June 2026 - C Jam Blues

[mr. beaumont]

Thats a damn shame...Ellington is never a joke.

[ragman1]

I think the first repetitive G is supposed to generate a feeling of excitement and expectation. At least, it did when Oscar did it :-)

[GuyBoden]

Thats a damn shame...Ellington is never a joke.

Ellington's superb compositions played well are never a joke, but this simple song played badly in the hands of Hobby players at Jam sessions can be a joke.

[ragman1]

Guy, let's be honest here. I can understand the humour of playing such an (apparently) simple little riff for bars on end. Quite fun. But, as this is an actual jazz club maybe they should know C Jam Blues already.

As for it being a joke, it's as much a joke as one makes it. It's not really a joke, it's a tune that you're attempting to play. A big smile as you launch into the beginning is fun. It only becomes a joke when it's put forward as a performance and fails miserably. Then it's a joke but not particularly the funny ha ha kind :-)

Trefor Evans' reputation precedes him. You're pretty lucky to have him, I'd say. Do you get lessons or tips and hints from him? That would be wonderful.

[John A.]

Ellington's superb compositions played well are never a joke, but this simple song played badly in the hands of Hobby players at Jam sessions can be a joke.

Any song played badly is, if not a joke, um, bad. But I have a hard time wrapping my head around people treating a blues head with a repeating figure as laughable. It's not as if C-Jam blues is the only one (do they sneer at Sonnymoon?), and this sort of repetition usually catches listeners' attention in a good way. It sounds to me like the issue is more with the people at your jam than the material.

[mr. beaumont]

Yeah, anything played badly by hacks is a joke.

But the song is never the problem.

For example, All of Me is trite and old fashioned, right?

[ragman1]

Personally, I'm more used to playing blues in G, F and Bb. Playing in C was more like playing cowboy or country blues so I had to find my way round it, hence these multiple efforts.

This isn't C Jam Blues, it's just a gentle tune with no weird notes, more a preserve than jam. I like it, I think it's nice. A little on the long side but that's an exercise for you.

[joe2758]

Playing in C was more like playing cowboy or country blues so I had to find my way round it, hence these multiple efforts.

What do you mean? why?

[John A.]

Yeah, anything played badly by hacks is a joke.

But the song is never the problem.

For example, All of Me is trite and old fashioned, right?

Not to mention it's the all time best song about dismemberment

[GuyBoden]

Guy, let's be honest here. I can understand the humour of playing such an (apparently) simple little riff for bars on end. Quite fun. But, as this is an actual jazz club maybe they should know C Jam Blues already.

As for it being a joke, it's as much a joke as one makes it. It's not really a joke, it's a tune that you're attempting to play. A big smile as you launch into the beginning is fun. It only becomes a joke when it's put forward as a performance and fails miserably. Then it's a joke but not particularly the funny ha ha kind :-)

Trefor Evans' reputation precedes him. You're pretty lucky to have him, I'd say. Do you get lessons or tips and hints from him? That would be wonderful.

Yes, all of Trefor's disciples are given free tips, hints, encouragement and he sometimes throws in a group lesson. Trefor Owen is a Jazz guitar institution here in the North West.

[ragman1]

Sounds good to me. Has he said anything about C Jam Blues?