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January was a slower month than usual for jam sessions. Some venues were closed at the beginning of the new year and the Mrs. and I needed time to recuperate following an arduous overseas trip. I also had a solo acoustic show to do at the end of the month for which I had to rehearse. Even so, I participated in 3 jams, 2 at Venue C and 1 at Venue B.
I'm posting these journals partly to record my experiences in participating in jazz jam sessions in a small regional city in Japan, partly to share those experiences with others who may be curious about jam session experiences in places beyond their own locale, and partly to encourage others to share their own jam session experiences. In general, I am interested in 3 aspects of jazz jam sessions: etiquette, management and repertoire. Feel free to reply with your thoughts and questions, and to share your own experiences.
The session at Venue B was in mid-January, and so I started the new year with that. This is a regularly scheduled monthly weekend daytime session at a Mom and Pop shop close to where I live. It's hosted and lightly managed by a piano trio, lasts around 3-4 hours and participation costs 2000JPY (about 14USD) including coffee, tea and snacks. In addition to the piano trio (PF, BA, DS), there were 2x PF, 2x GT, 2x VO, a BA, DS, and TR. Participants were mostly regulars with a few new faces, and about a third in attendance were women.
Sometimes the piano trio plays a tune at the beginning of these sessions, usually as others are arriving and setting up, but the focus of the session is on participants, not on the trio.
Today, there was no opening tune so the TR and I were invited up to join the trio and TR called "Love for sale." TR played the theme and took a chorus of ad-lib, after which I took a chorus and PF took 2 followed by BA ad-lib and trading 4s with DS. I hadn't played in several weeks and was out of practice, so listened more than played. Since GT2 was a newcomer, I ceded my seat to them and they called 2 tunes with the trio: "There will never be another you" and "Days of wine and roses." Everyone took a chorus of ad-lib, plus 4s. The sound was a little out of balance, and GT2 was louder than was needed for comping.
Next, PF2 took the stage and invited me to join, with PF1 sitting out. Normally, when there are multiple PF, BA and DS, the house trio players cede their seats. It appeared as if PF2 was a student of PF1, and it's fairly common at jam sessions to have beginners or students join, as the atmosphere is friendly and open. PF2 called 2 tunes: "Summertime" and "Moanin'," both of which I knew well and didn't need charts. The former began with an Am7-D7 vamp, while the latter was counted in. I took 1 chorus on each, and it was very relaxed. After that, GT2 said no matter how often they hear "Moanin'," they always enjoy it. I agreed.
Next up, PF1 accompanied VO1 who did a Japanese song by Ayaka Hirohara, but which was new to me. There was no BA for this tune, although DS played very lightly.
By the end of the first hour, I continued to sit out, enjoying the performances. One thing is apparent at Venue B: people love jazz, including me. It's not about a gig or performance, it's about enjoying playing this great music with others. The presence of a pro trio is only to facilitate that enjoyment. There is also no audience, other than the players themselves, so it feels more like a community of jazz-lovers, and I feel fortunate to be a part of that.
The next tune was "My one and only love," which gets called fairly often at sessions, although here it was in double time. The players were GT2, PF3, BA2 (playing on an electric), DS2 and TR. As before, GT2 was loud in comping. From reading forum posts here, I became more sensitized to comping issues, especially with multiple comping instruments, and during BA solos, so I tend to listen more and play less. At the same time, these are sessions of amateur players, for the most part, and so it's difficult to strike a balance between learning by doing and practicing good jam session etiquette. I'm curious about how issues like volume and over comping are handled in other locales.
As hour 2 ended, GT2 called "Solar" and BA2 called "In a sentimental mood" as a bossa.
I joined again at around the beginning of the 3rd hour, and called "Out of nowhere," which is one of my go-to tunes for jam sessions. I was joined today by PF1, BA2, DS2 and took 3 choruses of ad-lib, followed by others taking 1 or 2 and then trading 4s. However, my intro was a little shaky so I may ask pianists to provide an intro in subsequent jams.
That was followed by GT2 calling "Softly as in a morning sunrise," joined by the same backing trio as the previous tune. Next, VO2 did "S'wonderful" as a bouncy swing with PF1, BA2 and DS1. I played on the next 2 tunes, "Recado" called by PF3 and joined by BA2 (no drums), and "Stella by starlight," for which DS1 joined. I'm not fluent with these tunes, so I laid low, but got into the groove and took 1 chorus on each before sitting out.
