A Piano Bar Artist

[rkacruiser]

A little help is need by my HAL friends on CC.  The identifying of memorable Piano Players has begun on another CC thread.

 

The most memorable one for me was a woman who performed on a Baltic Cruise and the following Viking Passage Cruise on the Eurodam.  I remember that she was a Canadian and that her first name may have been Janet.  Her husband was a Bass player with the musical group that played in the Ocean Bar.  On some evenings, after his sets were done, he would join her in the  Eurodam's Piano Bar.  The venue was packed.  The music was great.  The vibe was memorable.  (And, I am sure that the Stewards earned much money from their busy drink service to us patrons.)  

 

Who was she?  

[rkacruiser]

Several views to my post with no identification of the woman.

 

How about the name Diana Fast?  That name "suddenly" appeared in my memory this afternoon.  Yes?  No?  Who knows--your memory is lost "in time"? 

[Sir PMP]

3 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

Several views to my post with no identification of the woman.

 

How about the name Diana Fast?  That name "suddenly" appeared in my memory this afternoon.  Yes?  No?  Who knows--your memory is lost "in time"? 

Diane is from Alaska..

[Sir PMP]

23 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

A little help is need by my HAL friends on CC.  The identifying of memorable Piano Players has begun on another CC thread.

 

The most memorable one for me was a woman who performed on a Baltic Cruise and the following Viking Passage Cruise on the Eurodam.  I remember that she was a Canadian and that her first name may have been Janet.  Her husband was a Bass player with the musical group that played in the Ocean Bar.  On some evenings, after his sets were done, he would join her in the  Eurodam's Piano Bar.  The venue was packed.  The music was great.  The vibe was memorable.  (And, I am sure that the Stewards earned much money from their busy drink service to us patrons.)  

 

Who was she?  

Did she play in the Ocean bar too?

[rkacruiser]

Just now, Sir PMP said:

Diane is from Alaska..

 

So, I am remembering the correct person?  I thought she was Canadian, but...whatever.

[rkacruiser]

7 minutes ago, Sir PMP said:

Did she play in the Ocean bar too?

 

I do not recall that she did.  But, as I said in an earlier post, her husband did play Bass (the large string instrument) in that group and he did join her in the Piano Bar on some nights.  She may have joined the Ocean Bar group when I was not in attendance.  

[Sir PMP]

30 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

I do not recall that she did.  But, as I said in an earlier post, her husband did play Bass (the large string instrument) in that group and he did join her in the Piano Bar on some nights.  She may have joined the Ocean Bar group when I was not in attendance.  

Then I believe that's the group from Toronto, we had them one time on the Prinsendam on a crossing from Europe to Ft. Lauderdale, and it was called the Janet something trio or quartet, I used to get sometimes an update from them where they were playing, they did RCL a lot too. She can sing pretty good..

[rkacruiser]

27 minutes ago, Sir PMP said:

Then I believe that's the group from Toronto, we had them one time on the Prinsendam on a crossing from Europe to Ft. Lauderdale, and it was called the Janet something trio or quartet, I used to get sometimes an update from them where they were playing, they did RCL a lot too. She can sing pretty good..

 

Thanks for your reply.  I am going to do some more "digging" in the next few days.  I am becoming increasingly sure that the woman's first name was Diane.  I know she once had a web site because I accessed it.  She left cruising to continue her music education in British Columbia (if I remember correctly).  Now, how do I find that web site?  That's the next question.

 

This woman played well; she sang well; and she did it for the entire time of her "set".  There was never a break.  My traveling companion (a female) embarrassed me tremendously when she asked Diane:  "how can you not need to take a break and go to the restroom"? I don't recall her reply because I was still trying to find a "hole in the deck" to crawl into"!

[whogo]

Diane Fast called herself the piano broad on our 2018 Noordam cruise. She was my favorite, did not takes breaks because she knew she'd lose customers. Native of Washington, I think, living in Alaska and guiding tours there when not on ships. When was your cruise, rkacruiser? I think her significant other was not a bassist in 2018.

[RuthC]

Last night I wondered if you were remembering Diane Fast, but the reference to British Columbia threw me off. I don't know Diane that well, so can't say if she ever lived in BC; I know she was from Alaska, and also spent time in Seattle. 
Diane was married to a musician who played in the group in the Ocean Bar. 

