Ross Brown Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 Played a blues jam last evening. Was invited to come by a local guitar player. I played 4 songs. One I never heard before. One I never played before (Sell my Monkey). I enjoyed the challenge and I played ok. I can do better, but I was ok. The people were dicks. I felt like I am not in the club. Never again Just wanted to vent. What is your experience at blues jams? "When I take a stroll down Jackass Lane it is usually to see someone that is already there" Mrs. Brown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picker Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 Took a while to get used to them, and sometimes I don't want to go to them. I get tired of (sometimes) hearing much less than inspiring renditions the same old I-IV-V tunes, trying to play with people who don't know how, the occasional ego overblown for no good reason, and hanging out in bars. But I've gotten good out of them too. I have made some good contacts through blues jams who have called or referred me for paying gigs. And, I have made some friends that I enjoy hanging with at them as well. Plus, I believe I can say that after a few years of doing them, I'm pretty well-known and respected as a guitarist & singer in the KC blues scene, and that's a nice feeling. So, it's kind of a trade off to me. But sometimes, I'd just as soon not. Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groove Mama Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 Played a blues jam last evening. Was invited to come by a local guitar player. I played 4 songs. One I never heard before. One I never played before (Sell my Monkey). I enjoyed the challenge and I played ok. I can do better, but I was ok. The people were dicks. I felt like I am not in the club. Never again Just wanted to vent. What is your experience at blues jams? Oh, swell. I was seriously considering attending my music studio's student jam tomorrow night after my lesson. Now I am seriously reconsidering. Queen of the Quarter Note "Think like a drummer, not like a singer, and play much less." -- Michele C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picker Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 Aw, Nancy, go give it a try, you might have fun. Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 I hate going to jam sessions. It's all about the soloists and the bass player just keeps playing the same thing over and over. Blues sessions are like this and so are jazz sessions. I like playing with friends, but even though a friend of mine runs a lot of sessions, I never go. Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddiePlaysBass Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 Funny. I auditioned for Dusty Dollar by means of a blues jam. That was the first time I ever attended one, and I think I only did one or two more of those. What I noticed was people tended to play the same tunes each time. One of the guitarists of that band now plays in the house band of a club that hosts monthly jam sessions, and he says that everyone always wants to jam on the same tunes... I won't dismiss it, and if I have some more free time to spend I may attend a few (at least now I know where they are held) but it is not on top of my list of priorities. "I'm a work in progress." Micky Barnes The Ross Brown Shirt World Tour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michele C. Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 I remember something like twenty minutes of Knocking on Heavens Door with a guitarist who called that song each and every night. Bassists fled like birds after a gunshot as soon as he entered the jam. Jazz jams can be similar, with saxophone players in place of guitarists, I remember a drummer who said (with lightnings of hate in his eyes) "if he is going to play one more chorus, I will throw my sticks at his back". -- Michele Costabile (http://proxybar.net) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groove Mama Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 ... the bass player just keeps playing the same thing over and over. On second thought, this might be right up my alley, skillwise! Queen of the Quarter Note "Think like a drummer, not like a singer, and play much less." -- Michele C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Brown Posted June 27, 2013 Author Share Posted June 27, 2013 ... the bass player just keeps playing the same thing over and over. On second thought, this might be right up my alley, skillwise! I tried to mix it up... after I got bored. No response. I tried to up the tempo/feel on Thrill is Gone... after the endless soloing at end... no... we just drudged along... I didn't really mind if they didn't like my playing or whatever. Like I said, it was fine... nothing to write home about, but fine... There just was no personal interaction... and yes, I tried to get it started.... nothing. One guy actually turned his back on me.... there was a day when that would have been a very bad thing.... now it is just dumb. One other bass player there. He was decent.... and apparently the favorite.... he got the rest of the night. Never another invitation to come back up. This is just not my thing.... "When I take a stroll down Jackass Lane it is usually to see someone that is already there" Mrs. Brown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenfxj Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 I went twice with friends. It was fun for the first half hour or so until you realize that you're just there for others to solo over you. Still, if the company is good I could think of worse ways to spend an evening. Push the button Frank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcadmus Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 I've had mixed experiences with them -- really depends on the luck of the draw for who you end up performing with. I've had some great times doing this, some real trainwrecks, and a lot in between. Was more social and networking for me than anything else. "Tours widely in the southwestern tip of Kentucky" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Gollihur Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 I went twice with friends. It was fun for the first half hour or so until you realize that you're just there for others to solo over you. Still, if the company is good I could think of worse ways to spend an evening. +1 It's a pain to have to wash off all the guitar jizz after jams, but that's our role. That said, it can be fun to interact with the drummer and try to make little rhythmic changes, even subtle ones, to static play by getting them to follow your lead. Also fun to echo some guitar action, even if it's just a way to alleviate the boredom and figure out how you can incorporate some melodic bits into your rhythm lines. IMHO, if all we do is repeat the same backing line, verse after verse, and get bored, it's our own fault. 