Posted: Thu Nov 20, 2014 4:56 pm Post subject: Jam Sessions
I have been going a while to the local jam session around where I'm from (Roger Humphries leads it), and I finally sat in on a blues tune. But I have a few questions about jam session etiquette and jazz in general.
1.) What are some tunes that are necessary for the young jazz musician to learn, and what are some that are good to play at jam sessions?
2.) What is the best method for learning and memorizing tunes and their changes?
3.) When playing a standard, There Will Never be Another You for instance, who would play the head? And what would the other front person play?
4.) As a new player, is it acceptable to call tunes, or do you need to wait until you have a big enough repertoire to play tunes that are called?
How did it go with the blues tune? The thing about jam sessions is learning from watching, and playing. The answers to some of your questions will come from what you've been doing- go to the session, pay attention to what the other players are doing, what tunes they do.
1.- tunes- lots of people use the Real Book. Learn some blues, minor blues, rhythm changes. Learn some standards- you mentioned There will Never Be... that's a good example.
2. Practice. Learn it by sight reading, play with a metronome- then try to play from memory. If you have guitar or piano skills, play the changes on that to get it in your head- if not, play the chords as quarter notes
3. You're a trumpet player- play the melody! Of course it helps to play in unison with a sax, etc.
4. If you're new, let the leader ask you what tune you'd like. If they call one you don't know, just sit that one out. It depends on how big the session is, if they know you, etc. If there's just a couple of horn players, it's different than if there's a row of guys just waiting to get in 1 chorus.
The best way to learn etiquette is to go along without your instrument one or two times and watch and listen to what happens. In general you will agree on a tune amongst the musicians on the stand, the horns play the head in unison and each will play two or three choruses solo. The number of solos and tunes you get to play depends on how well you played and how many people are waiting to play. If there are others waiting or if you bombed in your solo out it's usually a good idea to sit down at the end of the tune as it is better to go voluntarily than be asked to go.
Write down all the tunes that get called and any you don't know should be the first ones on your list to learn (if you don't know the name of the tune, ask someone else in the audience or one of the musicians once they come down from the stand).
Be aware that some tunes get played in different keys (e.g. some play Green Dolphin St in the original key of concert C, while others play it in Eb a la Miles).
I used to learn tunes from the real book, but now whenever I am confronted with a new one I transcribe it from a recording (though I donīt write it out). I usually check the changes with the book once I am done, but am starting to get the hang of hearing them too. I also try to transcribe solos (or at least solo extracts) if I have time to give me some ideas of how to play over the changes. I find this method works much better for me as then I am not reliant on the book and learn the tunes more thoroughly. It does take a bit longer the first time you do it, but it is well worth the effort.
Best of luck,
Rob _________________ Schagerl Sig. James Morrison
Selmer Paris Chorus 80J
Joined: 15 Sep 2004 Posts: 3131 Location: West Virginia
Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2014 3:07 pm Post subject:
Roger, Max, and Dewayne are some bad CATS!!!! A lot of learning can take place from guys like them!!!! _________________ Freelance Performer/Teacher WV, PA, MD, and OH http://www.neil-king.com
Yamaha NY Bb, Adams F1 Flugelhorn, Schilke P5-4, Stomvi Eb/D Elite, Bach C 229 bell 25A, York Monarch cornet.
Joined: 15 Feb 2005 Posts: 2815 Location: Coarsegold, CA
Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2014 5:32 pm Post subject:
Be careful about the etiquette. It may be different from region to region.
A recent TH thread described a NYC jam session at which a player was purposely humiliated and chastised by the person running the session because he brought in an electronic device from which he was reading the changes.
I recently attended another session in California where everyone in the rhythm section had their iPads on the stand, no apologies. They sounded great!
Be careful! Jazz musicians can be unpredictable. Warm and fuzzy is not always the thought of the day.
Joined: 14 Nov 2001 Posts: 2368 Location: SF Bay Area
Posted: Fri Nov 21, 2014 8:58 pm Post subject:
It's good that you understand how to play a standard. Nothing lamer than two horn players reading Autumn Leaves from a fake book.
