Experience Something New, You Might Even Like It

The past two Sunday evenings I've been doing something I haven't done much before; putting my name on the signup sheet and going up to play at a jam band session. Sure, I've jammed with buddies at our homes, at some open mic nights, or after a rehearsal was over (we used to do a lot more of that kind of thing in God's House Band, maybe we should restart that tradition.)

The last two Sundays I've gone into Denver to sit in and play with the Acid Jazz Jam. To be fair, it wasn't a completely cold turkey jamming experience; I'd jammed once before with the Acid Jazz Jam maybe 2 or so years ago in Colorado Springs. Plus, I know most everyone in the band, particularly Michael Reese (who writes for Guitartropolis.com), Kim Stone (of Sypro Gyra and The Rippingtons fame), Tommy Gallagher and Wayne Hammerstadt. So it was definitely a friendly atmosphere in which to go up on stage and jam.

The first Sunday I played was a much different experience than the second Sunday. That first Sunday was fun, but it was also a loud-fest. Everybody (the jammers, not the Acid Jazz Jam players) was playing with volume  knobs at 11. Playing quieter meant turning around long enough to ensure your volume was still at 11, and then going right back to playing at 11. Even Kim Stone, who gives direction to the jammers on stage for entering, soloing, when to bring it up and when to end, had trouble getting the jammers to respond to even basic directions. None the less, it was still a very fun experience overall and I had a good time, though I have to say I felt pretty nervous and not as confident in my playing that night. I felt I played okay, but at that constant volume level, there just wasn't a lot of space to play in.

Last Sunday night was a very different experience. The jammers we much more attuned to Kim's instructions and generally did a much better job of listening, both to him and to their fellow jammer bandmates. Strangely enough, I was the only guitar player who signed up so I got play on all the jam songs. All of the pros in the Acid Jazz Jam were very supportive and very complementary of what I contributed. Tommy, Wayne, Kim and Michael consistently described my style as very melodic, with some of my solos sounding David Gimour-ish. To me, both comments are very high complements, and are very much what I'm shooting for (sometimes intentionally, and at other times I'm just lucky and it just happens that way.)

The dynamics of everyone's playing created a lot of space, and for a guitar player, that's fantastic. Not because you want (or should) rush in and immediately fill up that space with overbearing "look at me!" guitar playing. Rather, it opens up the possibilities for you to play nice, little tasty tidbits, or simple open sounding two/three/or-four note chord tones that add color and texture, not massive density. Then your soloing can more easily float on top of and mingle with the sounds of the band. It's one of the most pleasurable experiences when it happens that way. At one point we had four electric guitar players up there (Michael, Tommy, Wayne and myself), which was a real treat and is something I'd never done before. All of those experiences are what made the evening fun, and I have the band members and the other jammers to thank for creating such a great vibe to play in. You couldn't ask for much more in a jam type of setting.

Oh ya, and the nice complements the guys paid me...that's hugely motivating for me. It adds to my confidence and also says to me that guys who I respect enjoyed and appreciated what I contributed. They appreciated what I had to offer and it didn't matter that I'm not at their playing levels (most of the guys are full time, or pretty close to fulltime, professional musicians and have been playing guitar a lot longer than I have.) Most importantly, all of them are not only very personable, they are cool guys to hang with, or play with, or both. Egos at a minimum, which I think is the sign of a true professional.

There's one more Acid Jazz Jam night next Sunday (9:00pm-12:00am, at Dulcinea's on Colfax) in Denver, before the band pickups back up with their regular weekly gigs at the Ancient Mariner in Manitou Springs, CO. Trying something new has turned into a very enjoyable experience, and I hope some of my other friends will come down and join in on the fun.

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