comments09june

Dear Globaljam

Time for me to add my bit. It's always good to hear from George and I have a lot of respect for his views. Doesn't mean to say that I always agree with all of them, all of the time, but I do agree with some of them some of the time. Where was I? Oh yes, Blues. A lot of Jams chose this sort of music as it is relatively easy to pick up and go with, and not everyone is a Blues nut but it means that they can join in with some success. Andy, I know, is a Blues fanatic, and so am I. It is my favourite music along with Jazz. Trouble is, - I am not good enough to play Jazz, (check out Chao, Chris Martin, Victor, Sam. Them cats can play), so I concentrate on what I CAN do. As to whether a Jam is watered down if other music comes in to play, well, I disagree up to a point. Variety can be good, but when it gets too eclectic you lose the whole feel of the evening. What do you do?
Jamming as Jamming. George, may I suggest that there is no reason to feel that you have to remind us of 'The best Jamming moment', with yourself, Sean, Paul, Kris and Jan, It is etched on the memory of all who saw it. You are so right. Proper jamming. Lyrics, song structure and solos's all made up on the spot and every player absolutely magnificent. Truly magical. If I could have one 'Desert Island Jam Moment'(copyright, Neil Pearce), it would be that. Also, one session I played with Lally at The Tune Inn was pretty hot and improvisational. (His Birthday, I believe).
The main thing, though, comes back to another good point from George. We all have to move on. He is out there getting gigs and I am watching others get it together also. Hopefully, one day, most of us will have a modicum of success in this area and for old times sake we will re-convene and Jam together as a reminder of good times spent in Ealing and Acton.

Neil.

Dear Globaljamers

A few more thoughts on the prickly subject of 'jamming'. As the great Viv Stanshall would say, "What it is?"
Over the weekend I had a good listen to my fave band, the good 'ol Grateful Dead. Now like 'em or loath 'em they are the absolute kings of the jam, it was their specialty and a feature of every show they ever played (and Christ knows they played enough of them, somewhere around the 3000 mark).
Now here in lies the trick, they were a band together for 30 years give or take a few exploding keyboard players a la' Spinal Tap but their core remained solid. Twin guitars, bass and drums. Garcia is the main man but it is always set up beautifully by the rest of the band, if they weren't listening properly he would never have been able to do what he did.
But in listening to them again it became apparent that what really allowed the band to flow around was the drummer, Bill Kreutzman.
He was able to play C &' W, Rock n Roll, jazz and freeform. This was the key to the band being able to play a 30 minute piece that never sat in the same groove, it's what Miles dubbed 'Time, no changes'.
When ever I chose material for the House Bandits I always made sure that we always had a couple of numbers that we could open out on, Don't Let Go, Dixie Chicken, Rich Woman etc. These all have a middle section that if the musicians are in the mood and get the hint, we can travel around on. Sometimes it worked like a dream sometimes it didn't. Sometimes it was fun for us up on stage and sometimes I could tell that it had spread to the audience, it always depended on whether you had the confidence of the audience to let you do what you were going to do.
But in nearly all the cases that were good it was when the drummers managed to let go their tight grip on the rhythm and therefore allow the guitar players to loosen up a bit. If the drummer just stays rigidly to the beat that you started out with you are always going to be a bit 1 D.
Last week at the Tune Inn, Chester, Neal, Alex and myself managed to negotiate 'Spoonful-Sex Machine-Spoonful' really neatly, never lost the plot or a dancer on the floor and we hadn't planned it at all, we just let it go. I would definitely call that a jam.
We are still stuck in this idea that a jam is the band vamping whilst the guitar player just blasts away at the front. You need the drummer to let go, good ears all around, a suppressed ego, a solid musical vocabulary, a moderate amount of technique and . . . . . .experience!
That's the next bit of the conundrum. No problem if you don't have it but without it you are probably best waiting your turn for a solo.
All just thoughts and observations and I send these comments in because I know that a few of you that read these pages do care about these things.

Anyway, until we all meet again, which I have no doubt we will, you all have a grand Summer and stay tuned for the next installment.
The Jam ain't dead, it's just taking a well earned nap!
Cheers
Graham G
ps. A big thank you to everyone that has made the effort over the years to attend the Drayton, by and large it was a lot of fun.

