Jam for that Bread

For anyone unfamiliar with the concept of a Jam Session (a jam) it’s essentially the gathering of a bunch of musicians to improvise and make live music together instantly and spontaneously, most of the time based on the collective feeling at that moment. Some jam sessions may do only nothing but original and on the spot music whereas other jams might take a set of cover songs and mould them their own way. Either way, everything is completely improvised and nothing is rehearsed. You could be getting on the stage with a few friends and familiar faces or you’re learning to adapt the power of synergy with complete strangers. There’s a wide range of experience and talent at jam sessions from the newcomers to the part time/full time musicians coming together, typically during the week when everybody isn’t out gigging.  The magic thing about jam sessions is also the chaotic part of them - you don’t know what’s going to happen. When it goes well it goes really well. The musicians and the crowd are all vibing together. And when it goes wrong it can go really wrong to the point where no one is enjoying it. Fortunately I can say I’ve experienced far more of the former than the latter and that's usually down to the presence of someone in that musical circle stepping up to take control before the arse falls out of the session. That can be the session leader, a heavyweight musician and/or the singer on at the time. I’ve been involved in plenty of jams by now to know where I can fit in and when it’s appropriate to be the one to step up and grab the mood by the scruff. A very important lesson I’ve learned and been appreciated for is to give others the space to have their say in the impromptu songs. This is a big mistake you see with amateur singers in particular; singing over solos, spouting nonsense on the mic and not knowing when to stop. Music has to breathe, it has to have space. Something as simple as standing over a mic and after saying your part in the song asking for everyone to quiet down to give the trumpet a solo and switch the vibe for a second goes a long way for the musician you’re giving that spotlight to and it opens up the window to let some of that heavy funk out. Because believe me, if you’re the type to sing away while the horn is doing its thing you’re gonna be getting daggers from them and it's disruptive to the ears of the crowd. Before I continue to give my critiques about the conduct of singers at Jam Sessions as if I'm as innocent as a choir boy when it comes to my own performances let me steer towards the point I'm embarking upon - Jam sessions are a great place to build character and your network!

Jam sessions are nerve wrecking! Stepping up to a microphone with nothing but the thoughts in your head swirling as you do. ‘Will I make it up on the spot?’ ‘Will I sing some lines from my own songs?’ ‘Will I sing some lines from a cover song?’ ‘Will I get the crowd involved at some point?’ ‘Can I get this crowd involved? Can I work with these musicians? Will they listen to my cues? What notes will I sing?’ All of this batting about that peanut shell of a head subconsciously or sometimes consciously and the jitters getting at ya all at the same time. Frightening to some, a rush to others. I would best describe it as a rollercoaster ride in that it might give you the ol’ heebee-jeebies when you’re up there but you be coming off it in good form (if it goes right). All of the thoughts and emotions surrender to the artist in residence of your brain when he steps up to do his thing and then off you go on a rush of creativity (and a little bit of caffeine for me) for your energy to get on up out of yourself and let it dance around with the musicians, the crowd and the air in room until its full out of it - joyfulness becomes synchronised at that point. It’s been a real learning curve for me in how to conduct myself in the presence of other musicians and a crowd but also it’s been key in surviving in music. It’s one thing being able to control a crowd and give directions to the musicians for them to give you your appreciation in return but the capitalising moment is utilising the gratitude to springboard yourself forward from it. Anytime I had a musician I really clicked with at a jam session come up to me and say they liked what I was doing and that I feel the same, the conclusion to the conversation would be a mutual, “Let’s do something together sometime!” An exchange of social media and whatsapp info and you better believe I’m gonna call in that pre agreement to collaborate whether it be in live performance or in the studio - it’s gonna happen. This philosophy is how I get almost all of my gigs. I click with musicians in jam sessions and somewhere down the line we’re performing together. I can say for sure that either directly or indirectly I can trace all of my gigs to date back to jam sessions. The first time I ever went to a full on jam that wasn’t just an open mic of two fellas with a guitar and cajon bleeding out some original songs was when my mate Rory took me to a party in the house of a drummer he knew. We were working together in Odense, Denmark at the time and I was the driver on the night bringing Rory, Bob (both guitar players and singers) and myself to the tip of the island of Fyn that we lived on. On the drive out to Hywell’s place (the drummer) there were nothing but low-cropped fields and the occasional crooked tree that was bent over by the wind in the middle of the fields like an old hag stirring over a cauldron. It was like the Mayo of Denmark. There was mighty craic in the car on the way out but I couldn’t push down the insecurity I had about going there. “Lads, I’m only a singer what the f*** can I do at a jam session?” Rory, being a quick witted one, fired back in an instant, “I suppose you can just sing then.” We pull up to this hamlet full of thatched roof cottages with every second one abandoned and not too far into the place one of them was well lit and full of cars parked out the front of the grass driveway. In we go doing the meet and greets with the ShroomRecords cool cats that we’d seen performing at all the nice gigs around town. Adjacent to the living room was the music room - drums, keys, amps, basses, bass recorders and everything else we needed. Rory and Bob kick things off and I join in with them to start the party and when I started I couldn’t stop till about 4 in the morning. Not bad for a singer who less than 20 minutes before undermined his ability to contribute. After that I got in with the ShroomRecords ones and started gigging with them. We did some pretty nice gigs together with the highlight being Sofar Sounds Odense hosted by Michael Magee. 

