-What night of the week do you prefer for blues jam?
-Do you always play, or do you sometimes sit out?
-What is your main complaint about blues jams?
-Do you bring your own amp or use one that is there, or use the PA mic?
My band hosts a Sunday blues jam at Ziggies Saloon in Denver every two weeks. (The biggest and best in town!) I also enjoy hitting other jams in the area, maybe one per week.
I'm asking these questions because I want to make my jam even better, particularly for harp players. If you have any suggestions I'd love to hear them. And... If you get to Denver you BETTER get your butt to Ziggies on Sunday night. I'll get you up on stage with some good players and let you rip it up.
If I may interrupt this good natured bantering... I call myself a musical slut,because I'll play with anybody. I am not a musical whore-they get paid. In order: 1 or 2 times a week. I could play more,but don't want to wear out my welcome.
Caliber of the musicians. I'm lucky to have some good ones around here.
I almost always play. If there are a lot of non regular players,I'll sit out so they all have a chance to play.
Those damn guitar pissing contests! Also sometimes the band thinks you want to play that same song you did last week.I hate that rut. I like to mix it up.
I'm lazy. Almost always through the PA.
For about a 1 1/2 years, I played in a open stage host band. Wednesdays. You would get your regular players come in,but it was hard to get "new blood" to come in. I put the call out to harp players in my area,but didn't get many takers. I'd let them use my amp and mic if they wanted,just bring your harps.Not a whole lot of players around here,I'm at least of passing acquaintance with most of the really good ones and honored to call a couple of them friends.
If I'm ever in Denver,I'll be there!
Last Edited by on Apr 23, 2010 10:41 AM
The Host has a lot to do with it. In some jams a bunch of individuals show up - A good host matches the right folks to play with each other. And when whole bands show up he gets folks to "sit in " with them.
I'd prefer a weekend -so I don't have to get up early the next day...However I understand that is when bands make their money as well.
At first I just kind of checked things out....Now I always play... Some times, as the only harpist - several sets.
"Guitar Gods" LOL
There is always an amp at my usual jam - either a Blues Jr or A Crate 18 (which rips by the way). other wise I plug in wherever I can.
--------- Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art. - Charlie Parker
Last Edited by on Apr 23, 2010 1:39 PM
I've been going to jams about once or twice a week. My local bar has a bi-weekly open mic on Wednesday and a weekly acoustic open mic on Sunday. It is only a mile from my place so I usually just go there. There is a lot of talent here too, so it is always a good time.
At the full band jam I bring a 57 with a chord and impedance transformer and plug into a guitar amp. At the acoustic jam I use the PA.
On the off weeks I make an effort to hit an out of town jam. If the caliber of musicianship is intimidating then I just listen (I'm still a beginner), but I usually play.
Luckily there are infinite jams around NJ/NYC, so I haven't got bored with any yet. One thing that will keep me away is if the house band is really loud. I like my hearing, but I hate wearing earplugs.
at the moment about every other week, due to work schedules and weather. when the spring fury quits and we can jam outside on the local party deck, I plan to go once a week.
I like a jam that is run by a band that went to IBC this year. It keeps the quality high, until the weird minor jazz guys show up.
The two jams i like are on wednesday and Thursday.
I play until it feels right to leave, unless another harp player wants to step up... I always end on a high point, before I get tired.
pet peeve is excessive volume...from anybody, not just guitars.
I run my wireless rig into my digitech pedal, to my active Di to the PA and hide everything but the pedal under a bar stool that holds my harp case.
My biggest complaint is when the band that hosts the jam insists on playing an hour and a half set before letting anybody else come up to play. ---------- http://www.myspace.com/jeffscranton
I hear ya on that. Host bands that do that are usually also the least tolerant of musicians that aren't, how shall I say, "seasoned enough" for their liking.
One things that bugs me about blues jams is when the host band starts late. It seems to be common at blues jams... they are lollygagging around getting set up way past the posted start time. 20 minutes late is common. 30 or 40 minutes late is not unheard of. Drives me nuts. They are cutting into the jammers playing time.
