Playing New improv jam

[Nick Wyver]

I went to a new improvising jam last night. It was great. Not a standard in sight.

It was in Dover, in the basement of a small wine bar called Vinoteq. There’s not a lot of room. It is intended to continue on the second Wednesday of every month.

The idea is that you turn up with your instrument and your name goes in a hat. When it kicks off, 3 names are pulled out of the hat and they get 10 minutes to play whatever they feel like. It continues like this until everyone’s had go and you start all over again.

I took my baritone and got 3 goes. First was with cello and drums. Second was with electronics (synth type thing with ribbon controller) and drums (different drummer) and finished with a quartet with alto sax, cello and swanee whistle.

Great fun.

The wine’s good too.

 

[Pete Thomas]

I went to a new improvising jam last night. It was great. Not a standard in sight.

It was in Dover, in the basement of a small wine bar called Vinoteq. There’s not a lot of room. It is intended to continue on the second Wednesday of every month.

The idea is that you turn up with your instrument and your name goes in a hat. When it kicks off, 3 names are pulled out of the hat and they get 10 minutes to play whatever they feel like. It continues like this until everyone’s had go and you start all over again.

I took my baritone and got 3 goes. First was with cello and drums. Second was with electronics (synth type thing with ribbon controller) and drums (different drummer) and finished with a quartet with alto sax, cello and swanee whistle.

Great fun.

The wine’s good too.

That sounds like such a great jam.

Dover eh? My grandad spent six months incarcerated in the castle.

 

[Nick Wyver]

That sounds like such a great jam.

Dover eh? My grandad spent six months incarcerated in the castle.

I hope he had a room with a view.

 

[Pete Thomas]

I hope he had a room with a view.

Too late to ask him now.

 

[Wade Cornell]

We have a similar jam session set up in Auckland New Zealand. They call it "Vitamin S". You register and there is a "draw" in which three names are notified that they will be playing that week (once a week and also at a wine bar). There are two sessions, so only six players a week with plenty of players available to "substitute". There's just two sets of 1/2 hour each. It gives a bit more time for the players to adjust to each other, relax and get into a groove of some sort.

Most important... NO STANDARDS! You never know who you're going to be playing with or what the mix of instruments will be, so it's a challenge that some (like me) welcome, while others seem to be just satisfied with never having the challenge of playing a tune that they haven't played a thousand times before. It too often sounds like atonal music, yet can also be amazingly fulfilling when the three lock into something unique.

Glad there is something like that for you Nick and that you're enjoying it.

 

[Nick Wyver]

Next one is this coming Wednesday, if anyone’s in the vicinity. I think I’ll take the sop this time.

 

[JSL]

"I hope he had a room with a view"

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3jRtn_pqhk&list=PLOFsCPXqLYfpTkFGrHUoxQ0PuSmbhxRU-

 

[Nick Wyver]

"I hope he had a room with a view"

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3jRtn_pqhk&list=PLOFsCPXqLYfpTkFGrHUoxQ0PuSmbhxRU-

Um… I’m missing the relevance.

 

[JSL]

Um… I’m missing the relevance.

😀 Probably not relevant, but when I read your post (which I found humorous), the "room with a view" part immediately brought to mind that great tune by Johnny Adams. That's all there was to it.

I do think your jam session sounds 'brilliant'.