Jam Cruise 22, photo via Dave Vann

Jam Cruise 22 set sail from Miami Beach on Friday night, embarking on another weeklong celebration of music and community from the scene staple festival at sea. After filing into the MSC Divina and orienting themselves in the labyrinthine floating city, some 3,000 dedicated fans began their Caribbean voyage by dashing between stages in a promising first night of music.

As the sun set over the skyline and the ship untethered from port, Cimafunk stepped into the spotlight on the Pool Deck main stage for the event’s first performance. The Cuban electro-funk dynamo roared and flailed over horn blasts and breakbeats from the La Tribu nine-piece ensemble, conjuring James Brown comparisons with his magnetic showmanship.

When this first taste let out, many migrated to find The Wood Brothers at the more intimate Pantheon Theater. Given their vast and varied catalog, there was no knowing what the two-decade Americana forerunners would present, and fans were fortunate to find the answer was a bit of everything. Chris and Oliver Wood and Jano Rix embraced their frenetic side and moved the room to sing along to “Luckiest Man,” then managed to bring the space to silence as they encircled a single microphone for impactful treatments of “Pray God Listens” and “The Muse.” While setting up the sequence, Oliver Wood ceded, “We know this isn’t called bluegrass cruise.”

Parlor Greens’ performance in the Black & White Lounge was an undeniable highlight of the first night. The emergent trio recalled the warmth and grit of Stax-era R&B and the backbreaking backbeats of New Orleans’ early innovators through a mix of originals (plus a reinvented cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”) that spanned smooth, sweet soul and red-hot funk. The packed club room got hotter and hotter, and the band only dropped deeper into pummeling pockets, screaming riffs and revelatory organ testifying, loaded with subtle quotes for close listeners. Some of the many references slyly flying from Jimmy James’ guitar included “War Pigs,” “Whole Lotta Love,” “Purple Haze,” “Cissy Strust” and “Forgot About Dre.”

Back on the Pool Deck, The Disco Biscuits delivered more of the pioneering jamtronica that they unleashed at the official pre-party on Friday night, stitching their second-ever rendition of “Hymn” into their first show on the boat since Jam Cruise 5. Meanwhile, in the Pantheon, Leeds’ longtime scene staples The New Mastersounds emerged for their first set in the wake of their bittersweet final North American tour, marking the occasion with a litany of special guests like Skerik, who marched over just after doing the same with Parlor Greens.

Taper’s Choice’s “subversive jamband” stylings in the Black & White Lounge provided a welcome counterpoint to some of the brighter sounds ringing out around the boat. The supergroup of Darkside guitarist Dave Harrington, Real Estate bassist Alex Bleeker, Vampire Weekend drummer Chris Tomson and Arc Iris keyboardist Zach Tenorio ran the range of their influences, matching easygoing Jerry Garcia Band-style psychedelia with meticulous, even punishing prog passages, carefully working into dissonance while remaining rooted in compelling melodies. Over Tomson’s rigid intensity and Bleeker’s nimbly modulated runs, Harrington and Tenorio shared melodic duties, seamlessly trading between leading and atmospheric voices. After some deliberation, they passed the “Dave Test.”

BALTHVS appeared for their first set of the week on the roof deck’s Brews at Sea Stage, where the Bogotá, Colombia-based neo-psychedelic trio delivered their first performance with bassist Sarah Elaz of Bearly Dead and Bushwick’s Dead. With another jam stalwart in the group, alongside classic psychedelia devotee and guitarist Balthazar Aguirre and drummer Santiago Lizcano, their signature omnivorous blend of surf-rock, Turkish microtonal miracles, cumbia and more tipped heavily into headier territory, eliciting a ripping cover of Phish’s “First Tube.” While the party raged on until 5 a.m., Eggy punctuated the performances in the Pantheon with some blissful indie jam, built around a centerpiece of Heart’s “Barracuda” that featured a mean tempo switch in its final phase.

Jam Cruise 22 is just getting started. Stay tuned to Relix for daily recaps, and learn more about the event at jamcruise.com.