At my jam we start right on time, and if there are jammers left when we are scheduled to quit we keep going. If there are lots of customers drinking in the bar bar we keep going.
We open with a 40-minute set and then call up jammers in the order they signed up.
I hit 2 a month wednesday thursday nights,thats when there on,but allso attend our Harp club twice a month to jam,
i have just got my Guitarist Bro to do 2 jams with me,we got to do 1 15min set,and 120min with great feedback and told to come back soon, he's hooked, and we are now scouting out local Sunday arvo Jams see whats about and we will be doing more jams,
-What draws you to one blues jam over another?
i like it both ways one night is Eletric Blues,with some of the finest electric Blues Bro's in the region
one night is Acoustic with the regions finest accoustic Players, but on both nights all a welcome and encouraged even if they do crash we don't Bash them Just help them out,
-What night of the week do you prefer for blues jam? I Don't care one night i travel 50 mins the other 45mins,
-Do you always play, or do you sometimes sit out?
only when there are New performers to listen to,but if the same Old Faces are there no Problems we all have a go to see what we been up to,
-What is your main complaint about blues jams?
For some strange reason if there is a guy in the crowd looking for a fight he picks me,
if there is a Ugely women in the crowd she wants a good time she picks me,
if there is a Gay guy in the crowd looking for a good time he picks me,
if some ones looking to score Drugs they come and ask me,
if a gay chick wants to get her partner Jelouse she Flirts with me,
if a married woman out trolling alone wants a good time she picks me, well i do like that part, but when she turns up to the next jam with her Hubby that pisses me off,
Oh and Tambourines they should be Banned from Jam nights,
-Do you bring your own amp or use one that is there, or
i use the PA,if i can't get out good tone via the PA, no use trying to amp up thats for acoustics,
but For Eletric Blues i use the House Amps:)
Last Edited by on Apr 24, 2010 7:10 AM
The best blues jams have a head honcho who rules with an iron rod. He makes sure everyone plays according to the rules. So if a set is three songs or 15 minutes, whichever comes first, then he applies that rule to all who sign up to play. No favors for local guitar legends and other assholes.
The best blues jams often also have strict rules about what gear you can haul on stage. For example, no amps over 20 watts, not more than two speakers, or similar. Rules designed to stop guitar assholes from killing everyone with sonic dynamite. No huge pedal boards. Tune up BEFORE you start to mount the stage, etc.
The best blues jams often have rules about songs you can't play: "Roadhouse Blues", "Mustang Sally", "Stormy Monday", "Redhouse", "The Sky is Crying", "Little Red Rooster". That stuff is usually guaranteed to totally stink up the joint.
The best blues hosts develop a solid appreciation of who will sit in best with other people. They won't put a cockrocking clown with some guy who digs West Coast jump blues. They encourage drummers who know how to play a double shuffle, and slowly freeze out those BOOM, tish, BOOM-BOOM, tish, BOOM tish, rock and roll asshats who think blues is easy.
The best blues hosts will also police stage jumpers. Enthusiasm is great but when some drunk knob-end jumps on stage to help with the vocals, he needs to be shown the door, BY THE HOST.
My usual Sunday nite jam has been shut down....The owner lost the lease. I miss it a lot. It has helped me gain so much confidence....after sitting out the music scene for 17 years. There are others that I now go to.....but they just don't seem as good.. Like a good hat you know ?? ---------- Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art. - Charlie Parker
No, Rick. I think it'd be a tough gig. But I have known one or two Masters of the Jam who have ticked all those boxes. You have to be a bastard, but still a good guy.
Of course I've been to many, many other jams that were poorly run...
EV, you sound kinda bitter about jams. The calamities you listed are quite rare, and when they do occur, ruling with an "iron rod" (?) can just make things worse. Jams are supposed to be fun.
We try to get compatible players up together, but that is not always possible. We always try to keep things moving. We insist on BLUES ONLY, since it is a Blues Jam, not an open jam. We call 'em up in the order they signed up. The venue owner is firm on that.
