As Jam Cruise 15 disembarked, and spirited cruisers spilled out all over the continental USA with the usual plethora of stories and glories, one tale really got to us. This is a story of a gen-pop Jam Cruiser who jammed with George Porter Jr. We’re talkin’ one on one, to shut down the Jam Room late one morning!

This is a frank, open and honest conversation, a chat with a gentleman who is both teacher and student; a cat who is at once lucky, and grateful. This is a look into the lucid-dream turned rager-reality of one Chris Sgammato, an upcoming artist, and longtime Jam Cruiser. This a phenomenal player that quite literally personifies inspiration, and is a beacon of hope for aspiring musicians and Jam Cruisers alike. Instead of spoiling the story in my introduction, we’ll leave it to Chris’s own wonderful words to weave this touching narrative.

Our own B. Getz caught up with him a few days after the boat pulled into port in Miami. Enjoy…

L4LM: Chris, since people have gotten home from Jam Cruise 15, I have heard a lot about your sit-in with a certain legendary bassist late one night in the Jam Room. Please fill in our readers as to what the buzz is about with you and George Porter Jr.?

Chris Sgammato: I owe almost all of my Jam Cruise Jam Room performances to Mr. George Porter, as he was the first Jam Room host to actually invite me up to play 4 cruises ago. I had been meaning to thank him for years, but I suffer from something I call the Gravity of Gratitude, where the anxiety over my perceived inability to adequately express the depth of my gratitude causes me to procrastinate that expression to the point of never actually achieving it. For some reason, I woke up on Day 3 of this Jam Cruise determined to overcome that deficiency, and I did. I sat down over my morning (afternoon, whatever) coffee and hand-wrote him a personal “Thank You” letter.

Later in the night (morning, whatever), that wise old owl was laying down some serious knowledge on the subject of groove, and I happened to be next to him hammering out horn lines in a section led by Benny Bloom [of Lettuce]. The set ended, so I left the stage with the band beyond stoked that I had once again managed to hold my own with the headlining heroes. Much to my surprise, he called us back up onstage – or so I thought. He’d actually called just me back up. Mind you, he still didn’t know I’d written him that letter.

[Video courtesy of Loren Wilson]

Now, if the English language contained words sufficient to describe how I felt in that moment, I would use them. But it doesn’t, so I can’t. If I were to foolishly attempt such a description, it might include a mix of words like confusion, joy, awe, terror, and some word that will probably be invented on an upcoming Jam Cruise.

L4LM: Let’s get the people up to speed with who you are and what you are about, Chris.

CS: I’m a full-time private music teacher with 60+ individual lessons weekly. I’m also the lead vocalist / multi-instrumentalist of Displace. We’re a four-piece funk fusion ensemble based out of Tampa, Florida. Funny story: all of the members of my band actually jammed in the Jam Room this year. So Displace has sort of already played Jam Cruise – just not all at the same time, or on any scheduled sets, or anything remotely legitimate. So, alright, we didn’t even come close, because artist pass lanyards are kind of a thing. But we’d love to someday.

L4LM: I understand that this is not your first time jamming ON STAGE on Jam Cruise. Or even your second. Sounds like this is a bit of a tradition. How did this all begin? And what’s it like to just get up there with your heroes and the heavyweights of this whole scene? Sounds like a dream come true, over and over!

CS: A few years ago, my dear and quite possibly insane friend Jess Majeski told me about a music festival on a boat. She said I had to get on it, because she saw how I bust my ass at everything I do and she knew I would do cool things if I ever made it onboard. This sounded great and all, but I, being a musician with zero financial responsibility, laughed at her when she told me the ticket price. Of course Jess got the last laugh, because she bought me a ticket, effectively “miracle”ing me on the boat. Told you she was insane.

I drank reckless amounts of coffee, sat in the jam room the first night with my sax case clearly visible, and listened intently while waiting like an anxious puppy to be called on stage. Several hours went by, and eventually the jam ended. No dice. The next night I returned, this time with my saxophone out of its case. Despite several requests from audience members that I storm the stage to play, I sat waiting for an invite that never came. I’m not one to disrespect an artist’s performance space by invading it uninvited. I left that night and started to come to terms with the fact that I probably wouldn’t get to jam because I didn’t have a piece of plastic with 6 letters on it dangling from my neck.

The third night however, something amazing happened. A very awesome sound guy named Brandon had been watching me wait respectfully, and allowed me to come backstage to the artist area. George Porter Jr. was running the jam that night, and after a few songs he came offstage and said “go on, gitcha some!” I got some, and then I got some more, and then I kept coming back for more all night and almost every night of every jam cruise since. The only things that ever stopped me from playing were respect for other jammers, and a really strict stage manager who kicked me out after I played with Mr. Porter.

L4LM: Wow. That’s absolutely mind-blowing to hear. What a ridiculous story! I bet you have some classics through the years, once the proverbial ice was broken. Take us through your personal history of Jam Cruise jamming highlights!

CS: Nothing will ever top that first jam with George Porter Jr. I couldn’t stop smiling, because I’d waited so long for just one chance to play, and I knew that once I stopped the stage manager would catch me without an artist pass and I’d never play the Jam Room again. I played like it was my last time, because I was convinced it would be. That was incredible.