TR led on "Take the A-Train," and was joined by PF1, GT2, BA2 and DS2. TR then called "All of me." I was invited up to play on "Recorda me," which I read from a chart, and was joined by PF1, BA2, with no drummer. The session ended with GT2 and TR doing "C jam blues."
There were two other sessions in January, both at Venue C. It's another small Mom and Pop shop, about a 40mn drive each way. There's no house band so it's player managed. This is a weekly session in the evening, for which the participation fee is 1000JP (between 7-8USD), including 1 drink. Mom and Pop are both musicians and join as needed or for fun, but as with Venue B the focus is on participants, not a house band or a hosting trio.
The Mrs. joined me this evening, and caught up with Mom after a long while, and also giving souvenirs from our recent overseas trip. We stayed for the first half of the jam session. It was eventful socially as well as musically, because a well-known local novelist, who is also a lover of jazz, was there with his wife.
While the Mrs. was chatting with Mom, Pop was jamming on guitars with a local blues player, who I later found had been a regular here but had not joined a jam since well before corona. They invited me to join in on a Bm7-Em7 (3x) GMaj7-F#7 (1x) vamp for a while. When they asked about playing a jazz tune I suggested "Autumn leaves" and we jammed on that as a guitar trio for a while. By the time we finished, other players had arrived.
All told, at least for the time I was there, we had 3 guitarists, 2 of which I had met for the first time. GT2 was on an acoustic, while GT3 was playing what appeared to be an Ibanez George Benson. I played the Westville Aruba, but instead of the JC-120 I went through a Vox amp, which actually sounded pretty good. I may use that in future jams!
Later in the session, PF1, BA1 and DS1 arrived. Tunes played while I was there included: "In a sentimental mood" and "In your own sweet way" (both called by PF1), "Four on Six" (by GT3 and "Freddie the Freeloader" (which I called), followed by PF1 calling "Dear old Stockholm" and BA1 calling "The chicken." In my short time there, it was a fun jam.
I took the next week off to rehearse for a live show I was doing at the end of the month, a solo acoustic set with effectors and a looper focusing on instrumental interpretations of melodies by Jobim. One of the tunes I prepared for that set was "Dindi," which I transposed to A to make better use of open strings. I'd been playing it that way for a while, but also got interested in playing it in Eb, which is the key used by the Jazz Standard Bible here.
My last session of January, 2 days after the solo acoustic set, was also at Venue C. I arrived a little early, and did "Dindi" in Eb as a guitar duo, followed by "Girl from Ipanema." By the time the duo finished, PF1 and DS1 had arrived, soon joined by BA1.
Tonight's session, all told, included 9 players: 3x GT, 2x BA, and 1x each of DS, PF, TR, and AS. Of the 9, there was 1 woman and the ages ranged from early 20s to mid 70s.
PF called the first tune, "Sunny" which was a nice ice breaker and jam session opener. I next called "Dindi," and after a little instruction about an intro we played through that, too.
It was good to play "Dindi" twice in Eb at tonight's session, especially after playing it for a while as a solo tune in A. As an amateur musician, it was a practical opportunity to learn a tune in 2 keys, which helped to get a handle on the melody and to some extent the form.
At that point, 2 new players arrived, who are college students in their 20s. An alto sax (AS) player I knew from other local jams came with a friend, a young guitarist from Tokyo, who had a new Fender MIJ Jazzmaster and seemed to be somewhat of a beginner with little jam session experience. One of things I noticed that people learn by doing is the flow of a session, including intros, ad-lib solos rotating around the stage, and trading 4s with DS. This can of course be explained or demonstrated on video, but remains abstract until one is on stage. To provide that opportunity to learn in situ, there has to be an open, tolerant and welcoming atmosphere for everyone. One of the notable features of Venue C, as I have mentioned in previous journals, is that it is something like a local hub for musicians of all levels and genres that hosts small concerts, workshops, jam sessions and open mics. It was the place, years ago, that initiated me into playing at jazz jam sessions. Outside of this small region of Japan, I would be curious to hear about venues in other locales.
