More blues...

My mate Paul (of paullauriemusic fame) and I have been getting to know the London blues scene over the past few months, taking part in some of the regular jam sessions that happen around town. It's quite a varied mix of people and playing styles, but there is definitely a core group of players that crop up at every session.

Blues in London points out that there's a lot more going on than the cliche of the "middle aged accountant with a Strat and a hat singing about 'goin' down to the roadhouse' in between interminable guitar solos." Of course, you do get some of that, but overall, these sessions are lively and entertaining, and brimming with enthusiasm and talent - talent at every stage of development, and at every stage of experience.

You get the youngsters armed with 3 chords and the stars in their eyes; you get the old-timers who've been playing rhythm 'n blues since the '60s. But, refreshingly, you also get the guy in his forties who's obviously always wanted to play and has finally found the opportunity and purpose - playing with other musicians in front of an appreciative audience certainly beats strumming away on your own. And it's a great way to push yourself and improve your playing.

But, of course, you also get the up and coming stars, like 13-year-old Aaron Keylock who is at every jam as well as keeping up a busy gigging schedule with his own pro band, or collaborating with the likes of local blues mainstay, Sam Hare.

Aaron Keylock jamming at The Blues Kitchen, