Etiquette

I run the Jam to provide a friendly place to perfect the art that is Jazz and to network with other jazz musicians and, most importantly, to have fun playing music. Everyone is welcome to come down and play and/or listen.

One of my other goals is to have a place where all jazz musicians can come together and feel like they are part of a community. I take great pride in providing a forum where all musicians, regardless of their level of proficiency, can come together to play, listen, enlighten, learn, teach, discover or just hang out.

But, there are some ground rules. I grabbed most of these from other websites and added a few of my own. These will change as the jam evolves:

Always follow the host's directions, please.

NEVER get on the stage unless you are invited. This can be particularly annoying when I call up one or two horn players and then four others jump up to play on their favorite tune.

Be patient. After you introduce yourself, trust me, I'll call you up. I try my best to get people up in the order that they have shown up but this can require patience if you play drums and there are five drummers waiting.

You can sometimes learn as much from listening as you can from playing. Be polite and listen to other performers.

Be social. Introduce yourself to other players using your FULL NAME, even if it's not the first time you've met.

Everyone on the stage should agree on what tune to play, how to play it and who has the first solo, before counting it off. Be considerate of the level of proficiency of each players on their instrument.

Let's try to do this without music or stands on stage; Learn some tunes that you love, and do them.

Be aware of what tunes have already been played. There's almost nothing more embarrassing than calling "Stella by Starlight" when it was JUST PLAYED!

Guitar players and piano players should be considerate when playing together. Please communicate clearly before and during the tune who will be "comping" behind soloists. Seasoned players can do this at the same time but you must listen closely so that you don't step on each other. Too many cooks spoil the stew!

Horn players: Please be considerate of the rhythm section. Many drummers and bass players would like to take a solo so be sure to communicate with them before "taking the head out."

Horn players should also be considerate of singers. It is an important and rare skill to be able to play tastefully behind a singer. Many times, horn players will play WAY TOO MUCH and drown out the melody. Listening to singers is also important because you have the chance to learn the words to standards which is crucial in learning how to interpret melodies.

Be humbled by your instrument.

There might be times when more well-known players will come in to hang out. Please show some patience if I happen to call them up before you. Also, this is an opportunity for you to meet and interact with them. But, on these occasions, please don't try to turn this into your chance to audition for them. Be yourself and play like yourself.

Only play an instrument on which you are proficient. If you are a pianist who plays some drums, you'll only embarrass yourself and alienate others if you get up there and hack at it.

Have several tunes that you can choose from to play. You may have been "shedding" Giant Steps all week but maybe not everybody is into playing that (or can hang).

Don't be a solo hog. Say what you have to say in as few choruses as possible.

If you don't know the tune, don't solo.

Don't cut another soloist off by jumping in.

Know when to sit down and chill out and enjoy the other players.

Have respect for the ideas of the other by not 'doodling' around on your ax when they are playing.

"Riffing" behind a soloist rarely works.

Remember the solo order so when trading comes up, everybody gets a turn.

If there is more than one horn present, don't all play the melody in unison. Use different harmony parts and chord tones to create interest (or lay out).

When playing a Ballad, split up the choruses in half so the tune isn't an hour long.

Don't insist on staying up on stage all night. Play your 3 or 4 songs and make room for the other soloists who haven't played yet.

Never be critical of another person on the bandstand. If you have something to say to someone about their pitch, tone, sense of time, or what ever, wait until the break.

Don't call tunes in order to impress somebody. No one wants to hear Carla Bley Tunes with no Bar Lines performed at the speed of Cherokee. Or Anthony Braxton tunes performed with a polka feel.

Don't judge other people's tunes. If you hate the song Stella by Starlight, instead of complaining about it, go sit down and take a break.

As a horn player, when the singer sings don't play. It's ok to fill in between their phrases as long as it's done tastefully.

Use space. Don't play every Jamie Abersold lick that you know in the first three minutes. Save some ideas for later.

Be Mature. A jam is supposed to be about mutual respect for all the players regardless of ability, and not just a cutting contest. There is no room for "higher, louder, faster" types of players who want to show off.

If the person ahead of you just took 8 choruses on the blues, don't try to "better" him by playing more if you have nothing to say. In cases like this, I usually intentionally contrast the long solo by playing only 1 chorus.

Play in tune with each other. Don't have the attitude that "I'm right, everyone else is Flat".

Practice your scales and exercises at home, not at the Jam.