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A jam session or improvisation session is an informal, improvised session where musicians from different backgrounds play together in total spontaneity.
It's a shared experience where artists come together without prior rehearsal or a musical score, giving free rein to their creativity and virtuosity.
During a jam session, musicians launch into solos, accompany each other, and explore new arrangements. It's a space of free expression, where each participant can bring their personal touch and contribute to the collective creation of the moment.
Gaël Horellou, French saxophonist, Steuer ambassador, and musician involved in the jam sessions organized by the brand, explains the philosophy behind them:
"I love the jam session. For me, it's a vital aspect of jazz music. Everyone can participate, regardless of level and style. It's an opportunity to meet new musicians in an informal setting. There's a sense of emulation, a desire to succeed, to overcome difficulties, to come face to face with musicians who are better than you.
It's also an opportunity to revisit standards we've played hundreds of times before, making use of them to tell our own story."
These improvised sessions can take place at jazz clubs, bars, festivals, or even in private venues between musician friends. Conviviality and interaction are central to this practice, allowing participants to listen to each other, react to the ideas of other musicians on stage, and develop their playing by interacting with other talents.
At times, jams can turn into a real musical duel. We're reminded of the famous saxophone clash between Lester Young and Coleman Hawkins, masterfully recreated in Robert Altman's film "Kansas City". At a certain level, real competition may develop between musicians, each doing their best to outshine the other.
Here's a rare video from 1958 featuring Lester Young and Coleman Hawkins in the middle of a jam session:
And here’s another video, from the film "Kansas City", in which Joshua Redman plays Lester Young and Craig Handy plays Coleman Hawkins:
Jam sessions enjoyed their heyday up to the 1970s, as virtually the only opportunity for young musicians to develop their jazz skills. In the 1950s, the teaching of jazz gradually developed in schools, conservatories, and universities. With the introduction of more formal teaching, the common language of jazz began to fade. Standards, once the centerpieces of the jazz repertoire, were gradually neglected and considered old-fashioned.
But since the mid-2000s, jam sessions have been making a comeback, with musicians both attracted by collective improvisational playing and encouraged by their schools to step outside academic circles. The Internet and social networking sites are also helping to promote jam sessions to a younger audience eager to discover jazz standards in a relaxed, convivial setting.
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