Another memorable Jam Room moment came that same year, when I was able to sneak past the stage manager to be invited back up by the artists who remembered me from the night before. I can’t remember who they were now, because I didn’t recognize any of their faces at the time, but I do remember one particular drum fill that was so good it literally left me confused. I didn’t know who or what or where I was; it was so good I immediately became terrified that my reality wasn’t even real. When I saw him outside I told him what his drum fill did to me, and he laughed, thanked me, and told me his name was Adam Deitch.

[Chris onstage with Roosevelt Collier, Nate Werth (Snarky Puppy)]

My second year on Jam Cruise the famous “Dr.” Roosevelt Collier had me up for some musical healing on the night he ran the jams. He taught me the chorus melody seconds before kicking off the song, and the thrill of that performance is something I still tell all of my students about.

One of my cooler performances came outside of the Jam Room when I was invited by Thievery Corporation‘s rhythm section “Hash” and Jeff Franca (aka Congo Sanchez) to participate in the Master Classes at Sea, and also later on Zach Deputy‘s reggae set. It was the first time I’d played on an artist’s scheduled set instead of just the Jam Room.

It would be absolutely cruel if I failed to mention the crucial role that Nathan Moore, The Spot, and everyone who plays there has had on my Jam Cruise experiences. I have probably spent about as much time playing clarinet and sax with them as I have anywhere else, and there is something so comforting about those homely porch vibe jams. If you’ve never been around for the universal song ending, you need to spend more time there. I also had a great time this year sitting in with The Hip Abduction on sax, as well as MOORE’s full set on keys!

[Chris on clarinet with Nathan Moore, friends at The Spot, Jam Cruise 15. Photo- On the DL]

L4LM: Which brings me to the post-Jam Room tradition, your patented sunrise sax serenade, to the greet the new day.



CS: After the Jam Room closes down, nobody or their mother is ready to go to sleep yet! I’ll usually go finish out my night at The Spot before heading up to the top deck to greet the sun with a Sunrise Sax Salute. Then I get a BBC nightcap over some triangle hashbrowns and briefly consider sleeping.



L4LM: I’ve seen you do this when I was onboard! I just didn’t know who you were (yet). And it didn’t matter either. Beautiful.

[Video courtesy of Rose Velasco]

L4LM: What, or who, inspires you? Musically, or otherwise, who puts the proverbial “battery in your back”?

My favorite kind of artist is the one who gains awe-inspiring chops but never loses an approachable personality. You can be the most insanely talented musician on the planet, but if you’ve let a big ego ruin your character then all of the tasteful licks and endless groove in all the world can’t convince me to respect you.

That’s why I’m such a huge Stanley Jordan fan. I watched him rip a hole in the space-time continuum in the jazz lounge, and hours later he was refusing my guitar because he said he wanted to sit and listen to my fingerstyle playing. George Porter Jr. is amazing as well; the man is a living legend, yet has enough respect for the art of music to jam with no-name musicians the same way he does everyone else. In fact, the collab set featuring Stanley Jordan, George Porter Jr., Adam Deitch, John Popper, and DJ Logic is my all-time favorite Jam Cruise set. I don’t think anything on Jam Cruise could top that, unless they booked that lineup again.

[Photo: Funk It Blog]

L4LM: Man, you’ve got a lot of balls, and even more perspective. And clearly so much gratitude. This was a story I am honored to have a part in telling, despite the fact I was not on the boat this year, I have certainly seen/heard you rip it up on sails past.

Any parting words or motivations for the aspiring artists/players shedding in their bedrooms right now as we speak? How can they live out their Jam Cruise dreams?

CS: First – get on the boat. If the ticket price looks high on first glance, you probably just need to make some lifestyle adjustments. I paid for my Jam Cruise ticket simply by not going out to eat a few times a month.

This is just general life advice – don’t ever assume an invite. The greatest form of disrespect one can inflict on any artist is to invade their personal stage space uninvited.

Stand there, wait patiently but LISTEN intently. If, instead of listening, you’re just waiting for your turn to speak, then go back to your cabin. You’re not in the right place.

Just like having a condom in your back pocket, do not come expecting, but come prepared. Have your instrument ready, but never be expecting to play. Nobody owes you anything, so appreciate everything they give you – even if it’s just their musical wisdom, because this is invaluable coming from Jam Cruise artists!

Finally, never be discouraged or disgruntled when staff tell you to stop. They’re just doing their job, which is ultimately in everyone’s best interests. I’ve been kicked out of the artist’s area in the Jam Room, I’ve been kicked off pianos throughout the boat, and I’ve been told to stop playing sax at sunrise. I always respectfully comply.

The goal in music should always be to *add without subtracting*. If you can’t do that, then instead of adding your sound you should subtract it, and add your attentive ears instead!

Some day I hope to have an artist pass, so I can add my sound without the fear of being subtracted simply because I don’t have a piece of plastic with 6 letters on it. Until that day comes, I’m happy to continue listening and learning to the legends of Jam Cruise!

L4LM: Lastly, what’s up with Displace right now, and how can people hear you guys?

We’re working on our third studio album and planning a national tour. You can listen to our two studio albums on Spotify and iTunes, plus we have about 30 live show recordings on our BandCamp. I think L4LM actually wrote about us once or twice too.

L4LM: Indeed we did! And you’re right. Twice! Thanks for your time Chris, and for telling your inspirational story!

Find more about Displace here, as well as Chris’s personal music page here!

As told to B.Getz

[Cover photo via Jennifer Baumann]