Diane, with the new last name of Slagle, was on the 21-day Maasdam Alaska cruises last summer, with her current husband. They live in Ketchikan.
She was also on the first half of the World Cruise this year, getting off in the nick of time in Sydney. 

One of the things she does, which may be a clue to whether or not you are thinking of her, is to make up a song about the ports the ship is visiting. 
She also plays a game based on "American Pie'. When she gets to the part where "... the music would not play ...", the passengers have to call out a genré of music, and she plays a song in that genré. Does that sound familiar? 
 

[echoshipmate]

There was a woman piano player/singer named Annika Odegard on our 45 day Tales of the South Pacific on Amsterdam. She was dating the bass player. She had a marvelous voice, bluesy, Nora Jones like. Just a shot in the dark.

[rkacruiser]

22 hours ago, whogo said:

When was your cruise, rkacruiser?

 

Eurodam, 2013.  A Baltic Cruise followed by the Viking Passage cruise to New York.  

[rkacruiser]

22 hours ago, RuthC said:

Last night I wondered if you were remembering Diane Fast, but the reference to British Columbia threw me off. I don't know Diane that well, so can't say if she ever lived in BC; I know she was from Alaska, and also spent time in Seattle. 
Diane was married to a musician who played in the group in the Ocean Bar. 

Diane, with the new last name of Slagle, was on the 21-day Maasdam Alaska cruises last summer, with her current husband. They live in Ketchikan.
She was also on the first half of the World Cruise this year, getting off in the nick of time in Sydney. 

One of the things she does, which may be a clue to whether or not you are thinking of her, is to make up a song about the ports the ship is visiting. 
She also plays a game based on "American Pie'. When she gets to the part where "... the music would not play ...", the passengers have to call out a genré of music, and she plays a song in that genré. Does that sound familiar? 
 

 

Sorry for throwing your memory askew, but what I posted was what I remembered about her.  (And, my memory has proven to be quite faulty at times!).

 

I attended her first performance after the Eurodam sailed from Amsterdam.  Small crowd that allowed for interaction with her that led to a relationship that lasted throughout the cruise.  I'd walk in the lounge and when she saw me, there would be some type of recognition.  

 

Diane Fast provides a very special cruise memory for me.  

[rkacruiser]

What about Perry Grant?  He performed on HAL ships in the Piano Bar.  Left HAL to perform on Celebrity Cruises.  I encountered him once when I sailed on Celebrity Eclipse.  Nightly, he packed the large lounge above the Bridge and appeared to have his "groupies" among the guests.  

 

Remember the rotating colored light that he placed on his piano during each performance?  Remember his "admiration" for Judy Garland?  First saw it on the Volendam and such continued on Celebrity Eclipse.  

[RuthC]

2 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

What about Perry Grant?  He performed on HAL ships in the Piano Bar.  Left HAL to perform on Celebrity Cruises.  I encountered him once when I sailed on Celebrity Eclipse.  Nightly, he packed the large lounge above the Bridge and appeared to have his "groupies" among the guests.  

Last I knew he was still on Crystal Cruises, but it's been a while, and I won't swear to it still being the case. 

He didn't have those groupies for the longest time, but I did run into them one year, including their reserved tables in the lounge. One in particular stuck to him like a jealous lover! I couldn't even chat with him without her taking over the conversation. They moved with him when he left HAL. 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

2 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

What about Perry Grant?  He performed on HAL ships in the Piano Bar.  Left HAL to perform on Celebrity Cruises.  I encountered him once when I sailed on Celebrity Eclipse.  Nightly, he packed the large lounge above the Bridge and appeared to have his "groupies" among the guests.  

 

Remember the rotating colored light that he placed on his piano during each performance?  Remember his "admiration" for Judy Garland?  First saw it on the Volendam and such continued on Celebrity Eclipse.  

We first  encountered him on Volendam on the APEC cruise 2002.  In addition to the rotating light, he also had on of those lights that resembled lightning.  We got one at the Temple Street Night Market when we over nighted in Hong Kong, and we still have it.

 

I  remember he would assign  a  number to couples who were regular dancers.  Perry was on the Rotterdam the next year in what was the precursor of the VOV.  Couple number 44 from 2002 were also on that cruise. 

[rkacruiser]

19 hours ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

We first  encountered him on Volendam on the APEC cruise 2002.  In addition to the rotating light, he also had on of those lights that resembled lightning.  We got one at the Temple Street Night Market when we over nighted in Hong Kong, and we still have it.