I advise my students to know their tunes. Don't show up at a jam with a book.
As far as calling tunes, be prepared to call some. Eventually you will get asked to. I suggest jazz tunes though over standards. Stuff like Stolen Moments, Sugar, Well You Needn't, etc. is cooler for cats to play than standards. We play enough standards on casuals.
In other words, what is meant by "Sugar" is a completely different jazz standard (or THREE standards) depending whether you go for 1920s jazz, trad.jazz, or mainstream. No wonder we never could understand what is to be played when choosing this.
Too bad he had to spoil the title for the two of the above compositions by this (which is inferior both in its repetitive melodic quality and monotonous harmony reminiscent but not anywhere nearing the art of John Coltrane). He does not (did not) hold the candle neither to Adrian Rollini (first video, bass sax) nor to Frankie Trumbauer (first video, C-melody sax). A great example of the stagnant era which jazz entered by the end of 1960s.
Still, some like this tune which is why it is on the list.
Joined: 02 Aug 2011 Posts: 255 Location: Westminster Maryland
Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2014 1:18 pm Post subject:
EBjazz wrote:
It's good that you understand how to play a standard. Nothing lamer than two horn players reading Autumn Leaves from a fake book.
I advise my students to know their tunes. Don't show up at a jam with a book.
Eb
Ok... I've been to a few sessions and around here I'd definitely say that at least half of the musicians WILL have books... and often those that DON'T bring them end up standing next to you so they can look anyway.
That said I've always heard and wondered why so many think you "have to" have the tunes and changes memorized? I mean you can't be a real jazzer if you can't memorize music well? That seems ridiculous to me... what if you had brain surgery (like I did) and this especially gets in the way of memorization. Can I never play jazz??? Just seems pretty silly that anyone would think this way or put another player down for reading while playing.
Am I missing something? _________________ Adams Gold Brass/Nickel Flugel
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I think it really depends on the nature of the jam. I've played the Friday afternoon jam at Smalls Jazz Club in New York City several times and I've never seen anyone show up with a fake book. In contrast, when the jam is at the local coffeehouse I see fake books all the time.
Personally, I think showing up with a fake book at any jam is OK. The idea is to have fun and the fact that someone brings a fake book doesn't compromise anyone else in the least. _________________ HERMOKIWI
Joined: 26 Jan 2012 Posts: 856 Location: Point O' Woods / Old Lyme, Connecticut
Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2014 3:13 pm Post subject:
HERMOKIWI wrote:
I think it .....
Hope you find this interesting?
I noticed that in your signature at the end of your posts you use the quote,
"The problem with the trumpet is that, when you open the case, you don't know if you're looking at a friend or a can of worms."
In the book "This Horn for Hire" by Warren Vache Sr. about the trumpeter George Pee Wee Erwin life & career Pee Wee relates a story from 1965,....
"Once on a Candid Camera Show (which I worked for a long period), I was sitting next to the great trumpet virtuoso Ray Cresara. He looked at me mournfully as he took out his horn and remarked,
"You know, I'm getting awfully tired of opening this case and never knowing whether I'll find a friend or a bag of worms."
I noticed that in your signature at the end of your posts you use the quote,
"The problem with the trumpet is that, when you open the case, you don't know if you're looking at a friend or a can of worms."
In the book "This Horn for Hire" by Warren Vache Sr. about the trumpeter George Pee Wee Erwin life & career Pee Wee relates a story from 1965,....
"Once on a Candid Camera Show (which I worked for a long period), I was sitting next to the great trumpet virtuoso Ray Cresara. He looked at me mournfully as he took out his horn and remarked,
"You know, I'm getting awfully tired of opening this case and never knowing whether I'll find a friend or a bag of worms."
Thanks for sharing. Where I first heard this expression was from Professor Dennis Schneider. Professor Schneider was, for some 30 years, the Professor of Trumpet at the University of Nebraska.