I decided to sit out after "Dindi," letting the newcomers do some playing. I've become more deferential to others after corona, and am happy to play a couple of tunes and sit out, and then rejoin when invited. In the past, I was more possessive, even aggressive and self-centered at sessions, but now I feel it's more a social setting of which I am a part and I am happy to get the opportunity to play with others, take notes and listen as well.
A brief word about repertoire. In Japan, we use the 2-volume "Jazz Standard Bible," put together by the nationally known bassist Osamu Koichi. Koichi was a student at Berklee in the 80s and so no doubt was familiar with the "Real Book." The JSB are legit, with all copyrights looked after, though the selection of tunes differs from the "Real Book." All told, in both volumes of the JSB, there are about 500 tunes, although in practice at jam sessions there's perhaps 50 tunes that get called most regularly. The layout is similar, most are 1-page lead sheets, and there are volumes of Bb and Eb instruments as well. When I was a work-a-day musician in the US in the 1980s, we used the 1978 bootleg 5th edition of the Real Book for gigs and jams, and I still have my copy. In fact, I've met several musicians in Japan who studied in the US and have that as well. However, the norm here is the 2-volume JSB. I'm curious what books, if any, are used in jam sessions in other locales.
After playing "Dindi" (which is in JSB2), TR arrived and they all did "Isn't she lovely" from the JSB2. I was the only one sitting out, and there were no other people attending tonight.
PF likes to call new tunes every week, and in tonight’s session called mostly from JSB2. I imagine they must practice at home a lot and seem to be going through the entire JSB, both volumes. Tonight it was 2 tunes from JSB2, both of which I had never played. First was "Mas Que Nada," a 40-bar Latin groove tune. I left my JSB on stage for GT2 to use, so tried to follow on iReal. For trading with DS, they first started with trading 8s for 1 full chorus and then switched to trading 4s for the next chorus, before returning to the theme. Once "Mas Que Nada" finished, PF1 called "Mambo Inn," also from JSB2. In following "Mas Que Nada," on iReal I noticed something sounded different. Upon later comparing to the JSB2, which was used on stage tonight, I noticed a few differences in the chord progression, such as in bars 5 and 6. JSB2 has Fm7 to Bb7 twice, while iReal uses Fm7 to a C7sus. I could hear the difference, but since these books are in a sense the arbiters of repertoire at a jam session, it seems important in the interest of solidarity to know the shared changes.
As 9:30 rolled around, AS joined and TR called "Bye Bye Blackbird," more up than usual. While we were playing that GT3 arrived, who called "Stella," after which I was ready to sit out but they started "Freddie the freeloader" and so I stayed up on stage for a 3rd tune. Since there were 2 guitars, I laid out for most comping though took several choruses of ad-lib, and during the theme I played the little Wynton Kelly piano riff from "Kind of blue."
The JSB1 "Freddie the freeloader" alternates between the Ab7 and Bb7 in bars 11-12 for each chorus, as on the theme, and so that's the form we followed. When I call it, I prefer to use the Ab7 only for ad-lib, without resolving to Bb7. IIRC, that's how it was done on "Kind of Blue," but it doesn't really matter because of only that; for me, it's easier and in some ways more fun to use just the Ab7 for ad-lib and not worrying about which section we are in. However, to avoid log jams the difference needs to be verbally explained.
PF and I took a break at this point, while AS called "Feel Like Making Love," which is a jam session staple that is often preferred by younger players and by those that are more at home with playing rock and funk tunes. I continued to sit out, enjoying performances and following along and also taking some notes, but PF rejoined and called "Rythmn-a-ning," which after a false start on trying an intro DS counted in at a moderately up tempo.
Since 1/3 of tonight's players were guitarists, it was a good opportunity to reflect on different approaches and behaviors in jam sessions. I'm more or less a regular at the Venue C sessions. GT2 was a newcomer and more or less a beginner playing jazz, and GT3 used to be a regular who has branched out into other genres (blues, rock, pop) and who also seems to be having a go at going pro, or at least semi-pro. Three different people, three different skill levels and three different approaches, or maybe expectations. As noted above, I have mellowed since before corona, becoming more accommodating to others, playing less, listening more. Sometimes I'll stay the whole night and only play a couple tunes. Tonight, when GT2 arrived it was in the middle of playing the 2nd song of the session, "Dindi," which I had called. I sat out and invited GT2 up to play, who stayed for the next couple of tunes. Later, when invited, GT2 declined to come on stage, though they stayed to watch until the end of the session. Perhaps, as I had felt years ago as a newcomer, they were not comfortable. On the other hand, GT3 has been consistent since first coming to Venue C sessions years ago. While a good player on gigs, at jam sessions he tends to be loud overall and busy in comping, even in BA solos. He rarely sits out, and tends to stay on stage the whole time being at a session. I think tonight he sat out for one song. I'd be curious to hear from others on how to deal with civility this kind of jam situation.
