[Harp-L] Why Blues Jams are Important

[Rick Davis <bluesharpamps@xxxxxxxxx>]

Blues music is kind of like baseball: It is often passed from father to son,
from sister to brother. Without that generational link it will wither. Blues
is oral history… It is three chords and the truth.

Blues jams have been an important tradition nearly since the beginning of
the form, with raucous head-cutting sessions among jazz and blues players in
New York City, and jams from Delta juke joints to Chicago night clubs. The
blues Jam I host on Sundays at Ziggies Saloon in Denver is at the end of a
long, long train of blues relationships, and I expect it will eventually
help pull more boxcars that hook up along the way. Blues jams are about
keeping that train rolling.

One of the things I like best about hosting the jam is encouraging new
players. Playing in front of a crowd can be terrifying, especially the first
time. The newbies who come to the jam and bust out their chops on stage for
the first time are my heroes. Every blues jam has a debt – an obligation –
to nurture the music. That means attracting, helping and inspiring new blues
players.

I’ve seen new and intermediate players blossom over the year and a half I
have hosted the jam at Ziggies. Playing on stage every week with musicians
of all levels, some of them develop a real talent for the music and the
show. A few have moved on to working bands.

Accomplished players frequent the jams to see friends, to try out new chops
or gear, or to just share the joy of playing the music with others. Blues is
a performance art. Practice is just waiting.

One of my goals for every jam is to put together at least one killer feature
set; a set that includes some of the best working pros who drop in, perhaps
backed by members of my band. My main duty as a jam host is to put on a good
show, and that killer set can bring people back to the jam and help inspire
the new players. At jams, aspiring performers pick up riffs and showmanship
and attitude from the more seasoned players. They hear great tunes to add to
their repertoire. It’s about paying it forward. The blues will abide.

Blues jams are about doing a simple thing very well. They are about a shared
understanding – a visceral instinctive joy – for the sound of the Delta, and
Memphis, and Chicago, and West Coast Jump, and all the regional dialects of
the blues language.

A big shout out to my brothers and sisters who host blues jams. It doesn’t
pay much, it is often chaotic, and you have to deal occasionally with drunk
and/or egotistical jerks. But it is service to the blues tradition. It is
helping to keep the blues alive.


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Rick Davis and The Blues AllStars host Denver's best blues jam on Sunday
evenings at Ziggies Saloon.  Ziggies is on 38th Av just East of Sheridan
Blvd.  The music starst at 7pm.  Bring yer axe 'n' Let't Boogie!