 

I  remember he would assign  a  number to couples who were regular dancers.  Perry was on the Rotterdam the next year in what was the precursor of the VOV.  Couple number 44 from 2002 were also on that cruise. 

 

We were shipmates.

 

I do not recall the lights you mentioned that resembled lightning.  I do recall the dancers.  

 

I wonder if Couple 44 was one that I remember and sailed with again on a HAL cruise after 2002.  Both were excellent and, I would say, rather flamboyant dancers.  

 

 

21 hours ago, RuthC said:

They moved with him when he left HAL. 

 

The groupies whom I encountered on Celebrity Eclipse could be obnoxious.  A bartender in that Lounge told me that there were people who would book the cruise when they learned that Perry was going to be aboard.  

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, rkacruiser said:

 

We were shipmates.

 

I do not recall the lights you mentioned that resembled lightning.  I do recall the dancers.  

 

I wonder if Couple 44 was one that I remember and sailed with again on a HAL cruise after 2002.  Both were excellent and, I would say, rather flamboyant dancers.  

 

 

 

The groupies whom I encountered on Celebrity Eclipse could be obnoxious.  A bartender in that Lounge told me that there were people who would book the cruise when they learned that Perry was going to be aboard.  

Yes, Perry Grant does have a hard core group of fans (including my DW's ex husband's wife) who will follow him to just about any any cruise line be it RCI, Celebrity, Crystal or Princess.  DW and I are fine with Perry as long as we limit ourselves to no more then one set every 2 weeks :).   I cannot say we have found his groupies "obnoxious" although we do not understand why they go to his shows night after night when his show has not changed in over 25 years!   The next time we see Perry my question for him will be "who is doing your face, dear!"  We think Perry's two biggest secrets are his age and how many times he has visited the plastic surgeon :).    But there is no question that he his somewhat of an entertainer legend on the high seas.

 

Hank

[RuthC]

Meow. 

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

3 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

We were shipmates.

 

I do not recall the lights you mentioned that resembled lightning.  I do recall the dancers.  

 

I wonder if Couple 44 was one that I remember and sailed with again on a HAL cruise after 2002.  Both were excellent and, I would say, rather flamboyant dancers.  

 

 

 

The groupies whom I encountered on Celebrity Eclipse could be obnoxious.  A bartender in that Lounge told me that there were people who would book the cruise when they learned that Perry was going to be aboard.  

Instead of trying to describe the light, look up plasma globe lights on line.

 

Couple 44 were good dancers, but I don’t remember them being very flamboyant.  We haven’t seen them since the Rotterdam cruise in 2003.  It was on that cruise we learned Perry Grant was “jumping ship“ so to speak.

[rkacruiser]

21 hours ago, Quartzsite Cruiser said:

Instead of trying to describe the light, look up plasma globe lights on line.

 

Couple 44 were good dancers, but I don’t remember them being very flamboyant.  We haven’t seen them since the Rotterdam cruise in 2003.  It was on that cruise we learned Perry Grant was “jumping ship“ so to speak.

 

Yes, the plasma globe light was what I was remembering when he began his act.  Always was on the top of his piano as I recall.  

[Sir PMP]

[whogo]

On 8/26/2020 at 8:29 PM, RuthC said:

Diane, with the new last name of Slagle, was on the 21-day Maasdam Alaska cruises last summer, with her current husband. They live in Ketchikan.
She was also on the first half of the World Cruise this year, getting off in the nick of time in Sydney. 

One of the things she does, which may be a clue to whether or not you are thinking of her, is to make up a song about the ports the ship is visiting. 
She also plays a game based on "American Pie'. When she gets to the part where "... the music would not play ...", the passengers have to call out a genré of music, and she plays a song in that genré. Does that sound familiar? 

Mrs. Whogo reminded me that Diane became engaged during our September 2018 cruise. Nice to know her new last name, thanks, Ruth.

Diane also would compose a song about the cruise to present on the penultimate night of the cruise.

[Quartzsite Cruiser]

2 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Yes, the plasma globe light was what I was remembering when he began his act.  Always was on the top of his piano as I recall.  

About the halfway point or a little later in the cruise, DH ran into Perry in the elevator.  He was taking the lights back to his cabin.  He told DH he didn’t need them any more.

Edited August 31, 2020 by Quartzsite Cruiser

[sppunk]

Diane and her man (at that time) was Bob. She is remarried and living in Ketchikan and does a piano bar at a brewery there.