Being the audacious so-and-so that I am, I contacted a friend last week and said, “Hey, why don’t I come visit you – can you put together a jam?”
This friend who lives a few hours away, graciously accepted the challenge and generously added a gourmet dinner (chicken with a creamed fermented black bean sauce, potatoes, asparagus and mushrooms!) and offered to put me up for the night.
After the dinner, the guests began arriving for the jam. It was a very rainy night, and not everyone that was invited showed up, but we ended up with 6 players, so we definitely had a bluegrass quorum.
Some of the players I had met before, and some were to become new friends. I was pleased to note that the tone of the jam was a relaxed one – yes, there was some hot picking, but the intent was not to show off. Jokes and laughs were plentiful between songs (sometimes during songs!).
One of the musicians was somewhat less versed in the bluegrass idiom, but it was never a problem. On the contrary, the group was very nurturing, offering suggestions and instruction in a very gentle way.
As befitting a jam in the country, there was a prodigious audience of animals amongst the jammers. Big dogs laid around underfoot like elephant seals at Ano Nuevo Beach, and at least one cat wound its way around the feet of the jammers.
It was raining outside in the cold night, but it was warm and cozy as we jammed inside. We went through well known bluegrass standards, and tried some less well-known stuff – I even threw out an original song. But nothing would bust this jam – we played and sang on, and thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company throughout the evening. In between songs, we caught up on what mutual friends were up to, and told more than a few good jokes.
The one thing that could bust up the jam was time, and eventually it grew late and the guests bid their farewells. As a token of the gods’ approval, the rain had ceased, making their journeys home safer.
As I retired to my generous quarters, I reflected a bit. I’ve done more than a few stupid things in my time, but learning to play music, and making great friends (on a continuous basis, I might add) count among the smartest things I have even done.