After a general break, GT3 and I returned to the stage, joining BA1, DS, PF and TR. GT3 called "You and the Night and the Music" from the JSB1. I first learned about this song from GT3 playing it regularly a while back, and I recalled that he had an interesting intro for it, which he used tonight. Although for most of last year, it actually became one of my go-to songs for jam sessions, I hadn't played it since the October gig. Surprisingly, I was still fluent with it, perhaps even more so than when I was rehearsing it daily for that gig and it was fun to jam on it again after a long while. I found myself thinking, perhaps overplaying the same song removes the edge of playing it spontaneously at a session.
During the last hour of tonight's session, BA1 and BA2 swapped while GT3 packed up and left and I was taking a tea break. TR called "On Green Dolphin Street," another jam session staple. After that, I rejoined and PF called "My foolish heart" and "My funny Valentine." I was unfamiliar with the former, so laid low and read from the JSB1. "My funny Valentine" was done in an almost funky style for an interesting change of pace. It was my turn to call a tune and after some discussion I asked to do "Out of nowhere," which we did as a quartet with PF, BA2 and DS. To close out the session, AS requested to do something "funky," so we played "The chicken," another jam session staple for when there are players who like to rock. BA2 did some amazing thumb work, and the AS was wailing. I'm not really sure how to approach this tune. Guitarists might use what they call here "cutting," but tonight I wasn't using a pick so I laid low with some shell hits here and there and joined on the signature descending riff between choruses. I can imagine playing something using a bit of distortion for a more singing tone on this tune, at least that's how I hear it, but since I was playing clean and the joint was jumping I played some staccato funky blues riffs. It was a rousing way to end the session and also the month of January.
Sorry for the long post. I try to include details for those who are interested about jam sessions in other locales. Please feel free to add any comments and questions about this session, and share observations from your own locales. Thank you for reading.
Edit: Fixed some typos.Last edited by JazzPadd; 02-03-2024 at 09:13 PM.
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02-02-2024 10:02 AM
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Interesting. How many guitar players at each session? what is typical?
Is everybody using books- the JSB you mentioned?
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Good questions, thank you for asking!
Originally Posted by JGinNJ
The number of guitar players varies depending on the venue and the time of year. Work holidays have more people in general, for example. There's usually a range of instruments and sometimes I'm the only guitarist; but once there were 5 guitarists coming in and out over the course of a 3 hour jam. I'd say the typical number of guitarists overall has been 2 per session. Details are in my other jam session journals.
As a bit of background on the scene where I live in Japan, there are 4 venues that hold jazz jam sessions within a reasonable driving distance from where I live; 2 are lightly managed (no sign-up lists) by a house band of pro musicians; the other 2 are self-managed by amateur and semi-pro players. When there are 2 or more guitarists at the band-managed sessions, 1 guitarist at a time is invited up. At the self-managed sessions, guitarists rotate 2 tunes apiece. Sometimes, usually toward the end of a session, there might be 2 guitarists on stage. And, as I noted in the January journal, there are some individuals who like to stay on stage as long as possible. However, that's not the norm, most people seem to be deferential toward others.
Regarding books, all 4 venues have the 2 volumes of the Jazz Standard Bible on hand, and many players bring their copies. I've seen an old Real Book (1970s edition) once or twice, and iReal is regularly in use. I'd say using books depends on who is there and who is calling tunes. The house band rarely calls tunes, so when someone is invited up they can call the tune. If it's from one of the JSBs, they ought to know the tune without the book, while others may read if needed. At times, when a tune is not in the JSB, one ought to bring and hand out lead sheets; one venue invites players to do that. So the use of books seems to vary. I suppose books serve as something like a predictable common ground among players at a jam session.
How are jam sessions in your neck of the woods, in terms of number of guitarists and the use of books?