1000 Upright Bass Links, Luthier Directory, Teacher Directory - http://www.gollihurmusic.com/links.cfm [highlight] - Life is too short for bad tone - [/highlight] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Brown Posted June 27, 2013 Author Share Posted June 27, 2013 I went twice with friends. It was fun for the first half hour or so until you realize that you're just there for others to solo over you. Still, if the company is good I could think of worse ways to spend an evening. try to make little rhythmic changes, even subtle ones, to static play by getting them to follow your lead. yes... I tried.... to no avail..... "When I take a stroll down Jackass Lane it is usually to see someone that is already there" Mrs. Brown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicklab Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 The quality of a jam is totally dependent on who is on stage with you. And I've been there when the guitarists/soloists look at you and the drummer as the musical equivalent of an athletic supporter. That's just not cool. And there are also the trainwreck players. The ones who are really eager, but are musically out of their depth. In those cases you wind up struggling just to hold things together. It really boils down to finding a good scene with players who listen and appreciate all of what's going on around them. I've been really fortunate in that regard. I know a lot of good players who listen and want some serious interplay between everyone onstage. I know loads of guitar players who want me to stretch things out because even THEY get bored with the same old forms. Occassionally something happens that's surprising and great. But in order to make that happen you've got to be around other great players. Obligatory Social Media Link "My concern is, and I have to, uh, check with my accountant, that this might bump me into a higher, uh, tax..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcadmus Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 And to your point, Ross, they can be a little clique-y -- the "regulars" get the best playing slots and newbies are lumped with each other. "Tours widely in the southwestern tip of Kentucky" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lug Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 They are a great place for new players to get over stage jitters. You can stop now -jeremyc STOP QUOTING EVERY THING I SAY!!! -Bass_god_offspring lug, you should add that statement to you signature.-Tenstrum I'm not sure any argument can top lug's. - Sweet Willie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Force Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 They can be a fun way, in a non threatening situation, to size up some potential band mates. Steve Force, Durham, North Carolina -------- My Professional Websites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Brown Posted June 27, 2013 Author Share Posted June 27, 2013 They can be a fun way, in a non threatening situation, to size up some potential band mates. was thinking that..... not these doh wadds though.... or is it dough wads? "When I take a stroll down Jackass Lane it is usually to see someone that is already there" Mrs. Brown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicklab Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 So, search out some other jams. Great players are out there. Hell, one jam I know in New Jersey has drumming legend Bernard Purdie checking in on a regular basis! Granted, he probably won't be at your local jams. It's just a matter of getting the right players assembled. Obligatory Social Media Link "My concern is, and I have to, uh, check with my accountant, that this might bump me into a higher, uh, tax..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wally Malone Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 In the late seventies I got to follow Paul Jackson at a jam session. I was happy that I played great that night. Nick is right about not knowing who may show up at a given jam. Wally I have basses to play, places to be and good music to make! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul K Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 I'm not bashful (really?) about asking for a solo at the blues jams. But yes, you've often got to ask. And for the songs, I make a point of doing the riff with the guitar player and after a few choruses of solos I switch it up (Yes, Mr. Drummer; I'm lookin' at you!) and then when the melody comes back in I go back to the original riff. It makes it more interesting. If it's a silly long jam, I'll go back to the riff a couple times just so people don't forget about it. You kiss some frogs, though. Keep a sense of humor and then even those train wrecks aren't so bad. That, and what Lug said. It's not like they'll ever kick you out of a blues jam. So Mama: get off the couch. Plus, they have beer there, don'cha'know. Things are just the way they are, and they're only going to get worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bottom End Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 ... the bass player just keeps playing the same thing over and over. On second thought, this might be right up my alley, skillwise! There might be something to that, by playing something over in over in front of people, you can get pretty comfortable. I think a lot of the great blues bass players got their "pocket" from cranking it out night after night playing, not learning licks in their bedrooms. If you want to hear a great blues bass player who is in the pocket but all over the groove in ways you might not have considered, listen to Johnny B. Gayden with Albert Collins, some of his best work is on the album "Showdown" with Collins, Johnny Copeland and Robert Cray. I started playing bass in the '80's during that short period of time when guys like SRV (Tommy Shannon on Bass) and Robert Cray (Richard Cousins, an expert at make simple but tasty and just right bass lines) were being played on regular radio, it made me dig into the original blues bassists like Jerry Jemmott with BB King, Willie Dixon (I got to see him live during a documentary performance) and several others. Blues bass doesn't have to be the same old thing. IF worse comes to worse, study up on Ed Friedland's cloumns about outside-the-box blues :http://www.bassplayer.com/article/blues-you-can-use-jack-meyers---outside-the-box/150874 and http://www.bassplayer.com/article/blues-you-can-use-funkin-it-up/149865 "Call me what instrument you will, though you can fret me, yet you cannot play upon me.'