Jam session

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For other uses, see Jam session (disambiguation).

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A jam session is a musical event, process, or activity where musicians play (i.e. "jam") by
improvising without extensive preparation or predefined arrangements. Jam sessions are often used
by musicians to develop new material (music), find suitable arrangements, or simply as a social
gathering and communal practice session. Jam sessions may be based upon existing songs or
forms, may be loosely based on an agreed chord progression or chart suggested by one participant,
or may be wholly improvisational. Jam sessions can range from very loose gatherings of amateurs to
evenings where a jam session coordinator acts as a "gatekeeper" to ensure that only appropriatelevel performers take the stage, to sophisticated improvised recording sessions by professionals
which are intended to be edited and released to the public.
Contents
[hide]

1Jazz

2Afro-Cuban music

3Rock
o

3.1Jam bands

4Bluegrass

5See also

6References

7External links

Jazz[edit]
The phrase "jam session" came about in the 1920s when white and black musicians would
congregate after their regular paying gigs, to play the jazz they couldn't in the "Paul Whiteman" style
bands. Bing Crosby would often attend these sessions, and the musicians would say he was
"jammin' the beat", since he would clap on the one and the three. Thus these sessions became
known as "jam sessions".[1]
The New York scene during World War II was famous for its after-hours jam sessions. One of the
most famous was the regular after-hours jam at Minton's Playhouse in New York City that ran in the
1940s and early 1950s. The jam sessions at Minton's were a fertile meeting place and proving
ground for both established soloists like Ben Webster and Lester Young, and the younger jazz
musicians who would soon become leading exponents of the bebop movement,
including Thelonious Monk (Minton's house pianist), Charlie Parker, and Dizzy Gillespie. The

Minton's jams were legendary for their highly competitive "cutting contests", in which soloists would
try to keep up with the house band and outdo each other in improvisational skill. [2]

Afro-Cuban music[edit]
Main article: Descarga
Influenced by jazz, Cuban music saw the emergence of improvised jam sessions during
the filin movement of the 1940s, where boleros, sones and other song types were performed in an
extended form called descarga. During the 1950s these descargas became the basis of a new genre
of improvised jams based on the son montuno with notable jazz influences pioneered by the likes
of Julio Gutirrez and Cachao. During the 1960s, descargas played an important role in the
development of salsa, especially the salsa dura style.[3]

Rock[edit]
As the instrumental proficiency of pop and rock musicians improved in the 1960s and early 1970s,
onstage jammingfree improvisationalso became a regular feature of rock music; bands such
as Pink Floyd, Cream, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Deep Purple, The Who, the Grateful
Dead, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Santana, King Crimson and the Allman Brothers Bandwould feature
live improvised performances that could last anywhere between 10 and 20 minutes. However, they
can be shorter on the recorded version.
Some notable recorded jams and jam-inspired performances in the rock idiom:

Led Zeppelin live shows almost always contained extended,

improvised solos and long instrumental sections. Notable examples
include "Dazed and Confused" from both The Song Remains the
Same and How the West Was Won both include 3 way jamming for
up to 20 minutes.

The bonus CD of the 25th anniversary of the album Layla and

Other Assorted Love Songs by Eric Clapton's early 70s band, Derek
& The Dominos includes a number of long improvised jams
between members of the group and other musicians, such as The
Allman Brothers Band following the historic first meeting between
the two groups earlier that day. As a result of this jam,
guitarist Duane Allman was invited to join the Dominos after having
recorded only three songs, and he made a major contribution to the
resulting LP.

The Soundtrack for Tonite Let's All Make Love in London features 2
improvised jams titled "Interstellar Overdrive" and "Nick's Boogie"
by early Pink Floyd. The latter is complete improvisation around the
beat of the drums provided by drummer Nick Mason.

The farewell Last Waltz concerts led by The Band in 1976 included
two late-night jam sessions featuring Neil Young, Ronnie Wood, Eric
Clapton, Ringo Starr and others along with members of The Band.
These performances were not included in the film or original
recordings of the concert officially released for the first time as part
of a 2002 box set.

