jam session etiquette

dennis

i just watched a video of a jam session from samois 2004 (thanks ivan) and i just noticed some stuff that should never happen in a jam session especially when you're playing with top cats (paulus schafer, ritary, etc...)

this guy on the sax just interrupts paulus' solo, you can see paulus is pissed off and he stops soloing, but the sax guy just keeps going for a few choruses with an incredibly boring solo.... then it's paulus' turn but he's a gentleman and let's the guy next to him take a solo... then paulus' turn, being the cool guy that he is, he only takes on chorus so as not to drag the song, then his brother in law takes a solo, same thing one chorus... then ritary comes in, and out of nowhere, this moron joins in on violin and starts interrupting ritary, at the end of ritary's chorus, paulus signals him to take another chorus cuz of the bastard violinist interrupting him...

these things should never happen in a jam session, it just annoys me....

at the same time, people should be more like paulus, totally courteous, not trying to outplay the others; i have even more respect for him after watching this video...

nwilkins

I totally agree - I think Paulus took it pretty good-naturedly as he and Don seem to be laughing about it at the end. Ritary on the other hand did not look pleased...

nwilkins

I think in that instance (a party which was a last big bash for Mary Honcoop) crucifying someone would have been out of place and not in keeping with the spirit of the event. I think they saw it for what it was - rude and ignorant, but not a big enough deal to spoil the night with negativity.

CalebFSU

I saw something happen here at a Jazz jam that mostly consists of students. A couple of Horn players who where quite good but didn't seem to have much experience playing in an informal setting where you really have to be listening and curtious. This is actually something they teach in the dept here at FSU. This one guy who seemed very nice other wise kept blowing over other peoples solos. he would come in half way through a chorus and end in another spot three choruses down the line. I was drinking and not playing during that tune(those things tend to get huge where it is just annoying and no one can hear the guitar anyway) and I remember looking at the faces of these two guys I know from school thinking I hope this dude runs off stage because the way these guys looked crucified would be an understatement.

mitch251

This kind of stuff really sends me over as well, but when you are dealing with large groups it just seems to happen, and no one wants to be the bad guy and say somthing about it. My hope is that any one who isnt Hyper aware of this stuff( meaning being hip about musical ettiquette) will learn a little about it from some of these posts. If folks just keep jumping in and not paying attention the good players will play a little bit , grab their beers and split leaving all the wankers to annoy anyone else who is left

I would imagine that quite a few of us have been through this.I have gotten a little more crusty about this as I age but still hope that people will just get it

Thanks Tom

Cuimean

I thought that there were time-tested ways of dealing with unruly interlopers, such as speeding up the rhythm to a difficult tempo or switching to a more awkward key. Are these techniques not feasible when dealing with a large group of people? Or are the people jamming just pushovers?

Ned Boynton

Up a 1/2 step every chorus helps weed out the men from the boys.

mitch251

'

Up a 1/2 step every chorus helps weed out the men from the boys"

Yea but what do you do with the people who play any
way and stay in the original key? I guess we will have to turn
them over to Homeland Jam security or maybe smite them or somthing.

This reminds me of some one who showed up at a jam with a shakey egg
( a real jam buster in the wrong hands) Someone got tired of it and ask to
try playing it them selves ,It was never heard from again.

I heard similar story about a guitar although it was given back at the end of the evening.

Wankers Beware

George Brock

there would seem to be a total disconnect with this dialogue.

granted I am a newbee to this style of music, but I play chamber music and staight ahead jazz on a pretty regular basis.

I would think that people would watch and listen and respect and if they do not you just stop and have a brief confab. I am sure there will be a concensus of the problem and if the culprits persists you just regroup to another venue. You can shake these wheel suckers pretty easily if you really want.

=={=}

George

mitch251

I would think that people would watch and listen and respect and if they do not you just stop and have a brief confab. I am sure there will be a concensus of the problem and if the culprits persists you just regroup to another venue. You can shake these wheel suckers pretty easily if you really want.

One problem is not everybody in said jam session may know one another
When I am in a loose situation with people I know we keep our heads up and ears open and do all the mystical things that let some one else know its their turn. When you are in a place where there is no leader, and folks are'nt paying close attention it gets pretty sticky. You dont know who you are telling to hush.

As for moving, what about the great view of the river ,the proximty to the
porta pottys and beer. Not to mention depriving some of the players who
were being polite and heads up of a chance to play with some better players .

I am fighting my urge to be a elitist, maybe if we all tell anyone we know when they are being impolite we can weed some of these folks out and help them to be better musicians at the same time.

plankity

mitch251 wrote:

I am fighting my urge to be a elitist, maybe if we all tell anyone we know when they are being impolite we can weed some of these folks out and help them to be better musicians at the same time.

Well, call me a dick if you want -- the first time I met Larry Urbon, I dragged a friend from over an hour's drive to the jam at a open house monthly jam with a half dozen jams at all times. We were happily playing through a manouche set when suddenly, our wonderful little session was set upon by two fiddlers who knew nothing of the repertoire (or even the style) and just began pissing all over what the three of us were doing. After the third tune, I just stopped and told them to leave, to go back to the woodshed and spend a few weeks listening to Florin and Grappelli before coming back. They complied but were very pissed at my forthright manner: Larry laughed and Peter said "they have discussion forums about people like you, Norman, on the internet" - apparently they do.

Really bad etiquette on my part but they were ruining a magical moment (perhaps unwittingly). Since then, I've toned it down.

Beyond that, how about playing choruses through the circle of fifths (always fun and cool way to show off modulation tricks).

Plankity