[Harp-L] Blues jams

["Steve Power" <stevepower@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Some good points have been made regarding how hosts/traffic cops can affect 
the quality of blues jams and thus how they are viewed by the general bar 
going public.  One thing that hasn't been mentioned is preferential 
treatment towards players that aren't necessarily pros or names but just 
happen to know somebody and be in the club.  Too often players outside the 
clique are left waiting while others are called up out of turn, not on the 
list at all, called up multiple times, or allowed to exceed the song limit 
imposed on everyone else. If you're Charlie Musslewhite or Buddy Guy, fair 
enough. Joe the Plumber is another story.

On the odd occasion when the subject of jams has come up most of the pros 
and semi-pros I have talked to have the same opinion, they don't bother 
because it usually sucks, the exception being special events.  If you put 
off the quality players then the overall presentation is going to be 
substandard and both those who know the blues and those that are new to it 
are going to be believe that local blues is a hackneyed and boring form, 
they're not going to support unknown local acts, and blues will stagnate.