I hadn’t played much jazz in my three years of playing the saxophone but a post on the Sax HQ Community page about a ‘jazz jam’ caught my eye. It looked like a good way to try something new and develop my skills…
It was an older post but when I commented on it the discussion quickly reignited and inspired three members to meet up and practice together, a safe space to try things and learn from each other. This gave me enough confidence to book a novice session with ‘Practice Jazz Jams’ at the Vortex Jazz Club in Dalston (thank you Liz and Paul)! This is a great example of how the community element of Sax Bandits helps band members support each other with their development.
How does a jazz jam session work?
The jam session I attended focused on four jazz standards and the group included a drummer, bass, two guitars and lead instruments – two saxophones and a trumpet. The songs were structured the same, starting with the head (the lead melody), then each taking a solo and improvising over the chords, and finally returning to play the head again. In my group we had three lead instruments, sometimes playing the head together and sometimes splitting it. The latter worked well with “I’ll Remember April” as we could individually put our own spin on the melody without clashing with each others interpretations. We also ‘traded fours’, where we would alternate between a lead instrument soloing for four bars and then swapping to a drum solo for four bars.
How do you prepare for a jazz jam session?
I think preparation is important for getting the most out of a session, especially if it is your first time (like me) and you don’t already know the extensive repertoire of jazz standards. I spent most of my time thoroughly learning the head and chord chart for each song in the set list. This worked well as it meant I could keep track of where we were in the song and when it was time for my solo. It also meant I could find my place if I momentarily got lost.
For a first-time novice, Practice Jazz Jams suggest it’s ok to come and just observe, or to focus your preparation on learning one of the songs in the set list really well. It’s worth asking the organisers questions if you’re unsure on anything. On the day, let the others in your group know what you feel comfortable trying and what you want to observe. I didn’t quite understand how trading fours worked to start with but it quickly became clear when I saw it in action!
I learned a great deal from my experience and I think got the balance right of getting involved with as much as possible but taking a step back to observe when I needed to. I will be returning and I’m looking forward to the next one!
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