Call all Jazz Musicians and Jazz Lovers
Be part of our Jazz Community
No excuse! It`s SUNDAY afternoon! 🙂
Our Jazz Jam hosted by the MLN Ensemble, who run the Catch22 event in High Wycombe.
Jam sessions are an integral part of jazz. The format developed in the 1920s as musicians sought opportunities to share their music despite the political climate of the time. Late in the evening, after musicians finished their regular (segregated) gigs, they gathered at places like Minton’s Playhouse (Harlem, New York) to explore the music more freely. Minton’s Playhouse hosted infamous players like Thelonious Monk, Bus Powell, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, who all played a role in the development of bebop.
Today, too, experienced musicians seek opportunities, outside a performance setting, to stretch their skills. “A jam session offers me the chance to meet new musicians and have a shared musical experience using the standard jazz repertoire. It’s a way to continue the music traditions of the past and create new ones,” expresses David Lail, veteran jazz saxophonist.
It’s a valuable part of the jazz culture to teach and to learn interactively. Young musicians are also welcome to cut their teeth on the bandstand, alongside the encouragement of their experienced mentors.
The very nature of jazz – encouraging diversity, improvisation and the exchange of listening and sharing ideas – makes a jam session format the perfect breeding ground for musician and music. That is as true today as in the beginning.
For those of you who don’t play, these local environments are a great way to support the development of budding musicians in our community.
It’s an integral part to their musical development.