What to Expect on Your First Jazz Cruise
From boarding on the Riverwalk to the last chorus under the Lake Shore Drive bridge, here is how an evening with us unfolds.
A jazz cruise is a simple idea: a band, a boat and a couple of hours of city light. If you have never joined us before, here is the shape of the evening so you can relax from the moment you step aboard.
Boarding and the first set
Boarding opens thirty minutes before departure at our dock on the Riverwalk. The band is usually already warming up, so the first tune you hear is often a loose blues while the lines are cast off. Grab a drink, find a seat near the rail and settle in. Seating is open, and the best spot changes with the light.
The first set is built for the river: mid-tempo standards, a ballad or two, and plenty of space for the musicians to play around the sound of the bridges passing overhead.
Out onto the lake
About forty minutes in, we pass through the lock and out onto Lake Michigan. The band takes a short break here on purpose. The skyline opening up behind the boat is the real headliner for a few minutes, and nobody on board wants to compete with it.
The second set is livelier. Expect swing, a little bossa nova and whatever the bandleader feels the crowd needs. Requests are welcome; the musicians love a good one.
What to bring
A light layer, even in July. The lake breeze is a few degrees cooler than the city. Phones are fine, flash is not. Most of all, bring someone who will enjoy sitting still with you for two hours while the city does something beautiful.
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