After all, the point of the blues jam is to make money for the club: Get as many people there as possible and keep them there as long as possible.
No I've had some great experiences at jams. I was just listing the shit that ticks me off. The best jam hosts are good guys, popular, friendly, "table captains" etc - but they need to run the show and people need to know what the rules are.
Otherwise, what? 20 minute guitar solos where the guitarist throws anyone who isn't playing a guitar a single chorus?
Since ev360 and I have disagreed in almost every other thread, it gives me great pleasure--like Simon Cowell on a rare and blessed evening--to say, "I thought your performance was brilliant." Seriously. I agree with everything you say, EV.
Of course, I've been to excellent jams that worked exactly the opposite way--everything was sloppy, friendly, no iron rod in sight, etc.--but it's a rare blues scene in which those sorts of jam sessions aren't brought down by precisely the sorts of problems you evoke. The Dan Lynch jam sessions in NYC were sloppy and terrific in this way, but once DL closed, the only good jam session was Ted Horowitz's (Popa Chubby's) up at Manny's Car Wash, and he ruled that sucker with an iron rod, knew who worked well with who, and made it all fly. Also, he was that EXTREMELY rare blues-rock guitarist who was very loud and over the top when he needed to be but also possessed by a real sense of dynamics and an ability to pull it way back.
Last Edited by on Apr 24, 2010 10:38 AM
A. I go to jams hosted/attended by friends or where I know the music will be something I can dig.
Q. What night of the week do you prefer for blues jam?
A. It doesn't matter much to me.
Q. Do you always play, or do you sometimes sit out?
A. I'm a good jam attendee. I play by the rules. I never complain. I never make requests. As a result, most of the time, most jam hosts take care of me. If I am not called up, I am happy to sit out.
Q. What is your main complaint about blues jams?
A. People that attend blues jams that don't listen to or like Blues. It must be a pretty frustrating experience for them. It's excrutiating for the audience. Here's another one, the people that show up and count the seconds until the get their 15 minutes of fame.
Q. Do you bring your own amp or use one that is there, or use the PA mic?
A. It depends. I will typically use whatever equipment is provided. Quite often, I will play through the PA. I like playing through the PA. If I am told it's okay to bring an amp, I may or may not do it on subsequent visits.
Regarding Denver jams, I've had a great time at jams there every time that I visit. I've played at several. The next time I make it there, I'm going to attend your jam and it's gonna be a mess.
Regarding common tunes, I would rather hear someone do a great job on Stormy Monday than to hear them ruin some other more obscure tunes.
The best way to avoid those tunes is for harp players to sing and learn to lead a band.
Additionally, I've subbed for some jam hosts. It's a pain in the ass because people can be rude, obnoxious and demanding. The worse a player is, the more of a pain in the ass they can be.
Here's my 2 cents, I'd really like to hear your opinions on this, especially Kudzu's.
There are many reasons why I very rarely go to jams nowadays, but one of them persists: I don't get Blues-Rock. I don't get the music. To me, Blues is by nature very subtle and emotional realm of music that should always reflect the deep inner conflit in us. It has the power to make us admit to ourselves that we are wounded in one way or another, that we are not superheroes. Musically this shows in a certain kind of aesthetics: the blues invokes confessions, the sound ought to be intimate, honest, gritty, even "stealthy" - if you get what I mean.
Rock, on the contrary, is straight-forward, self-indulgent and has the power to convince us that we are, in fact, GODS. I love The Who and Zep for showing me that aspect of myself, but they it's an entirely different aspect of life than Blues. Why mix these?
The jam's I've attended over the last few years tend to be about this heavy rock side of the Blues. The only conflict I see in these redundantly loud guitar beings' playing is that of compensated masculinity. That blues-rock seems to have the function of a Harley Davidson to these people. I don't get it.
I don't get it! I wish I could! Maybe I'm a purist in this sense, but I like blues and rock to stay somewhat separated. I share this view with Jerry Portnoy, btw.
