It was really cool to at last play at a jazz jam session after attending so many. I wanted the first time I did it to go well and not suck, so that I'd do it again. And these things are fairly intimidating.

A jam session is basically a stage at a bar where there's a bass player and drummer and either a piano player, guitar player or both hold down the fort while whoever else feels like it shows up and either plays or watches. There's a lot of range in ability of the different players, and when there's a really good one, it's easy to feel like you suck by comparison. There's a lot of people who show up and play and aren't great players though. So that helps a lot.

I'm trying not to feel intimidated by the good players though and just enjoy the quality music when someone good gets up there. To that end I should play at David Valdez's jam on Wednesday nights at Spice on MLK and Graham soon (Portlanders this is free and you should really check this out because he is one of the better saxophone players around, and I'm not just talking about in town... come at 8'ish on Wednesday nights). I've been going for a couple weeks now, and I really enjoy it, but haven't played yet. I love listening to this guy play.

http://www.spiceofportland.com/entertainment.html

But the jam at Proper Eats (last night's jam) has been my favorite for a while now. It's just so cozy and unpretentious, in a great part of the up and coming St. Johns neighborhood that Courtney and I sometimes talk about buying a house in because prices are reasonable. And it turns out I won't be able to continue going to this one.

I finally got an email back from a guy named Bryant Allard who ran an adult jazz big band over the summer months. He says he's making another session for the winter starting October 12, and said he was looking for a tenor sax player and asked me if I wanted to reserve a spot, so of course I said yes. The downside is that rehearsals are at the exact same time as the Proper Eats Jam, Thursdays at 7-9 pm. But jamming is no substitute for a steady place to play.

It's a business, and he charges $150 for the winter session, which is totally worth it in my opinion. This model is how Michelle's Portland Youth Jazz Orchestra operation works as well. The people who run it charge a fee per person and so the people who pay get to play, including some kind of performance during the term. I'm no professional musician. I'm not in it to make money, I'm in it to enjoy it as a hobby, and I have my financial needs met with my day job, so I'm more than happy to pay the fee.

Anyway, I will miss the Proper Eats Jam.

http://portlandjazzjams.com/sessions_proper.html