Since the 1960s, generations of fans have adopted outdoor festivals as the
ideal place to
experience live musical performances. But in recent years, the best American
music
festivals have moved onboard specially chartered cruise ships sailing from the
U.S. to the
Caribbean, Mexico, and elsewhere. One of the first and most successful of these,
Roger
Naber's Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, is now considered the true
“Woodstock of the
Waves,” offering, as it does, the finest in traditional and contemporary music
along with
the same sense of “peace, love and community spirit” most often associated
with late
‘60s rock festivals. At the same time, these “Blues Cruises” are a welcome
contemporary
refuge for artists who once performed in juke joints and Chitlin’ Circuit
clubs throughout
the South, most of which have now disappeared. In January of 2007, Legendary's
“Blues
Cruise” to the Caribbean featured more than 70 performances (Taj Mahal, The
Fabulous
Thunderbirds, Otis Clay, Buckwheat Zydeco, Tommy Castro, Tab Benoit, Deanna
Bogart, Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials, Commander Cody Band) and 14 special
guests (Bobby Rush, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Earl Thomas). It also featured daylong
stops on the gorgeous islands of St. John, St. Barth's, and Grand Turk, two of
which hosted additional concerts, and one a unique “blues wedding” on the
beach. Director Robert Mugge captured that cruise for his film DEEP SEA BLUES,
presented here on Blu-ray for the first time. Also included as a bonus is the
film ALL JAMS ON DECK which was produced by Mugge and Diana Zelman on Roger
Naber's October 2010 Blues Cruise to the Mexican Riviera, featuring music by
Elvin Bishop, Marcia Ball, Tommy Castro, Johnny & Edgar Winter, Kim Wilson,
Lee Oskar, Commander Cody, Coco Montoya, Lowrider Band, Larry McCray, Rick
Estrin, Jimmy Thackery, Sista Monica Parker, John Nemeth, Steve Berlin, Vasti
Jackson, Leon Blue, Rev. Billy C. Wirtz, Eden Brent, Mike Schermer, and Kelley
Hunt. Smooth sailing, indeed!
Writer-director-producer Robert Mugge reasserts his status as a music
documentary pioneer with the spectacular 2007 effort DEEP SEA BLUES… Mugge
wisely uses the event as a springboard to wider concerns… He shows…a
veritable cornucopia – a multicolored carnival of life that efficiently
communicates the sheer pleasure of spending seven
days on board the ship. In the film's most affecting segments – and there
are many – Mugge lingers on specific performers for extended periods and lets
the emotion of the tracks build to an overwhelming level. In the final analysis,
all of these elements blend together
into a fluid and electrifying tapestry – not simply an homage to the cruise
itself on Mugge's part, but an intimate understanding of everything it
represents for players and fans, and a masterful ability to communicate that to
an audience.
—Nathan Southern , The All Movie Blog