Even though I like acoustic blues troubadours the most (check out Son Houses "At Home" -69 for one of my intimate favourites), I'm not saying it's the electricity or even big stadiums thats f-ing with the blues, one can play on a big stage and still maintain that blue intimacy. Here's one of the greatest examples I know.
Blues jams used to mean a lot to me. I had great experiences in my old hometown, the local blues jams were the first stages where I played publicly, and it really improved my playing. The people were great, tolerant and sincere. But this noisy barrier of rock is the biggest reason I'm not attending the jams too often anymore.
J-Sin, thanks for your thoughtful post. Like you, I prefer more traditional blues forms, but I do enjoy Blues Rock for its power and impact. Some of the players who show up at my jam play blues rock, and it's okay with me as long as the volumes don't get annoying.
About a month ago there were two guys from OKC (guitar and harp) who played some hard Watermelon Slim stuff. I loved it. A local guitar guy brought his baritone-tuned Strat and played some slashing blues rock. Outstanding! But most of the time I try to keep it on the blues track.
My pet peeve is this: Rock guitar players who insist that blues is "easy" because it has only three chords. Every time I hear this, they turn out to suck at blues.
Another pet peeve: Rock guitar players who don't even know what the frack blues is! They think blues is any song with a slow tempo, like a ballad. Again, those wankers suck at blues.
When players get too loud or whine about playing time I try to be friendly but firm. If they get out of line I lose the friendly part. That is the worst part of running the jam. But overall I look forward to it every week. The lady who own the joint is a sweetheart and the regular jammers are all good people.
Adam - we agree on a whole lot more than you know. I read your book.
But this is a discussion forum and I think (like buying carpets in middle eastern souqs - another hobby of mine) some of the most interesting discussions are about haggling over the details.
The best blues jams often have rules about songs you can't play: "Roadhouse Blues", "Mustang Sally", "Stormy Monday", "Redhouse", "The Sky is Crying", "Little Red Rooster". That stuff is usually guaranteed to totally stink up the joint.
Man some tuff rules,Wow how welcome would you feel if you are just starting out this is your first jam you been practising, Little Red Rooster & Sky is Crying,
got them down pat these are the 2 songs you been praticing for 2 months been working through them with his Harp Teacher,
you feel ready to get up at the local Jam night then to get told by some Blues Jam Nazi sorry mate you can't play them songs,
man you would call the Guy a wacker and never go Back thats just off the Planet Bro's..
Nasty, if you're not singing the lyrics, what does it matter? Just say you want to do a slow blues in X, then play whatever licks you learned. If you're singing, instead of doing "Stormy Monday", sing Roy Brown's "Love for Sale".
A lot of people just don't want to hear those tired old lyrics done badly by weekend warriors. I've even seen jams where Red House gets played three times a night and you know that shit ain't right.
And don't tell me a little piece of your soul doesn't shrivel up and die when you hear some doofus start playing that "dum-da-dum-da-dum-da-deeedldey-dum" and start singing, "Keep your eyes on the road your hands upon the wheel"...
I guess we also need to clarify what kind of jam we're talking about. I've seen plenty of jams in small bars that were popular with the players. They neve got a big audience but they'd get a handful of players who'd jam, drink some piss and hang out.
But the best jams are the ones where they encourage new players by slotting them in where they can contribute but get carried a lot by better players, and where really good groups are formed of experienced guys who get the joint jumping. That attracts punters and that gets the bar takings right up there.
And don't thing that I'm not an inclusive, encouraging guy. Plenty of times I've been asked and have got up to do vocals so folks could get together and have a play with some structure - calling songs and feels and being the boss for that set. I'm not a bastard. I just think the best jams are disciplined and the host has an eye on producing a good standard of music that will appeal to normal folks - not just the egotistical players. That's how good jams survive - they aren't self-indulgent.
