 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2006-06-15 11:59
Hi,
There are often questions about jazz and sessions on this BB. Author Bill Anshell, a really fine Atlanta keyboard player, has provided a hilarious and very much tongue-in-cheek look at the topics. In my playing career, I have been on the stand with each of the types of players mentioned in The Musicians (one of the best sections) more than once.
http://www.mindspring.com/~billanschell/Jam_session.htm
HRL
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2006-06-15 17:25
VERY funny, Hank! Thanks for the laugh. Reminds me of a few good times at a Sunday afternoon jazz jam I was a regular at for a few years....
We had our share of vocalists (mostly female, though a few were male -- but nearly all were lousy) and one in particular, a rather overweight lady, was especially bad. One day she walked in wearing a black and white polka-dotted short dress, with high heels and a funny hat, and came up to the bandstand to 'sing'. I mentioned to the drummer that she looked like "Miss Piggy" from "The Muppets", and we both started laughing, and laughing so hard we had to put our gear down and go outside -- we must have been busting our guts for ten minutes before we had settled down enough to be able to return to the room and start playing again. Too much...
Another time we had an 'avant-garde poet" come to the jam, and start reciting some weird stuff while we improvised some 'mood music' behind him. Well, unfortunately word must have gotten around the Amateur Poet community that there was a 'poet-friendly' club in town, because for the next month or two we were inundated with these weird poets, some of who were so off-the-wall that, once more, the musicians would start laughing behind them and be incapable of playing. Thank goodness that phase petered out after a while and the Angry Poets stopped coming...........
Post Edited (2006-06-15 17:27)
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2006-06-15 19:13
DS & William,
Looks like you two have been part of some of the same jam sessions as the author and yours truly. However, for the most part, these gigs have always been fun; you do meet the great and not-so-great-but-they-do-not-know-it players.
HRL
PS I hope the younger jazzers on this BB get a chance to "experience" varied types of sessions.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2006-06-15 19:37
The author of the article must have played with many of the same guys I know...GBK
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2006-06-15 20:12
AHH, Vunderbeehr, Hank, I WILL take the time to read it all, but it sure describes the sessions I"ve "blown my brains out" in. Our little two bit AFM local had a jam every couple of months yearrs ago, mostly show-off time, lots of booze and strange talk, very little real accomplishment on getting gigs. Many TKS for great laughs ! Regards, Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2006-06-15 20:54
The jams I went to were sometimes frustrating but usually fun, and I learned a LOT of tunes by going to them, heard and absorbed many styles of playing, made some friends, and actually got to jam with some 'name' players on occasion. I wish jazz jams were still popular, but they've nearly died out around these parts. Even their 'poor stepsister' (my opinion only!), the 'blues jam', is becoming more rare (and/or of lower quality) than in the past. I hope this trend is not universal.
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Author: allencole
Date: 2006-06-16 05:35
Lotsa nails hit on the head. Thanks for posting this link!
Allen Cole
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