The taste for improvising I got from that first jam in Hywell’s place was a catalyst in forming the skill I’ve been sharpening over the past three years since moving to the Netherlands. It’s a level up living in a bigger city like Rotterdam and being so close to Amsterdam. There’s a lot more competition for space in the rental market and the music scene. Going to jam sessions is where you get to sit face to face with your peers and figure out who are the people that are willing to help you move up and get performing and who is just in it for themselves. Not every jam session will be friendly. Not everyone's gonna like what you do either. I’ve come to learn this the roundabout way as opposed to the hard way. I say as opposed to the hard way because along the way I’ve managed to interact with a set of people that when you show them that you’re willing to work or that you’re serious about your craft they will be open and supportive on how you can progress. With gigs you’re often supported by the fact that a song has structure and that with that in mind should you be a little off or slip up that the band will catch you with the structure in mind. However, with jams you’re at a great risk of falling and people seeing you fall without that support. The musicians and other singers on stage don’t know you; they don’t have to have your back at all times. Not too many will set out to see you fall horrifically on stage because of the understanding that if you drive someone to fall then it looks bad for everyone. Thankfully I can say I haven't witnessed that level of collective self-sabotage. Not to be putting anyone off either at this point but just an awareness that jams can often have a high stakes mentality, particularly when the level of musicianship is higher. In saying that, the true pros play so well to accommodate all levels that the consistency of music during a session won’t dip because of how well they control it. What I would say to singers or musicians in general who are looking to improve how to interact with a variety of people on and off the stage is to dive right into the deep end and try out as many different jam sessions to see where you fit in, where you can bring your expressive self out with more confidence and where you find the people you feel together you can lift each other up. Living in the Randstad area of the Netherlands brings with it a luxury of choice in that there are different levels of sessions and open mics around for you to find your feet in. I’ve been involved in some really nice ‘safe space’ jam sessions that give opportunities specifically to those who can be a little stage shy, a chance to perform with professional musicians who know how to support a new artist and make them feel comfortable. This is a very good starting point if you’re low on confidence because you’re not the only one there feeling that way. And the great thing from that is you see communities being formed within the music scene of these formerly timid people getting together and collaborating and expressing themselves more openly. What I will say and have said to friends within those circles is don’t be afraid of taking those training wheels off and jumping into the deep end of higher level jams where the supporting environment isn’t guaranteed. This is where you start to build the confidence and strength you need to actually direct music in the way you hear it playing out in your head. This is where you find the type of people who can get you gigs, who you can gig with, who you can grow with. If something in you is itching at you to get on the stage and give your two cents at a jam then you get up there and scratch that itch! Next thing you know you’re being paid for it. And being paid for enjoying yourself - you can’t be bad to that!

Oh and not to forget - Let the music breathe…