How to Approach a Jam Session
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- Опубліковано 21 тра 2014
- A jam session can be a daunting experience for any musician. Vocalists Michael Mwenso and Charenee Wade offer advice for singers who want to take part in a jam session.
Learn more at academy.jalc.org
Charenee Wade - Vocals
Michael Mwenso - Vocals
Eric Suquet - Director
Bill Thomas - Director of Photography
Richard Emery - Production Assistant
Seton Hawkins - Producer
Theme music composed and performed by Eli Yamin.
Recorded May 13, 2013
Charanee Wade is telling the truth. I wished she had talked more. Thank you for making this video available to be seen.
Thanks for the awesome video series! I'd like to note as well that learning some basic hand signals while on stage can really solidify the direction the band takes. You gave great advice on beginning a tune, but also calling solos, understanding the form of the song ( you take the head, piano solos to the bridge, you sing out / or soloist takes the whole form and you come back to the top of the tune) and also calling the end of the song is extremely important in fluidity on stage. Doing jazz/ blues, many of us work with different people all the time, but using the hand to cut the song (raised fist, three fingers to signal a 3x tag at the end, etc) or even basic conductor queues are essential to the instrumentalists!!
I've seen the band leader if it's a horn raise his or her instrument up then down to end.
This is so awesome. The 'and just like that' part got me, I had to re watch lol. Would love to learn from her someday
Thanks for sharing, very informative!
How about instrumentalists learn tunes that vocalists like to play?There's nothing like playing with a great vocalist or listening to one in person. If you can accompany said vocalist, it will teach you so much more about music than playing with a horn player. Heck, even horn players can learn to accompany on the horn (tastefully). It also forces everyone to learn the lyrics (I gotta practice that one!)
I have been to lots of jamsessions. If the musicians are not all that up to scratch it seems they prefer to play "summertime" or in the case of popsessions "Knocking on heaven's door" or "stir it up". A lot of jamsessions are there for the instrumentalists mainly and there's is this certain discomfort that seems to arise when a vocalist asks to join. Also the session leader and/or houseband has to please the owner and keep people from running out of their establishment. Once I waited 15 hours over two nights to get to sing on a jamsession. After those 15 hours on the second night, the session leader said:"The owner doesn't want you to play"
So yeah.. it's a lot of politics too. I mean, when Miles Davis was asked by Barbara Streisand, who was completely unknown back then, if she could sing a song, Miles Davis was supposed to have taken one look at her and have said something along the lines of:"No way, Jose". Now blueshero, Steve Bonemassa was rejected right in front of my nose at a local jamsession by Terry Mann.
I agree on the being prepared stuff though. It just sucks when you're all prepared and they only want to do "Summertime" or "Knocking on heaven's door" because all the other stuff would be "hard".
You mean Joe Bonnamassa?
This is very good. I did a Jazz Jam last week. I was a little hesitant whether I should scat a little through the song. But I didn't because something kept telling no. It went well though after the song.
She’s great! It’d be great with just her