An unexpected treat on the ship: the North Carolina State Jazz Band was along for the ride, part of a bigger European tour. I don’t necessarily think of NC State as a big music school, but good on ‘em.

(A cruise ship aside, having nothing specifically to do with the band: the ship’s announcer / emcee was part of the multi-talented Cuban troupe. Part of his shtick was to do a lot of his announcing rapid-fire in many languages. It was pretty clear that he spoke some of those languages better than others, and also that he was often just saying syllables he’d memorized. We heard about this band from him in multiple announcements over a couple of days, and he never said the words North Carolina. It was always “the Ennsehstay jazz band” I found that irritating every single time.)

A few of the band members did a gig in the small lounge the night before this big concert, and it was disappointing… more like a rehearsal / jam session.

The real concert was much more audience-friendly… a blend of recognizable music mixed in with some pieces / composers I didn’t know. I’m still not really a diehard jazz lover… there’s a whole lot of it that’s too much for me. But a show like this can be really fun, and especially now that I’ve played a bit and can put more of the songs in context.