Hi everyone, its Graeme the keyboard man here. I've been off the jamming scene for a little while due to personal comittments including moving house and it seems to have gone pear shaped while I've been away - nothing to do with me guv honest! However I have made a couple of forays to other jams nearer home including the Rising Sun in Twickers (now defunct)the reincarnated Red Lion in Twickers (now defunct) and the Coach and Horses in Isleworth (only just surviving)and its the same story all over. I don't think the recent hot weather helps as punters and some musos prefer to have a beer in the sun and head for country or riverside pubs. That aside I believe the main problem is just plain old economics. I go to a lot of pubs regularly and talk to a lot of landlords and they are all struggling. Whilst putting a music night or jam on might have guaranteed extra punters a few years ago the current economic squeeze plus the tighter drink drive laws keep punters closer to home, or just plain at home. If a music night doesn't make a profit by the time they've paid the staff then they won't continue with it. Occasionally you find a landlord who loves his music and is prepared to run at break-even or even a loss subsidised by their busier nights. So many pubs are dead as a doornail apart from Friday and Saturday these days.

On the music side I have to say that if you want to attract punters and not just musos on a regular basis my view is that free jamming isn't the way. They want to hear some structure to the performances but you can still have someone leading the song with different musicians each time and get a great vibe going with improvisation on the solos. Free jamming might attract a certain kind of musician but in my experience they don't drink much so the landlord isn't happy. All the other jams I been to recently have consisted of an eclectic mix of rock, blues, funk and soul. The Drayton was very Blues and I have to say I liked that but it was getting watered down by other influences of late.

I don't know what the secret of jamming longevity is, I wish I did. I know its hard work to keep the momentum going for little reward and hats off to Andy for keeping it going as long as he has. Some of the other jams send out reminder texts and email to a jammers list as a sort of "whipper in" style reminder the night before so maybe extra promotion and marketing is worth a punt.

I used to work professionally in the night club business for a company that designed, themed and ran clubs for the big hotel chains in the middle and far east and we reckoned that no matter how successfull a venue was it would eventually petre out after around 3 years due to outside influences and new competition. The only way forward was to re theme it and re launch it to give it a new lease of life and get the punters interest back. I wish I could think of a way of retheming a Blues Jam. One of the longest running and financially sucessfull jams was at the Cardinal Wolsey in Hampton Court. The landlord moved to the Surveyor in Molesey and took the jam with him and think its still going strong. They promoted it heavily and had a roster of different guest "stars" to front it each week but both pubs also had a reputation for live music and a landlord who loves rock and blues.

Well I've waffled on for long enough. I'm sure I'll see you all at some of the other jams, and if the ashes of the Drayton are rekindled elswhere then I'll certainly be back and if I come across a music friendly landlord on my travels I'll ask if they're up for a jam night.

Cheers

Graeme ( keys )
PS. I was asked to remove my hat at the upstairs bar at the Drayton. Apparantly its a rule of the Brewery so that CCTV cameras can get a better view of customers. By the way etiquette has it that its bad form for a bloke to keep his hat on indoors. I guess no one told the old chicago bluesmen.

