The Wednesday Night Jam
I’ve been playing at a regular Wednesday night jam session at the Bluegrass Brewing Company Theatre Square in downtown Louisville for about two months, from 7 p.m. until 11 p.m. or so. It’s a pretty good room to play acoustically (sans amplification), as the structure is L-shaped; we get in the short leg, where we are against two walls, which provides some sonic reflection.
As is the case with jam sessions, we never are sure who’ll be there (or won’t). Sometimes (or maybe even usually), there are far too many guitarists, so that taking turns for solos gets a tad tedious. Other nights, the mix of instruments is varied and solos can be fun. Usually, we have one or two mandolinists (Jon K. or Ray R.). On June 7, there was a one fiddler (Alan B.) and a mandolinist, Larry, who also plays at the Wednesday Bluegrass Jam at the BBC in St. Matthews. In addition, Paul C. brought his percussion instrument (I am not certain of its name) and his wife, Diana, a Flamenco dancer and instructor, who brought along castanets. At one point in the evening, we were treated to a bit of flamenco dancing (though without the dresses, darn it), which went over very well with the audience.
Diana also played the castanets on a tune of mine, “Madman On the Corner,” which I have always thought of as needing a Latin flavor. Boy, did it ever: Diana’s castanets really drove the tune. I’ll have to keep that in mind whenever we get to that part of the recording.
Steve R. was playing an amplified acoustic bass guitar, as bassist Michael P. was home with company. With Paul’s percussion and Steve’s bass-playing, the tunes all got up and moved along much better than they do without a rhythm section.
All together, the June 7 jam was a great deal of fun and the usual learning: Dan R. usually whips out some old country tune that he only vaguely remembers and we all try to fill in the holes. Steve’s wife Debbie also stepped up vocally; the two of them sang several tunes they had either written or worked up, to much applause. Debbie has a very good voice, though she’s a bit shy about singing in public. We’ll cure that.
Jam sessions are really splendid ways to both measure and improve chops; I seldom come away from a jam session without a strong sense of what I need to work on. Fortunately, it’s all fun homework.