Nasty, if you're not singing the lyrics, what does it matter?,
I do sing but not like a canary more like a Nastyolddog Barking would that matter,
A lot of people just don't want to hear those tired old lyrics done badly by weekend warriors,
Says Who you are hanging out with the Negative vib Crew, Jams are a breeding ground of new talent a Bro i met at my now local Jam,we turned up the same night he went from working in a music shop to teaching at the local Tech, and has a 2 year contract with a local Aussie Band Check them out on Yuotube "The Agents of Peace"
And don't tell me a little piece of your soul doesn't shrivel up and die when you hear some doofus start playing that "dum-da-dum-da-dum-da-deeedldey-dum" and start singing, "Keep your eyes on the road your hands upon the wheel"...
No Bro it Don't i'm in Full support of any Person Playing anything other than tambourin, Ok My ears my Be Hurting but Im there for the People and the Music:)
Ps just read your bottom My Club President runs the Jams I attend, yes he has got regime worked out if he has never seen you befor he takes you out the back,
gives you a listen takes it from there or will sit in play guitar or what is needed for a person who has turned up solo,
Im with you on the structured Jams But I'm Not a Blues Snob will listen to any person Joe Blow or Pro got to give every one a Go:)
Sure, you've got to give everyone a go. But if most of them are bad it won't be long before the bar puts on a guitar duo with a sequencer so the punters don't disappear.
A structured jam means someone is calling the shots and making sure it's about entertainment and not an opportunity for hobbyists to make noise.
Blues jams reflect the whole history and sociology of the music over the 20th century, and especially since 1960s. The only reason 99% of the blues jams in the world exist in the year 2010 is because white people--by which I mean, non African Americans, to include folks other than Caucasians--"discovered" the blues in the late 1950s and then, en masse, through the 1960s. The decade between 1959 and 1969 was the watershed. And blues-rock was part of that: Clapton, first with the Bluesbreakers and then with Cream, was a huge part of this, as were Alvin Lee, Led Zeppelin, and of course Paul Butterfield, who was in a somewhat more tradition contemporary/urban bag rather than a blues-rock bag.
But blues-rock was huge in the late 1960s; it was much more important to most white blues fans than the so-called traditionalist blues that many of us now venerate (the Jerry Portnoy version of white blues), and it was somewhat bigger than the ACOUSTIC traditionalist sounds worked by Spider John Koerner, Jorma Kaukonen, John Hammond, and that crew.
The point is, contemporary blues jams reflect all three elements of the historical white-blues experience: country blues, blues-rock, and urban blues. A fourth element occasionally makes its presence felt: jazz-blues, which is to say, white guys who love, and/or have experience in, big bands. Obviously that crew has a certain natural overlap with the third sector, since contemporary white traditionalist urban blues is epitomized by Roomful of Blues: horns, a big-band type singer, AND T-Bone Walker-derived guitar.
Anyway, that's the explanation. A range of people show up at contemporary blues jams because a range of overlapping histories has produced them. When tensions are visible between players, it's sometimes because each of them assumes that his aesthetic orientation, his approach, is more legitimate. Stevie Ray Vaughan, it's important to note, was MUCH closer to T-Bone Walker--urban traditionalism--than to blues-rock of the Cream/Alvin Lee / Bad Company variety. But his guitar approach is all wrong from the perspective of the particular subset of urban traditionalists who venerate Chicago blues (he's much too loud for the harp) and West Coast blues (they all use hollow bodied guitars and swing in a different kind of way). So any harp player wanting optimal guitar-backing is going to snarl when paired with an SRV clone--UNLESS he's hip enough to realize that Kim Wilson with the T-Birds was working very close to this territory for much of the time.
Yeah, I guess. But there's a HUGE difference between JLV's ability to back up a harp player, and SRV's ability. I've seen footage on the Tube where SRV sat in with the T-Birds or vice versa, and the feel wasn't the greatest for harp. You know, with the T-Birds, Wilson can have any feel he wants to support the harp, so, anyway... whatever.
