could have stayed awake for the entire show or, better yet, gone downstairs to hear them live but it was not meant to be that night. Continue...

 

previous | Intro | Embarkation | Sea Day 1 | Sea Day 2 | Costa Rica | Panama | Sea Day 3 | Jamaica | Sea Day 4 | next

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Capital Jazz SuperCruise 2017 | Capital Jazz SuperCruise 2016 | Capital Jazz SuperCruise 2013 | One Love Gospel Cruise | Tom Joyner Fantastic Voyage Cruise

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