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Your sessions sound a lot like the weekend sessions we have in my area of Japan. We also have a guitarist who monopolises the stage, but as she is the de-facto leader of the session there's not much to be done about it. Before she started showing up, there was a good mix of horns, piano, and even multiple bassists on occasion in addition to guitars. Now a lot of the old heads have drifted away, and have even started up a separate session on a weeknight with a higher entry fee (to keep the underprepared away?).
We all have the JSB, but not the JSB2. Singers usually bring their own charts.
The last time I was out, there were four other guitarists, no BS, one AS, and one DS. I called my tune, read another, and then called it a day.
As has been suggested before, I need to start checking out the other sessions in my area
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Konnichiwa! Yes, seek and you shall find. I found a few venues in reasonable driving distance from home, but not sure how it is in other areas of Japan. I jammed at a couple venues in Tokyo before corona, very crowded but also lots of fun. One was a basement music house off the main street near the train station for Waseda University. Both places had a lot of students from nearby universities. One had a sign up sheet. Originally Posted by Ahz
Your sessions sound a lot like the weekend sessions we have in my area of Japan. We also have a guitarist who monopolises the stage, but as she is the de-facto leader of the session there's not much to be done about it. Before she started showing up, there was a good mix of horns, piano, and even multiple bassists on occasion in addition to guitars. Now a lot of the old heads have drifted away, and have even started up a separate session on a weeknight with a higher entry fee (to keep the underprepared away?).
We all have the JSB, but not the JSB2. Singers usually bring their own charts.
The last time I was out, there were four other guitarists, no BS, one AS, and one DS. I called my tune, read another, and then called it a day.
As has been suggested before, I need to start checking out the other sessions in my area
About monopolizing the stage, that only occurs at one of the four venues I frequent, and he has recently branched out to join a band that does crossover/funk, and some pop and rock tunes. But it's still good to play with him if he shows up at a session, as long as I don't mind being the second guitarist. To be honest, when I first started going to jam sessions, I was sort of like that. As a newcomer to jam sessions, I didn't get the etiquette and sometimes hogged the stage. The tenor player I noted above helped me to learn how to be a good jam mate, but it took a while to feel natural. Nowadays, I don't mind hanging out at a place to watch, and only play a couple of tunes. Most of these venues feel like social clubs or communities of jazz.
That's interesting about forming a different jam, and then raising the entry fee. Entry fees vary at the four venues here, the two with host bands charge 2000JPY for a 3-4 hour jam including refreshments. Both are monthly daytime weekend jam sessions. The other two are self-managed evening jams, one has no cover or minimum but people usually order dinner or drinks since it's also like a community hangout. The other charges 500JPY for a 3 hour jam, plus a 1 drink minimum. I don't mind supporting these places, and in some sense I feel like it's a blessing to have 8-10 local monthly opportunities to play live music with others.
We use the JSB1 mostly here, and as you mention singers normally have their own charts. From the JSB1, there's probably 20 or 30 well-known tunes that get called frequently (e.g. "Autumn Leaves," "Days of Wine and Roses," "Girl from Ipanema," "Green Dolphin St.," "Softly...," "Summertime," etc.). "Blue Monk" and "Freddie the Freeloader" get called from time to time. Some like to call less well-known tunes from JSB1. "Beatrice" is a favorite of mine. A pianist in one venue seems to be working their way through the entire JSB1 at sessions. But the JSB2 has some interesting tunes, too. Horn players have called Lee Morgan's "Ceora" and "Sidewinder," and Dizzy Gillespie's "Manteca." It also has some mainstays, like "Cotton Tail," "Moonlight in Vermont," and "Sunny." Just last week, a pianist called two Latin tunes from JSB2, "Mambo Inn" and "Mas Que Nada," and I've been calling "Dindi" and "Sugar." The guitarist I mentioned above, and another semi-pro player, like to play Chick Corea's "Windows." Between the two JSB volumes, plenty of good music to jam on, about 500 tunes. Not as comprehensive as the new Real Books, but worth having.
What tunes are typically called, from the JSB or any other sources, at the jam sessions that you attend?
Edit: Fixed auto correct typo on Mas Que Nada.Last edited by JazzPadd; 02-07-2024 at 09:30 PM.
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Excellent post. Thanks for posting.
