I was under the impression that if I don't jam, I'll die.
I would jam in a house, I would jam with a mouse, I would jam in a box, and I would jam with a fox. I would jam in a boat; I'd even jam with a goat. I would jam here, and I would jam there, I would jam anywhere.
Ha! You're in fine form today, Doc
Funny response in the practice every day thread too.
Nothing formalised in the jam stakes in my band, but jams can happen with us in a few ways.
If our singer can't make it (he's a very busy sole trader) we run through the instrumentals or someone will have a go at singing and cause pain. Once we're over that, we jam.
For a period we had a loosener jam before every practice. Sadly it fizzled out because our singer sometimes forgets that he has terrific instincts and can wing it with fine style. So then he sits back and if I try to encourage him to just make something up he says he can't.
The attachment was made up on the spot, although afterwards the bassist told me that he'd been messing with the riff and progression for years. The rest of us were following him and our noses. It sounds like a formative song right there.
We jam anything - pretend bop, pretend free jazz (easily my favourite), pseudo metal, C&W, blues (lots of blues), swing, RnR, pseudo classical, or based on a song's riff ... or we'll jam out ridiculous stuff like
Whole Lotta Love. where I could do a fair Robert Plant impression until my voice gave out about a year ago (smoking, scotch, age).
I'm sure many of you will relate to this ... at times my band jams out monstrous sprawling rolling things that go for 20 or more minutes, at some stage (or three) breaking down to the kind of atonal diddling around that would bring a tear (maybe a flood of 'em) to Cecil Taylor's eye.
The band's string players and keyboardist are compulsive noodlers at rehearsal. As a dutiful drummer, if I hear someone playing anything even remotely rhythmical I'm gunna be in there. If it's textural I'll still jump in. Stuff 'em. If they don't want impromptu jams then they can cut back the noodling. Fine with me - I'll roll either way
So I'm with Doc. I love jamming. Is it necessary? Of course not. Is chocolate necessary? Some clowns would say yes, but we all know the real answer is no, but if it wasn't an option the world would be a little poorer.