My reasons for giving up the Drayton jam had nothing to do with the music. Apart from the reasons already mentioned by Neil, I just couldn’t carry on doing it with the arrangement I/we had with the management. I’m sorry to let it go, we’ve had some great times and made some good friends. However, if any of you feel like you would like to keep it going then you should speak to Dave the landlord. I honestly believe we did the best job possible in the circumstances. Guys like Neil, young Alex, Gary and all the others who have been involved in the running of the jam, have been doing it virtually for the love of it. You can’t run these things on the goodwill of people indefinitely, it's not fair. It’s too big a commitment.
Since some of you have broadened the discussion with your comments on jams and types of music, I’d like to join in. Firstly, can I say that I make no apology for playing Blues music, or for styling the houseband that way either. I’m not a fifteen year old, I’ve moved on from the music that I liked then. Hell, even Jimmy Page looks a bit sheepish now when he plays that old heavy rock stuff. Actually I always preferred Free, but we won’t go there right now. If I’d had my way, I would have promoted the jam as a ‘Blues Jam’. If I’d been allowed to do that I’m fairly sure the Drayton jam would be thriving. Maybe not with all the same people, but I’ve always accepted the fact that people move on anyway. We’ve had people who have travelled a distance to the Drayton only to be put off by the antics of some jammers on stage. When that happens, you don’t see them again. A lot of what happens on stage is nothing to do with jamming. I mean, who do you think you are impressing with your thrusting groin and your pinched face. You are playing to a room full of muso’s and punters, not a bunch of screaming adolescents, no? The one thing that all successful jams have in common is a consistently high level of musicianship. That’s where the entertainment is. Not whether you’ve got a super pair of shoes or a groovy haircut or not. That’s not what I’m interested in. That road leads to Karaoke. It’s true, you can’t have a jam that is all things to all men/women. I’m referring to a previous comment there. The Drayton jam was as good as it was going to get. And I know some people liked it that way. Laid back, easy going, no pressure. There just weren’t the numbers to keep it going.
I’m sorry that I didn’t get everybody’s numbers. If anyone would like to keep in touch, you can send info through the feedback page. We 're still doing the Tune Inn. There has been some suggestion of us starting another jam up. I’ll post any news on this site if anything happens.
Andy

George is a master of shred and i enjoy listening to him regardless of whether its a Blues Standard, or some strange concoction. He always supplies the goods.
The whole jam thing at the Drayton was entertaining, and hopefully the rest of the audience found it fun too.
It was a laugh to be allowed to join in and try to uplift the punters.
Yours
Prof TE Express

Graham is covering for Andy at this weeks (9th July) Tune Inn jam. Neil will be there of course with Alex on bass.

RIP George Fullerton, one of the inventors of the strat.

No Drayton

Time to add my thoughts on the sad demise of the Drayton jam.
As someone who, until recently, had little outlet for musical creativity, I looked forward to Tuesday nights at the Drayton from one week to the next. I hope an alternative venue can be found to keep this friendly (ok, largely friendly) group of musicians in regular contact.
To those who feel it had become a series of song performances rather than a jam, I'd say that some people like it that way. There is limit to how much "free jamming" many of us can stomach, unless it is of the highest calibre. At the Drayton, sometimes it was, sometimes it wasn't. Jamming and playing songs are related, but different, skills. Not better or worse, just different. I've never made any secret of the fact that I play songs.
I'm stunned by Moby saying the pub management demanded that he remove his hat!
As a serial offender I can promise that no such demand was ever made of me. I can understand if bar staff might feel too intimidated to ask someone like Big Sean to remove offending headgear. But me? I don't think so.
Altogether now,

You looking for trouble?
De de de de de
You came to the right place

Rick

Hi Gang

Well I do have to say I am not surprised at all with the Drayton thing.Firstly,we,musicians,we need to be in a different situation with different people all the time so to feel creative as my dear friend Jerome said!!!I completelly agree.Now the case is...THERE WAS NO REAL JAM!!!There was a gig.IT WAS A GIG!!!How many times has somene got on stage and said,ok I have a couple of chords and a couple of riffs,lets try to make something out of it.Why do we have to be "SAFE" all the time playing,Red house,Stormy monday etc. Even I got sick and tired of people asking me to do Comfortably numb and Ain't no sunshine all the time.I'll give you a proof of what is Jamming and if somebody can disagree I am more than happy to put him in his place.Thursday night ,Tune Inn,Sean,Jan,me,and I can't recall the bass and Drummer.Everything started from 1 chord and it ended to the universe...Everyone's ears were sizzling and everyone was talkin bout it for days.then tuesday ,bout a month ago,I was sitting outside with Jerome and Moby and said.I'm fed up playing songs,ono adventure,ono sparkl no magic.And we get on stage with young Alex with us and Moby came up with a chord sequence and it was unbelievable.you could witness it but we lived it,we gave a birth together,we came together...Well that's JAMMING for m and not play hey joe and everyone has a solo section somewhere.I mean...Ask yourselves,How many times have you actually,played songs and how many times you've been creative and JAMMED!!!No offence to anyone but the blues ting was getting way too too much!!!And unfortunatelly others confirmed my thoughts before even me saying a word about it.I mean come on guys,Where are your funk chops,the rock licks,the fun,the joy.Anyway,Despite all that tireness,I still recall great moments with everyone and I am honoured to have played with all of you and I do have a lot of respect for all of you guys each one for different reasons.I just wanted to share my feelings as I am on the road,on the way to belgium from channel Islands,and heard the news copule of days ago from Graham.Regarding to someones comment"What is GEORGE doing on tuesday night" the answer is saddly possibly missing to go to Drayton and have a brake from the tour and being on the road