The point is, contemporary blues jams reflect all three elements of the historical white-blues experience: country blues, blues-rock, and urban blues. A fourth element occasionally makes its presence felt: jazz-blues,
?where do i fit in when to pasty white boys rock up one with a vintage Dobro guitar me singing like a fog horn belting out Delta Blues songs,
One Jam night is totaly acoustic harp acoustic guitar nothing else allowed thats where i feel the most comfortable,and introducing my Bro to Jamming gigs,
the other is a Electric Blues night Newcastle is a melting pot of Musical talent this jam is in the city, just last week we had a great young Muso come up and Play some Screming Jay Hawkins, yes we get the Ray Varns but luckily enough the Guys Know there stuff,most muso's Come From the University or Music conservatorium,or have done some seriouse Bedroom Youtube Jamming,
I'm not right up there with the Hisory of Blues Jams so luckly im not Blinded by it ingnorant rules or sterio type or the musos i hang with were all cool with our roads we travel no Head on crashes down Hear Bro's all good in the Hood:)
-What draws you to one blues jam over another? Thursday jam is strictly blues (my preference), and Tues. jam is mostly classic rock (open mic)
-What night of the week do you prefer for blues jam? Friday, or Saturday
-Do you always play, or do you sometimes sit out? I always play at least one set
-What is your main complaint about blues jams? favortism towards local musicians, or friends
-Do you bring your own amp or use one that is there, or use the PA mic? Tues jam I bring an amp, or a Lone Wolf Harp Attack. Thursday jam has a Cruncher set up for harp players.
The host band (Blue Haven in Reno) has a good harp player/guitar player (Mike Thompson) that's a serious boutique harp amp collector. Occasionally he will bring his big Meteor, or Super Sonny instead of the Cruncher. All I need to bring is harps, and a mic.
I will toss this out there. If I am playing with a SRV-clone, there is a good chance that we can find some common ground, than someone who doesn't like Blues music and is merely present for their fifteen minutes of fame. That's one place where tunes like "The Sky Is Crying" or Jimmy Reed shuffles comes in handy. If most players would spend time digging deeper into the musical history and rounding out their knowledge, there would be a lot less frustrated people attending blues jams.
Also, I'm never really concerned about favoritism. If one is new to a jam, that person is an unknown quantity. You have to pay some sort of dues until people know who you are.
I always bring a good harp amp for the jammers to use. Sometimes my Masco ME-18; tonight I'll have the Mission Chicago amp. There is usually somebody who brings a Bassman or SJ or something interesting. That is the advantage of having a jam run by a harp player... It is a LOT more harp-friendly than other jams.
BTW... The Mission Chicago costs a lot less than the Cruncher and sounds a LOT better. The Chicago has higher quality of workmanship, better components, and more punch. Don't believe me? Anybody can try it at my blues jams.
I am interested in your style of running your jams.
- How do you start and end if you are not the singer? - is it just instrumental? - how do you stop self-indulgence? - what makes a good jam for you? - do you stop people if they sound awful? - do you market the jam or is it just mates? - does everyone drink a lot of alcohol? etc
I've attended regular music performances in both the form of open mics and choral gatherings. The open mics worked best when the hosts let everyone know the rules before hand and enforced them evenly. Eventually, my favorite, went to making a list and then drawing names from a hat to determine the order. They could have kept a few more butts in the seat by drawing as the evening went on, but they preferred to draw them all at the beginning so if you got a late number and you knew you couldn't be out that long you didn't waste your time, or if you were well liked, maybe you could get someone to trade spots with you.
The choral group was more like a jam. We had a song book that we worked from and people could request a song. I know a lot of people don't like playing the same song more than one week in a row, but when you have newcomers it's nice for them to have one or two that they know they will be able to sing along with. We didn't have an audience for the choral performances. It was just people getting together to sing, but I've noticed that at open mics that bands that play new stuff every week usually get forgotten. Sure, if you are playing covers people may recognize the song, but unless you are on the radio the only way people will get a song stuck in their head is if they hear it a few times. That doesn't mean you have to play the same two or three songs every time, but that you should at least rotate a few good ones in on a regular basis.
