[Dixielandjazz] Fw: Very good - Add your own!.......

[Rick Knittel]

>From Ron Davisson in Delray Beach; I agree with most of it

Rick Knittel - JAZZBONE
37 Ship Channel Road; South Portland, Maine 04106-5136
Phone; (207)-741-2407; fax 2409; Cell: (207)-233-3480; 
E-mail; Knittelsportland at juno.com



Think of your favorite players and most aggravating players when you 
read this . . ....Although some of us are governed by common sense,  
these rules however true they may be are common sense and shouldn't 
have to be said. 
Jam Session Etiquette 
by Grant "King" Koeller 
Foreword by Harri Rautiainen: 
Mr. Grant "King" Koeller is a contributor to the Saxophone Discussion 
Forum <http://forum.saxontheweb.net>. 
The following Jam session rules have been extracted from one of King's
Forum postings. I am sure you can benefit from his great experience,
too: 



Don't be a solo hog. Say what you have to say in as few choruses as
possible. 
Don't cut another soloist off by jumping in. 
If you don't know the tune, don't solo. Nobody wants to hear a person who
hasn't paid their dues on their horn make a complete fool of himself by
trying to make every one think he knows how to play. 
Don't tell the leader what to do. It's their Jam. Not yours. You can
always get your own jam someday. 
Know when to play. 
Know when to sit down and chill out and enjoy the other players. 
Have respect for the other soloists ideas by not doodling' around on your
ax when they are playing. 
If the other players start to riff behind the soloist, then go ahead and
join in, but remember the balance, don't cover the soloist up. 
Remember the solo order so when fours come up, everybody gets a turn. 
The Bass doesn't need a solo on every tune. 
If there is more than one horn present don't all play the melody in
unison. Use different harmony parts and chord tones to create interest. 
When playing a Ballad, split up the choruses in half, so the tune isn't
an hour long. 
Don't insist on staying up on stage all night. Play your 3 or 4 songs and
make room for the other soloists who haven't played yet. 
Never be critical of another person on the bandstand. If you have
something to say to someone about their pitch, tone, sense of time, or
what ever, wait until the break. 
Never be a mike hog. Always share. 
Don't call tunes in order to impress somebody. No one wants to hear Carla
Bley Tunes with no Bar Lines performed at the speed of Cherokee. Or
Anthony Braxton tunes performed with a polka feel. 
Learn some tunes that you love, and do them. 
Don't judge other people's tunes. If you hate the song Stella by
Starlight, instead of complaining about it, go sit down and take a break.
 
As a horn player, when the singer sings don't play. It's ok to fill in
between their phrases as long as it's done tastefully. 
Use space. Don't play every Jamie Abersold lick that you know in the
first three minutes. Save some ideas for later. 
Be Mature. A jam is supposed to be about mutual respect for all the
players regardless of ability, and not just a cutting contest. There is
no room for "Higher, louder, faster," types of players who want to show
off. 
If the person ahead of you just took 8 choruses on the blues, don't try
to "better" him by playing more if you have nothing to say. 
Play in tune with each other. Don't have the attitude that "I'm right,
Everyone else is Flat". 
When ending a tune, look to the Bass or piano player for signs as to
which type of ending will be used. Is it the 3 times a charm ending? Or
that everybody stops at the same time with tight cut off ending? Is the
rhythm section going to put a turn around at the end and vamp for a while
ending? Turn on your radar. 
For singers at sessions.  Unless you have played with the piano or guitar
player before and have rehearsed particular endings, always try to end a
tune by singing the tonic.  The piano players always want to make the
singer sound good, and that's very hard to do if he has to search for
some "hip" last note that he doesn't know is coming.  If the singer sings
a pretty tonic at the end the piano player knows that he/she is a
professional. 
Horn players trying to play endings behind singers....stay the fuck out
until the chord is established!