Love and respect Guitar George!!!

Nothing wrong with a plug now and again, Jack. Just don't charge for it on expenses like that M.P. person. I urge all of you to go to the George and D for what I am sure will be a great nights entertainment. I will definitely be there and am looking forward to hearing some great songs, performed with some style and taste.

Neil.

Presumably that's a typo from Moby. I didn't know he had any hate. Seems like quite a peacefull guy, to me. And besides it sounds a bit judgemental from the management, a bit arbitary, trying to decide which punter looks hatefull, and who is in to peace and love, man. So my Sherlock like skills lead me to believe that he means HAT. Yeah, it's a bummer. They have been doing that for some time now and when I queried it they gave me some cock about it being a 'security issue'. Now, if it was 'Oddjob' that I could understand.
Peace and love ..........Neil. (Just leave out the hat, o.k.)

And the Drayton management upstairs told me I had to remove my hate.

Which is obviously impossible.

Fuckers.

Moby.

Guys,

Really sorry to hear how this has developed. I was already aware that the dosh situation was a bit of a joke, and the equipment was deteriorating, but it's clearly got beyond a mere joke now.

The Drayton is by far my favourite jam, and one I feel a personal debt towards too. I'll miss it lots, but I still think you're doing the right thing for the right reasons.

Hopefully the management will take a look at an empty function room for a few weeks, then realise they need to do something about it.

I'll take this opportunity to mention that Drayton regulars looking for a chance to talk all this over could do worse than to come down to our gig at the George & Devonshire (Hogarth Roundabout) on Saturday 11th July.

Andy/Neil - if you feel that shameless plug is inappropriate, please feel free to delte the last paragraph.

;-)

Jack

HAS ANYONE NOT QUIT THE DRAYTON JAM?

IS DAN SINGLE-HANDEDLY TAKING OVER SO HE'LL GET ENOUGH STAGE TIME?

WHAT WILL GEORGE DO WITH HIS TUESDAYS?

And where do I collect all my Drayton money for all of those guitar solos that had people running to the bar and spending all their money on hard alcohol?

O.K., Those of you that have clocked the front page and have been observant enough to have seen the moving notice on the screen, (that's moving in the sense of motion, not bringing you to tears), might well wonder what is going on? Let me fill you in. The last few months have been a bit of a drag at The Drayton despite some excellent performances from Jammers and both house bands. Quite simply, the landlord, and/or the brewery are not prepared to put any more money or care and attention in to the Jam sessions. Both Graham G and Andy F are paid an absolute pittance for their efforts, (really it's laughable, if only you knew how much, or indeed, little) and with this small purse they have to recompense other members of the house band on duty for their time and effort. If they get a drink in, they are out of pocket. Strictly speaking, we don't do this for money but there has to be a limit to charity. 4 hours at least, (that's half an average days work), is spent by each House band, setting up, running the jam, being on hand to support other players and then closing down at end of play. I have a well worn line that I always trot out in these circumstances. I don't charge for my talent, (don't have any), but I do charge for my time.
The straw that broke the camels back? Well, the drumkit is falling apart and we have been told that there is no money available for repairs, nor for mics or stands, etc. And then to cap the feeling of not being loved, the bar manager last Tuesday decided to start clearing away tables and chairs 20 minutes before midnight. Sure makes you feel welcome.
Who knows what will happen now? It's up to The Drayton, if they want to carry on, to come up with a new deal or a new bunch of musicians who are prepared to do it for sixpence. But, lets mention money no more. It's vulgar. (yeah, right).
Sometimes, it has been difficult running the Jams and we haven't always got it right, but it has been immensely enjoyable and I have got to know some real nice people and see and play with some damm fine musicians. Hopefully this will continue elsewhere.
We (3 leg dog) are still at The Tune Inn on Thursdays but I know that it is not everyones fave venue. I will leave Graham to make his own statement; but I hope that he continues to entertain folks with his classic mix of R&B, Jazz/Blues and strange attire. His band was always 'on it' despite a different drummer every week.