Yeap, it's the first step in selling out, playing a song that you are bored with so that the audience will enjoy it. You can look at it like that. Some people look at music as a purely introspective art. It's them and maybe the other musicians. If you can get past that though, and start playing the room, get joy out of watching people singing along, with people clapping in time, well then, you might just end up with a fan base. :) (I don't have a fan base. I don't get up and play enough, but I've seen it work for others.)
I go to blues jams sporadically, sometimes 5 nights, other times none. I have learned a lot reading about the SRV clone/harp player stuff and totally relate to it! It put into words a lot of my feelings. I've never played with a good guitar player for harp. Even all my guitar buddies are SRV clones and its difficult to play with the loud rock/blues guitarists. Seriously, I'll go on stage and call the song and play harp and sing it, and there's is 3 guitarists on stage playing loud as hell chugging terrible rhythm guitar and I can't even hear my vocals or harp through the PA. + most of the jams I go to start late. Sometimes up to an hour. This is VERY frustrating and they never shorten their set. Sometimes I think I could just stay home and spend all those hours practicing instead of sitting around. Lately, I have stop going to jams for this reason. Many of the jammers are older middle aged men who never-were and are rude to me for unknown reasons. They play straight ahead blues and then when I get up there they call some boring obscure doo-wop song (yes this has happened quite a few times) in E-flat. Most of the jammers suck basically. Not only that, but the house band plays the exact same set, the exact same way, every single time. Talk about boring for the regular jammers. There is too much ego at those jams with people treating it as a stepping stone in their career rather than a fun place to hang out and play music. Sometimes I don't even get up on stage and just watch peoples mistakes. After pondering whether I will be 50 and still playing the same old same old every weekend, I realize that jams are not the place to hone my skills. I'd rather call up the musicians I know and surround myself with musicians who have more sensitivity to the group. Hell, I've even had better luck randomly contacting bands from craigslist and jamming with them than I have had at the jams in terms of musical chemistry. The thing I don't like about jams is that I'm not calling the shots, and that I have to put up with unneccessary bullshit to play music with mediocre middle aged musicians. I'd rather devote insane hours to practice and then call up the gigging musicians I know and play with them than waste time and money sitting and drinking while waiting for my chance to get up on stage and play a few songs. Concentrated focused hours of effortful practice is the way to improving, not getting up on stage slopping drunk spewing out covers of songs.
- How do you start and end if you are not the singer?
I don't understand your question. My band plays the first and last sets. During the jam the singer on stage usually, but not always, calls the tune. When playing with jammers I lay back and listen and wait for my turn to take the lead. Then I nail it.
- is it just instrumental?
Nope, there is almost always a singer among the jammers. Often it is a guitar player. Sometimes it is a harp player.
- how do you stop self-indulgence?
I cut them off it it is going on forever. But a jam is all about self indulgence, so I'm not a Nazi about it.
- what makes a good jam for you?
Everybody plays and everybody has fun.
- do you stop people if they sound awful?
Yes. If they are terrible or not playing blues I will go on stage, thank them for playing, and call the next jammer up.
- do you market the jam or is it just mates?
I market the jam heavily on Facebook, the local free media like Craigslist (an online free ad site), other websites, and flyers.
- does everyone drink a lot of alcohol?
I don't drink at all. Some people do... It's a pub; people get drunk.
Nick, I'm not sure I answered your questions very well. If not, please let me know and I'll clarify.
A blues jam is not the place to hone your harp skills: it is an opportunity to work on your stagecraft, which includes getting along with your peers and shedding the pissy attitude.
MichaelAndrewLo is absolutely right about one thing: sometimes jams can destroy your musicality and you'd be better off just getting together with friends.
Any given configuration of musicians onstage at a jam session is only as good as the worst musician up there. Or at least that's been my experience. Time and again, I've waited my turn only to be put onstage with one of the following:
1) A blues-rock guitarist who leaves absolutely no space of any sort for the harp player; he takes all the fills, can't swing, and knows only two ways of playing "blues rhythm guitar," of which consists of rocking the fifth-to-sixth bass note like a boogie woogie piano player.
