Call all Jazz Musicians and Jazz Lovers
Be part of our Jazz Community
Support the next generation jazz musicians with your presence!
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.
For those of you who play, seek out a jam session,
bring your instrument and give it a go!
Here is an interesting article to read
About a social experiment:
A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a Stradivarius violin worth 3.5 million dollars.
Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats cost average $100.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?