Any feedback is, as ever, always welcome.

Neil.

Stars on 45!
You complete Bastard!
Whilst I may not entirely agree with Mr Griffin's slightly dodgy political thinking I do happen to agree with his theory of 'jamming eugenics'.
Heil Heil Rock n' Roll!
Graham 'I was born in Duseldorf and that is why they call me Rolf' G

Re: Andy's point about reaching saturation points: it's true, if everyone shows up to the same jams and plays the same songs. This may be offensive, but why not segregate the jams into specific styles. Why are we trying to please all the people all the time? For example, given the chain swinging jazz/fusion heads that run the Black George, why not leave that night to that style of music? The occasional foray into blues allowed, but mostly for the more advanced (i.e. know more than 3 chords or at least willing to venture out) sort. Charlotte St could be for serious blues heads. Meanwhile Tune Inn (Andy's marauders) could be blues and blues rock, and Drayton ditto.

If everyone shows up to the same places night after night, then everything is diluted, and none of the jams can extend in any direction.

Maybe a self-imposed segregation will happen anyway. If Stefanos, Chester and Alex can play Giant Steps for the first 2 hours of every Black George jam, Andy can designate the first 2 hours of the Tune Inn 'Hoochee Coochee Time' (which, who knows, he might anyway) and Graham can play a 'stars on 45' Gerry Garcia/Blind Lemon Nose Pickin medley, maybe people will get the point?

Yours,

Nick (I always liked a good tune) Griffin

If anyone's on facebook (yes, I'm that bored, and it's Andy's fault for taking a holiday anyway, so don't blame me, couldn't he just wait until the next bank holiday and take a long weekend for crying out loud?), I've started a group so we can share news like - oh I don't know - don't bloody go to the Tune Inn tonight because it's bloody closed!

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=114093889807&ref=mf

Cheers,

Moby

Ok, here’s one for you.
It seems like every pub and bar that has space and a licence is putting on jam sessions these days. In the west London area we’ve seen the Coach and Horses in Isleworth/Brentford, and the Black George in W. Ealing start jams recently. Also I understand there was a short-lived attempt at our old stomping ground the Kings Head Acton to start having jams again. Last night I went to jam in a new venue in W1 and guess what… half the W. London jammin’ mass. were there.
What do you make of it? Do you think the whole scene is being diluted? Generally speaking, numbers have been slightly down for the Drayton jam and the Tune Inn for a while now. Has it reached saturation point or is there another reason?
Andy

Is this the comments room? Thought I'd just drop by and see if any one was in. It's dark in here. And cold. Let's have a light on. That's better. Where is everyone? Nobody about. This room looks dusty. No one been here for some time obviously. Looks like people left in a hurry. This is spooky. Hello?, Hello? Is any one there? I am all alone? 2 Guitars standing in the corner of the room. Looks like one has been used as a club or truncheon of some sort, slightly battered anyway. What's this? A lyric sheet with some words missing. Must belong to a singer who likes leaving words out, oh, and they are in the wrong order. Where is every one? I'm getting scared now. Some broken glass. Some one must have been singing awfull loud. Ah, an identity chain with Mandie G on it. She must have dropped it. This place used to be so lively. Now, just a clock ticking. Sure has an irregular beat though, let's see if it has the makers name on it. Ah, here it is. N.A. Pearce. I think its getting faster. Oh, here's a thing, A nice hat. Looks like Van Morrison has been in. Box of sticking plasters with it as well. Wonder what that's all about? I gotta get out of here, shall i lock up? Will any one be back? Is this the end? What's this scrawled on the door? KOTJMF. Must be some sort of code or warning. I'm off before it's too late.
Ignatious P Reilly