Blues jams are not for me....

[EddiePlaysBass]

The most interesting cat tho was a guy sitting at the bar--John Sinclair.

 

The same John Sinclair who played with Uriah Heep and Ozzy Osbourne? Nice ...

[jeremy c]

I think he means John Sinclair, manager of the MC5, leader of the White Panther Party, and general all-around famous radical of the 60's and early 70's in Detroit and Ann Arbor, Michigan.

 

When he and the MC5 lived in Ann Arbor, I would often go to his house to hang out. He had an awesome jazz record collection that I was allowed to listen to.

 

A band I was in once opened for the MC5 at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit and then we jammed together after the MC5 played their set. This was in 1969.

 

In recent years, I have talked with Leni, his wife, and Sunny, his daughter, about a friend we had in common, who died in jail under mysterious circumstances.

 

John Sinclair is still active and I think he lives in New Orleans now. I haven't seen him since I left Ann Arbor in '69.

[JBFLA]

That's the one.

 

in the early/mid 70's I played a gig as a warm-up band for the MC5 in Ypsilanti (just southeast of Ann Arbor). One side was a Rock club and the other was a strip club.

 

We asked the MC5 sound man to ease off on the highs (the PA was ours, with JBL lens HF horns).

 

No such luck - the diaphragms blew in the first 30 seconds. The rest of the night sounded like a big cloth diaper was stuffed in the horn...

 

...MC5 sound man says "Rock and Roll dudes!".

 

We spent the rest of our night at the club next door...

 

 

[Steve Force]

Yes, the John Sinclair that Jeremy and Jim mentioned--the MC-5 manager amongst other things,

[Steve Force]

I think he means John Sinclair, manager of the MC5, leader of the White Panther Party, and general all-around famous radical of the 60's and early 70's in Detroit and Ann Arbor, Michigan.

 

When he and the MC5 lived in Ann Arbor, I would often go to his house to hang out. He had an awesome jazz record collection that I was allowed to listen to.

 

A band I was in once opened for the MC5 at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit and then we jammed together after the MC5 played their set. This was in 1969.

 

In recent years, I have talked with Leni, his wife, and Sunny, his daughter, about a friend we had in common, who died in jail under mysterious circumstances.

 

John Sinclair is still active and I think he lives in New Orleans now. I haven't seen him since I left Ann Arbor in '69.

 

Cool! I wish I was a bit older so that I could have been able to experience that scene. By all accounts the Grande was awesome.

[jeremy c]

Yes, the Grande was awesome. I went there dozens of times and heard many legendary bands.

[Eric VB]

Hard to top talk of the Grande and MC5!

 

Back to topic, though, most jams around here are for amateur musicians. I don't mean that in a derogatory way; I mean most guys who turn up have never been in a working band. They are great for getting your feet wet. For some people an open jam is the first time they get to play on a public stage. For some it is the first time they get to play songs with other musicians.

 

Blues jams are popular because they are very guitar-centric. Since a lot more people play guitar than bass or drums this works out well (at least for the host and venue). You don't need a singer and you only really need one bassist and one drummer to provide rhythm for the countless guitarists.

 

When we were looking for a guitarist to complete our band we went to a blues jam at a VFW hall. As we were waiting our turn you honestly couldn't tell when one song ended and another one started; it all sounded alike. We talked to the host and he pointed out a few guitarists who might be interested so we talked to them and picked some songs we could do long before we were on stage. The funniest part was the ladies serving beer couldn't thank us enough for playing songs (with vocals) they could recognize! (We did find a decent guitarist but he didn't fit the band so we continued to search.)

 

I still think a jam is a good idea to check out possible band mates. At least jammers are willing and able to go out and play music with others in public; that's better than some people on CL.

 

Now I usually go to support a friend's open jam/mic, but I've gone in cold to some others, usually to check out the venues. In that case, though, I usually bring a guitar instead. I just think it's easier to choose and lead the songs (or perform solo).

 

In any case I think it is always key to talk with the host first and let him know your abilities.

[Chad Thorne]

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.

I really don't like jams unless I'm getting paid to run one one. But as for "the bass player just keeps playing the same thing over and over," I sometimes get mine by playing something different and atypical, just to make it interesting, say, the bass line from "Daytripper" (works a treat on a rumba), "Owner Of A Lonely Heart," or "Under Pressure" by Bowie and Queen. Maybe "Give It Away" by RHCP..."You want to 'jam,' you guitar weenie? Jam on this!" lol

 

I recommend it. Find your own, make it fun! If somebody complains that it's "not the right bass line," I reply, "It's a jam. I'm jamming."