Musical Moment

Last weekend I was at the most amazing acoustic event. A friend, Dave Lizor, was celebrating 30 years of hosting monthly jams at his house and invited people to camp, jam and listen to numerous musical groups that emerged from the jams over the years. Late Friday night (more accurately, early Saturday morning) one advanced jam was playing everything from blues to bluegrass to rock n’ roll to jazz and Karen suggested we do “One Note Samba” then said, but that is not a good jam tune. (Normally it is not a good jam tune unless the musicians know jazz, can follow a chart or know the song.) Barry, sitting in the circle, said we should do the song because everyone in the jam was a pro who knows when to sit out and listen.

We played the song and some musicians added parts and some did not. Barry’s statement caused me to reflect that being a pro doesn’t mean you can play everything or on every tune. It more accurately implies that you can be in the game as well as have the judgement to contribute your ears rather than your notes. The jam was amazing, with everyone in the circle understanding that nuance.