Tony D.
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My pleasure, thanks for reading! Originally Posted by pilotony
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There aren't a lot of jazz jams in my area. There was one in a Philly suburb run by a local pro guitar player for several years. More traditional format, no books. Sometimes some heavyweight players would show up. There was a clique of players who seemed to get most of the playing time, I got frustrated waiting around and playing 1 or 2 tunes in a whole night.
More recently a piano player organized a jam at a private club, he's a good player and because it's a small group, everybody gets to play. It can be kind of scattered, with beginners, casual players, and more pop/classic rock tunes to accommodate singers.
I just went to a jam I learned about in another town, this one asks a nominal donation, held in an arts space. Everybody uses books or tablets, which I have mixed feelings about, and gets 2-3 tunes after the house band does a set.
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Yeah, there's been some drama on the local scene recently
As for repertoire, Days of Wine and Roses is a perennial favorite, Autumn Leaves, Beautiful Love, Blue Bossa, Stella By Starlight, and Billy's Bounce are called at almost every session. The singers bring in some ballads that aren't in the JSB and we get through them as best we can. Recently, I've been calling St. Thomas, Moritat, Solar, and C Jam Blues. Lots of C and b flat, as there is an amateur AS that I like to jam with. He's a bit shy, so I'm trying to help him build his confidence and maybe even get a good interpersonal vibe going. I let him take the theme on St. Thomas and Blue Bossa, and then we stretch out. He's not so good at laying out though, and will 'comp' through the solos of others.
I feel like the sessions often go the same way driving in Japan can be sometimes, everyone out for themselves and to heck with the other guy.
It's good to know that laying out and even sitting out are perfectly normal at sessions. I used to worry if I wasn't up on stage most of the time, but I've come to realize that it isn't a competition, it isn't 'band practice', it's just a fun time with like minded folks.
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That's a very interesting spread of different kinds of jam experiences! Originally Posted by JGinNJ
The venue I jammed at last night is close to the second one you describe. It's a scattered mix of mostly casual intermediate players and singers, with some beginners and an occasional advanced player joining. A few are in bands and gigging, one has a number of students. Pop and funk tunes get called (though not much straight ahead rock). For example, last night someone called "Feel Like Makin' Love," the one by Roberta Flack and funked up by Bob James (not the Bad Company tune), and it's what they call here "crossover." The tune "Sunny" falls into that category, too, as well as "Georgia on My Mind" and some Stevie Wonder tunes.
I haven't found any cliquish jams around here, but a few years ago I jammed at a venue in Tokyo that seemed to be for a clique of regular players. As a newcomer, I only got to play one song all night. Perhaps some of that is understandable and can be attributed to the density of players in a very large urban area.
A few jam sessions I've been to around my much smaller regional city have something like a house band, but they don't normally do a set. At most, they might play a tune or two to get things rolling, and seem to be there mostly to back up session participants. It struck me that since the revenue on jam session nights for the venues I play at is mostly from people who come to play (they hold concerts and other events on other nights), the audience (or lack thereof) might have something to do with whether there's a house band or how long they play.
But I have no idea how representative any of my experiences are, for Japan or anywhere else, which is why I like to hear about the experiences of others.
About using books and tablets at jam sessions, they seem to be fine at most jam sessions here. Some players use them and some don't, either way it doesn't seem to be a problem. I have noticed, though, that when everyone on stage is using a book or tablet, there seems to be less interaction and it feels more like mutual practice than a jam. I try to keep one eye on the stand if I don't know the tune, and the other on the players, especially the one who called the tune. But it is tricky; last night I got lost doing that on one tune.
If you don't mind me asking, what are your mixed feelings about using books and tablets?
Perhaps genre is factor shaping jam session experiences. I've been to a few jams in the States, by no means a representative sample, but most had house bands. At two of them, one jazzy pop and one blues, the house band played a long and loud set and then called up people one at a time (mostly guitarists) who had signed up in advance. But by the time they were done with their set, I was fatigued and to be honest felt a little intimidated. Another one started with the house band doing just a couple of quick traditional jazz tunes, and then the rest of the night they were backing up whoever came up to play or sing. They had a friendly host who seemed to make things easier, especially for newcomers. Still another had no band nor host, and was bass and drums with several horns playing mostly funky instrumental grooves and vamps. There was just one bass amp on stage at that venue, which was a bar IIRC, and I didn't bring an amp.