He and I were guest soloists with the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra and I brought along two vintage Benge trumpets (a Burbank 3X and a Chicago Large Bore). He was telling stories about the days when he took lessons from Eldon Benge (Professor Schneider took the last lesson of the day from Eldon and apparently Eldon liked to adjourn that lesson a little early so he and Professor Schneider could pour some Scotch) and we were talking generally about the difficulties of playing trumpet when he said, "The problem with the trumpet is that, when you open the case, you don't know if you're looking at a friend or a can of worms."
He must have gotten the quote from the source you mention. It's a great quote! I think about it every time something isn't working as well as I'd like! _________________ HERMOKIWI
Joined: 25 Nov 2001 Posts: 5734 Location: Savoy, Illinois, USA
Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2014 8:10 pm Post subject:
If you need to be looking at a sheet after you've heard one chorus, you're really just practicing on stage, wouldn't you agree? _________________ Jeff Helgesen
Free jazz solo transcriptions!
Times change. From what I've seen over the years, it's more or less OK for the rhythm section to use sheet music- after all, you want them to hold it together, right? But you don't see horn players doing that.
Recently I've been reading about early New Orleans, Satchmo's biography, etc. Back then, the guys who read music were considered serious, educated musicians, and the ones who didn't were "fakers" and ear-men.
Joined: 25 Nov 2001 Posts: 5734 Location: Savoy, Illinois, USA
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2014 8:51 pm Post subject:
It's different in different places, and the role of the jam session is different in different places, too.
But comparing what we call a "jam session" today to what was going on 80-90 years ago is probably not useful for folks nowadays (even if it is educational). Most of the people Louis was "jamming" with had no access to formal musical education, so that, in and of itself, was a much different situation than now.
Most serious "jam sessions" nowadays (since 1940?) are usually about working a common core of material (sometimes/often dictated by local influences).
If I'm at a session and someone calls a tune I don't know (or can't dope out in short order), I sit down and listen, and learn the tune, out of respect to the audience, and to the other musicians. If I'm going to sessions where material is routinely not in my wheelhouse, I'll take notes about some tunes I should look at, and be better prepared next time.
If you practice with music in front of you, you're practicing reading music. That's not what it's about - get away from the printed page ASAP and you'll make progress much, much faster (if you practice!). _________________ Jeff Helgesen
Free jazz solo transcriptions!
Joined: 30 Oct 2012 Posts: 1838 Location: Austin/New York City
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2014 9:51 pm Post subject:
jazz_trpt wrote:
If you need to be looking at a sheet after you've heard one chorus, you're really just practicing on stage, wouldn't you agree?
Yep.
In my opinion, bringing your Realbook, or even worse, your iGigBook out to a jam session is the lamest of lame. Doesn't matter what zipcode you're in. Unless you've had brain surgery, just learn the damn tunes. You'll be a better musician for it. _________________ www.mikesailors.com
Joined: 15 Feb 2005 Posts: 2815 Location: Coarsegold, CA
Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2014 8:38 am Post subject:
Mike Sailors wrote:
jazz_trpt wrote:
If you need to be looking at a sheet after you've heard one chorus, you're really just practicing on stage, wouldn't you agree?
Yep.
In my opinion, bringing your Realbook, or even worse, your iGigBook out to a jam session is the lamest of lame. Doesn't matter what zipcode you're in. Unless you've had brain surgery, just learn the damn tunes. You'll be a better musician for it.
I agree that that's the best way to go, and I've been following that rule personally for several years. Like Jeff, I just decline to play on a tune if I don't know it by memory. And, just as everyone says, it gets easier and quicker every time you learn a new tune that way.
I attended a jam session almost every week last Summer. After each session, I made a note all the tunes that were called that I didn't know and made a point to learn them by the following week.
However, it seems to me that a little latitude may be given to hosting rhythm section guys who are stuck up on the stage for the entire session, or most of it. They are expected to play any tune that anyone calls in varying keys. That could be pretty far ranging.
And, is there a difference in taking a little peek before starting the tune, and gluing one's eyes to the chart for the entire time?
Or, am I being too soft on them? Is it easier for guitarists and piano players to commit hundreds of tunes to memory? Is that one of the reasons that horn players are encouraged to play piano too?
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