-Hamlet Guitar solos last 30 seconds, the bass line lasts for the whole song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZZ Thorn Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 I used to try and go in there with one totally off-the-wall idea for a jam and just do it. Like I did Parliament's "I call my baby pussy" riff one time - the drummer was open to it but the guitarist fought and fought but finally got on board. Then it morphed into the main "Frankenstein" riff so the locals (the ones who recognized it, LOL) were pleased. It wasn't always pretty, but it sure beat playing Mustang Sally. Jams are always fun at least some of the time. I am sans band now so I'll probably have to go back to kicking out the jams. http://www.myspace.com/themoustachioed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Brown Posted June 28, 2013 Author Share Posted June 28, 2013 a minor thing, but maybe not... we got three songs... then asked to do a forth. At no point (before, during or after) did anyone ask me 1. What did I want to play? 2. Did I want to sing any?... I could have spoken up but I was learning the landscape. The other rudeness and lack of respect and lack of the warm fuzzy feeling I was expecting amonst musicians having fun on a Tuesday night (by choice) was the main problem. "When I take a stroll down Jackass Lane it is usually to see someone that is already there" Mrs. Brown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul K Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 That's right, Ross. You've got to blow your own horn. They're used to bass players being sheep. Demand to be seen and heard a couple times and they'll come to expect it from you. Things are just the way they are, and they're only going to get worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picker Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 Hey, wouldn't you think a person who shows up regularly and plays nice with others ought to get the chance to play with the good players, as opposed to getting stuck over and over with the ones who haven't proven themselves, or have proven themselves to be at least a little below par? That's paying you're dues, and a host band should take that kind of thing into account. Ross, all due respect to you, but you walked into that jam for your first time. Did you expect them to roll out a red carpet? It sucks, but everyone has to prove themselves in a new situation. If you didn't get to play with folks who gave you your due, maybe you'll do better next time, if you give it a bit more of a chance. Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Brown Posted June 28, 2013 Author Share Posted June 28, 2013 I hear you Picker. No, I did not expect anything but simple respect as a person. I did not get it. I know that walking into a jam I have never attended before could bring anything, including not getting to play or playing way late with bad players... it wasn't about that. I am actually very easy going, despite the way I may seem here... I like people and enjoy all types of personalities... expect disrespect. I don;t mean to make more of this than it was.... I was just fishin for others experiences and sharing my disappointment.... The fact that I am a killer bass player and no one worshipped me is something I can get over... "When I take a stroll down Jackass Lane it is usually to see someone that is already there" Mrs. Brown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicklab Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 Blues jams definitely have the potential to be clique-ish. I've been to enough to know that's part of the deal. Guys who are established on that scene generally want to play with people they know and like. But it also is something of a meritocracy. If you show that you can play (and hang), then things develop from there. For me? It took years of going to one particular blues jam. I learned a lot from the other players, and they came to realize what I could do. And like Wally said, you never know who's going to show up at these things! In my case, there have been some notables. Like? I got to play with Wild Jimmy Spruill, the guitar player who played on the first recorded version of "Kansas City". Another guitar player I've jammed with a number of times over the years is an NYC scene regular who has some grammy nominations under his belt and has played with Toni Braxton, Dr. John and Blood, Sweat & Tears. On a few occasions I got to jam with Wayne "Tex" Gabriel, who played with John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Stevie Wonder and others. And I've come across other players like former NY Yankees CF Bernie Williams, who is one hell of a guitar player! It takes time to get into a scene and get known. But once people come to know that you can play, they tend to remember you. Obligatory Social Media Link "My concern is, and I have to, uh, check with my accountant, that this might bump me into a higher, uh, tax..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 So, search out some other jams. Great players are out there. Hell, one jam I know in New Jersey has drumming legend Bernard Purdie checking in on a regular basis! Granted, he probably won't be at your local jams. It's just a matter of getting the right players assembled. And if I had been there, I probably wouldn't have got to play until after Pretty Purdie left the stage. I told him once (at a NAMM show) that it would be my dream to play with him (even have a picture somewhere which would be hard to find) and he said, "I can't do it without the bass player". Very nice guy. Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Force Posted July 2, 2013 Share Posted July 2, 2013 You never know who shows up to musical events. I was at one (more keyboard-centric) such event in Detroit and several notable musicians dropped by and sat in--many pro touring sidemen. The most interesting cat tho was a guy sitting at the bar--John Sinclair. Steve Force, Durham, North Carolina -------- My Professional Websites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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