BTW, the venues that hold jam sessions here all have a backline of amps, piano, PA system, plus drums, so all one needs is to bring is an instrument.
In terms of gear, how do things work in the jams that you've been to?
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I understand your feeling completely. It's good to know that there's other players experiencing similar things here, as living in Japan can be so isolating at times. Originally Posted by JazzPadd
At our session, everyone has a book or tablet, tunes are often called by their page number in the JSB. I totally get what you're saying about sessions turning into practices, I feel that when the books come out, folks stop listening to others and focus solely on what they're doing. Originally Posted by JazzPadd
I am not a strong chart reader (yet?) so when I have to concentrate on the chart, it stops being fun and starts being work. My first few sessions, I prepped my tunes and played them without charts, but when everyone else is reading... Also, for me, when I don't know the tune called, if I have the JSB or a chart, I will try to muddle through instead of stepping back and letting the folks who know it play. Not good session etiquette, and frustrating for me as a player.
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Blue Bossa is very big here! I guess a lot of these very commonly called tunes can be like "ice breakers," in that everyone ought to be able to play on them. It seems important especially when there are new comers in the house or a mix of people with different levels of playing; they can be a good place to start in the interest of encouraging participation. A new bassist showed up at a session last year who has gigged other kinds of music, but it was their first time at a jazz jam session. Blue Bossa worked very well as an ice breaker. I think they played on one other tune. Later, when I asked, "How was your first jam?", they said, "I need to learn more standards!" I suppose that's the key, but it takes time and a list of common standard tunes can be a good place to start. A drummer who I've jammed with for several years on and off at one venue was away for a year studying abroad in London. I asked how's the jam scene there, and they said it's mostly funk, and then noted that in Japan there's about 20 standards that are typically called at jam sessions. Originally Posted by Ahz
I imagine working in a duo with a horn can be fun! Some players here, especially those leaning more toward eventually getting gigs, practice/jam together. Two horn players who came around sessions here often a while back used to practice bop heads together, and then call them at a session and blow the roof off the joint. Similarly, some advanced players bring their students to jams to give them some stage experience, and maybe even join them on stage. These kinds of things make playing at jam sessions unpredictable, sometimes even haphazard, but I suppose that can be part part of the fun, at least it is for me.
I agree, it's about having fun with like-minded people. Sitting out is normal here, to a certain extent. It's not a competition and not band practice, as you say, and that's a good way to look at it. Jam sessions are their own thing and dependent on the social dynamics of a particular group of people in a particular time and place. Laying out became easier once I understood some of the social dynamics at jam sessions. It's a bit complicated at times, since it differs among the four venues I jam at. For the managed sessions in which one gets called up on stage by the host or house band, laying out might mean missing a turn, but in my experience when they call someone up to join them that person gets to call the tune. In the self-managed sessions, if I'm on stage and I've done a couple tunes, I'll take a break, especially if there's another guitarist in the house. I've been going to jams here for several years now, and navigating the terrain got more comfortable over time, though by no means do I have it all figured out. Originally Posted by Ahz
We call by JSB page number here, too, and also by the volume number. I think it's OK to see jam sessions partially as a kind of practice. Lots of people I've jammed with over the years do so. The pianist I mentioned in an earlier post, who seems to be working their way through the entire JSB, does that, although also calls tunes for fun that everyone can play. I don't mind that at all, but to be courteous one should take into consideration who else is at a session. If the house if full, maybe not a good idea to practice a tune. I think some people are good at reading a room and can attune to these dynamics better than others, and that seems be necessary for the self-managed sessions. Originally Posted by Ahz
Muddling through is a good way to put it, I do that when someone calls a tune I've never played. But I turn down my volume and keep my ears open. My spontaneous sight reading of chord charts improved immensely over the years by doing that, and others don't seem to mind, and do it themselves. The more people who know more tunes, at least from where I'm sitting, means more fun playing together. Learning tunes, soloing, comping, etc., in situ through experience at a session seems different than practicing those at home (which is also important), but it does depend on the social dynamics of the venue and the expectations of players, at least in this tiny corner of the world in which I play.
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Does anyone know of any sessions in Fukuoka ? I’ll be there in July and might fancy a play
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