Jam bands[edit]
Main article: Jam band

The third disc of George Harrison's 1970 solo album All Things
Must Pass, titled Apple Jam, features a variety of songs by session
musicians who contributed to the LP.

The Velvet Underground's "Sister Ray", "Some Kinda Love" and

"Foggy Notion", had extensive live versions.

Nirvana's improvised hidden track "Gallons of Rubbing Alcohol Flow

Through the Strip" from the album In Utero (1993), and 'semiimprovised' hidden track from Nevermind (1991).

Liquid Tension Experiment's "Three Minute Warning" from the

album Liquid Tension Experiment was a 28 minute long improvised
jam, the result was so unexpectedly fluent that the members
decided to include it on the release.

"Bluesbreaker" by Brian May and Friends recorded during the Star

Fleet Project and featuring Eddie Van Halen, Phil Chen, Alan
Gratzer and Fred Mandel.

"Voodoo Chile", a track appearing on Jimi Hendrix's album Electric

Ladyland, which would prove the basis for one of Hendrix's best
known songs - Voodoo Child (Slight Return) - is a 15-minutes-long
blues-rock piece with various improvised sections.

Ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John

Frusciante, Fugazi bassist Joe Lally and Red Hot Chili Peppers
guitarist Josh Klinghoffer formed a brief project named Ataxia,
releasing two albums; Automatic Writing and AW II; with lengthy
tracks based largely around improvisational guitar set against a
steady, unchanging bassline and drum beat.

The Who's "How Can You Do It Alone" from Face Dances began as
an onstage jam during performances on their December, 1979, tour
in the United States. In these performances,Pete Townshend, doing
the lead vocal, would improvise the lyric each time out.
Furthermore, Townshend's solo song "Dance It Away" was borne
out of shorter jams on this same tour.

During AC/DC's live act, several songs are extended into 10-25
minute jams, sometimes including a strip tease by lead
guitarist Angus Young. Songs often jammed to are "Let There Be
Rock", "Bad Boy Boogie", and "The Jack."

During Eagles' live concert's for their Hotel California Tour in 1977,
they would jam for the intro of Witchy Woman, causing it to exceed
its original length to almost 10 minutes.

Phish is an example of a "jam band".

More recently, the jam band has become a genre unto itself; following in the footsteps of jam band
originators the Grateful Dead, performances by groups including Phish, moe., Umphreys Mcgee,
and Widespread Panic feature extended improvisational sessions. Other bands, such as the Red
Hot Chili Peppers also regularly perform live jam sessions. Progressive rock band Coheed and
Cambria often end shows with a jam session to their song "The Final Cut" with different instruments.

Bluegrass[edit]

Bluegrass pickin'.

Bluegrass music also features a tradition of jamming. Bluegrass jams happen in the parking lots and
campgrounds of bluegrass festivals, in music stores, bars and restaurants and on stages. Bluegrass
jams tend to be segregated by the skill level of the players. Slow jams for beginners provide an entry
point. Open bluegrass jams are open to all comers, however, the players in an open jam will expect
a certain level of proficiency. The abilities to hearchord progressions and keep time are prerequisite;
the ability to play improvised leads that contain at least a suggestion of the melody is desired. Jams
that require advanced musical proficiency are generally private, by-invitation events.

See also[edit]
Jazz portal

Jamming (dance)

Free improvisation

Free jazz

Freestyle rap

Scat singing

Session musician and Irish traditional music session

References[edit]
1.

Jump up^ "Really The Blues" by Mezz Mezzrow

2.

Jump up^ Giddins, Gary; DeVeaux, Scott (2009). Jazz. W.W. Norton
and Company, Inc. pp. 296298. ISBN 978-0-393-06861-0.

3.

Jump up^ Gerard, Charley (2001). Music from Cuba: Mongo

Santamaria, Chocolate Armenteros, and Cuban Musicians in the
United States. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers. pp. 101126.

External links[edit]

Collaborative website for jam session

Finding Bluegrass (and acoustic folk) jam sessions

Jazz jam sessions in Tokyo, Japan

[show]

Jazz theory & improvisation

[show]

Jazz
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Musical improvisation

Jazz events

Jazz techniques

Jazz terminology

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