2) A rock drummer who plays loud, can't swing, and leaves absolutely no dynamic range for the harp player.
3) A chick singer who has no idea how to sculpt a vocal line but instead, under they sway of the ghost of Janis Joplin, moans and cries for 43 out of the 48 beats in every 12-bar chorus.
4) A bass player who sags, slow, and drags everybody else down the drain with him.
Rick is absolutely right: blues jams are places where you learn how to grit your teeth and bear it. They're terrific proving grounds for He who would be the bodhisatva. Even terrible musicians deserve love.
Some jam sessions, of course, are filled with master musicians who, devoid of ego, come together on a regular basis to make music with friends, nurture the younger generation, and bask in each other's fellowship. If you find a jam session like that, and they give you a chance to hang with 'em, do it. Those are the jam sessions where you really learn how to make music. The Holmes Brothers ran that sort of jam session at Dan Lynch in NYC.
Last Edited by on Apr 25, 2010 3:36 PM
There use to be a weekly jam fairly close to where I lived that was (almost) the model for the ideal jam. The host band (and they were pretty good) would open up with a couple of songs lasting no more than ten minutes, then would immediately start calling people up. They always had two good sounding guitar rigs to play through. There was no harp amp set up ( the reason for the "almost"), but you were welcome to bring your own. The stage was large - plenty of room to move around. Being that it was such a good jam, it attracted good players so you wanted to stick around for the whole night, and if you stuck around you were almost certain to get to go up again. Of course it was too good to last, but it was nice while it lasted. I wish I could remember the guy's name who hosted it, but it escapes me for now. I can't remember EVER playing with a bad rhythm section at that jam. (sigh)
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Last Edited by on Apr 25, 2010 3:39 PM
When I go there all I encounter is arrogance and pissy attitudes. IDK, I get the point of working on stagecraft and all that, but I spend enough time getting along with pissy attitude co-workers to not have to devote my free time to that. I will still go once in a while to jams just to see if anything has changed it's just not the environment for me in most places. Plus, I think starting a band with compatible musicians and playing gigs does the job just as well.
A friend of mine has an interesting observation about Blues jams. Sometimes, you go and you don't get to play. Other times, you get to play and wish you hadn't. Periodically, you get to play and things really come together. Unfortunately, the latter happens somewhat infrequently, but when it does, it is great experience.
I've met some really cool people at jams. I've played with some great pro players at jams. I've played with: Kenny Neal, Steve Freund (toured with Big Walter, Koko Taylor, Luther Allison and Sunnyland Slim), Nick Moss, RJ Mischo, John Nemeth, Freddie Roulette, Kid Andersen (guitarist with Rick Estrin and the Nightcats), Matt Stubbs, Mike Phillips and June Core. (The last three guys are the Charlie Musselwhite Band.)
I've also played with a lot of players that weren't very good. I try to forget the really bad experiences. I forget the egos and all of the crap.
Focus on the positive and it can be a great experience.
Last Edited by on Apr 25, 2010 4:50 PM
Here are a couple more things that happened to me at Blues jams.
I met and got my head cut by Sugar Blue every Monday night for months. Watching that guy play was a great way to learn stuff. He used to host the Monday night jam at the Kingston Mines in Chicago for a while.
Another night at that same jam while I was on stage, James Cotton walked in. He hung out and stared right through me while I was playing. They gave me the hook and called him up. I got my head cut real good that night.
Both those guys will never remember those nights, but I will for a lifetime. I got to meet some great musicians at that jam.
While on business trips, I've gotten to meet and jam with some other killer players. I've jammed with some great players in Colorado. I jammed with Dan Treanor and Ronnie Shellist on separate nights. Ronnie and I played Sonny Boy stuff for about 30 minutes trading solos back and forth. I've seen some of the goofiest stuff at jams, too.
They can be entertaining and surprising, if you have low expectations.
