The Island Smooth Jazz

Music Cruise Season 2011-2012

Rock 'n Roll theme cruises are coming to a cruise ship near you; 2011 and 2012.

Do you love music? If so, music theme cruises are one of the most immersive experiences possible. Passengers get easy access to the famous and talented headliners who sail, and they are generally relaxed enough to spend time with you. This makes for the kind of special memories that last a lifetime.

Music theme cruises are far more successful than most people probably imagine. Take the "Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise" for example, aka the LRBC. This company is now preparing its 19th R&B voyage. Every year it organizes at least two theme cruises -- one on the east coast and the other on the west -- with each voyage featuring dozens of talented, professional blues musicians.

The same is true for the annual Smooth Jazz Cruise, just one of several jazz-based cruises offered every year. The Jazz Cruise company features full-ship charters of two one-week cruises booked back to back. These cruises are so popular that the 2012 Smooth Jazz Cruise is already 85 percent sold out, the 2012 (traditional) Jazz Cruise is 75% sold out, and a new theme cruise for 2012, Malt Shop Memories with pop artists of the '50s, is also nearly sold out.

The "music cruise season" tends to start in October and run through February of the following year. So it is now time to make plans.

Why don't you hear more about these cruises? Because they are so successful that they don't need to promote themselves. They sell out by word of mouth alone, with most bookings coming from people who return year after year. Surprisingly, many of the passengers are not necessarily regular cruisers -- they are music fans who have discovered the magic of musical immersion on a cruise, with no distractions from the outside world. Many of these people never take a non-theme cruise and don't even know what they are like.

Another major attraction of music theme cruises is that the sheer number of participating artists on each one is staggering. Most artists now consider these cruises to be vacations, rather than another "gig." So many of them use the opportunity to bring their family and to catch up with other artists for musical collaboration.

With the relaxed environment of a cruise ship, along with the sheer number of artists onboard, these cruises become more like musical summit meetings where extraordinary things happen. They are events, not just concerts on cruise ships.

Midwest Smooth Jazz Society » Blog Archive » the Bishops at the OZONE

The Bishops

Midwest Smooth Jazz is proud to present this Thursday,June 23rd at 6:30pm,the Bishops at the Ozone,in Omaha,for another Smooth Jazz Thursday.

Hailing from Omaha,Nebraska,the Bishops are a seven piece band that brings a highly energetic and danceable groove to shows all over the Midwest. With a solid horn section,this Island-influenced band packs a powerful sonic punch that keeps toes tapping and hips shakin’all night long. Your ears will be treated to the hypnotic rhythms of rocksteady,ska,and early reggae;featuring jazzy horn solos,soulful vocals,and blues-tinged guitar riffs. The Bishops have a large repertoire of originals,early Jamaican covers,and modern tunes with a reggae feel. At one of their shows you can expect to see a diverse cross-section of people getting down to the vintage island sound:young and old,punks and hippies,and music lovers from all walks of life.

The Bishops seek to share their love of the rhythms of the Caribbean with people who are already fans of that music and those yet to discover it. Since they’re a bunch of guys from Nebraska,it may seem funny to someone unfamiliar with the band that these musicians would be inspired by music that originated in Jamaica before they were born. However,their belief that the love of music has no borders goes hand in hand with their musical interests and their conviction that music transcends skin color,culture,age,and era.

This was particularly notable during the summer of 2010 when the Bishops found themselves welcomed with open arms by the people of Minsk,Belarus. As part of a state-sponsored exchange,the Bishops traveled to Minsk and shared the stage with fellow musicians from that area. They found themselves surprised by the outpouring of affection of the ska fans there that had not previously been treated to any live music of that genre by a band from outside of their country.

The band has been together for a total of more than seven years. They reunited in 2008 after an almost ten year hiatus. The Bishops have been honored to share the stage numerous times with one of their principle influences,Jamaica’s legendary Skatalites,as well as notable artists in reggae and ska such as Pato Banton,The Toasters,The Scofflaws and Lets Go Bowling. They have performed at dozens of venues in many Midwestern cities,racking up thousands of miles driving to multiple destinations including Kansas City,Des Moines,Minneapolis,Oklahoma City and St. Louis.

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