[Dixielandjazz] Sitting in and jam sessions

[Gary Kiser]

Bob, Mike, Fellow Listmates,

Just a couple of thoughts on the subject...

I too am not one to ask to sit in with another band. However, I seem to 
have attained enough notoriety (at least, here in France) that when I 
arrive at a concert, someone in the band generally asks me if I have my 
ax. If I am so equipped, I am generally glad to play a couple with the 
hired band.

I too am squeamish about letting folk that I don't know sit in with my 
band(s). When a known musician is in the house, it can be fun to invite 
them up for a couple of tunes during the last set.

To summarize, I do not ask to sit in myself, but don't think it is a bad 
thing to ask. However, if you do ask to sit in and are turned down, you 
should respect the decision and not get you nose bent out of shape. Sit 
back and enjoy the show.

Jam sessions are a different element entirely. Jam session are where 
most of us cut our chops. Here, more seasoned musician can and should 
help along those a little green behind the ears. Alas, jam sessions can 
draw that occasional wanker that thinks he/she is much hotter than 
he/she is. They honk and tweet thinking they are showing off some 
extreme technique whereas they are stinking up the evening for everyone. 
And, I'm sure, the lay person in the audience knows the difference. The 
timid newbie that tries to copy (with varying degrees of success) the 
seasoned musicians can be very enjoyable to hear in their way. Whereas, 
the arrogant hack that doesn't give a shyt what the others are doing 
just ruins everything for everyone. The latter jammer can keep my horn 
in its case.

I learned most of what I know (for what that is worth) from 12 years of 
sitting in with Rosy McHargue. He was a giant. He gave direction to 
myself, Dan Levinson, Keith Elliott, Dick Miller, John Contos (wherever 
he is today) and others. But, his generosity was ushered by our respect. 
He trusted us in that if we didn't know the tune, lay out. If most of 
his sit-ins were like the jam sessions hack mentioned before, I don't 
think Rosy would have mentored so many musicians.

I too need to applaud Mike Vax for his mentoring. I do recall playing in 
a Stockton festival jam session when I was 18 or so. I had been sitting 
in with Rosy for only a year or so at that point. I don't believe I had 
my own horn yet; I had a high school band tuba. I had no idea what I was 
doing. Mike suggested ways to play and helped me with wrong chords. At 
the end of tunes, I would try to get off stage and he pushed me to play 
a couple more. Either, he is one patient individual or he has the most 
tin of ears; I think the former. Ykes, that was 35 years ago.

It was with great pride and pleasure that I invited Mike to sit in with 
Sac à Pulses in Medford in 1999 (I think). I hope he heard a difference 
in my playing. In any case, he is partly the reason for that difference.

Another sit in situation came on that same 1999 Sac à Pulses tour. We 
played the Pismo festival without our regular guitarist nor drummer. We 
had the wonderful Gary Ryan subbing on banjo and I can't remember who 
subbed on drums. (old age) I found out at the last moment that our 
drumming sub was unable to play one late set and he arranged to have 
Vince Bartels sub for our sub drummer. At that time, Bob Ringwald was 
hanging out with Vince trying to look like somebody and when Vince got 
up on stage, Bob asked me if he could sit in too (because he wanted to 
look even more like someone). Well, that set was one of the more fun at 
that festival. The audience was loose, the band was loose, but rocked. 
And, we got Brady McKay to sing a couple by getting the audience to 
chant "Brady, Brady, ..." Later, her sons told me they heard the chants 
from their hotel room and they wondered what trouble their mother was 
getting into.

So, at that Pismo late set, we were billed as Sac à Pulses, a quintet, 
but there were six on stage, only three of which were members of Sac à 
Pulses. Did it work? I heard from folk the rest of the festival that it 
did. Yes, it was closer to a jam session because we couldn't play our 
arrangements, but the non Sac à Pulses musos were top notch. Vince can 
play every style, Bob knows every song ever written and Gary has 12 of 
the most talented fingers in the business. I would not have tried to 
plan that set, but the original sub drummer (not nearly as good as 
Vince) left me with no choice. Oh well, we had as much fun as the audience.

I bid you all a very pleasant evening.

All the best, Gary


On 09/05/2013 01:02, Robert Ringwald and Mike Vax wrote:
> A bunch of stuff concerning and not concerning sitting-in and jamming.

Gary Kiser
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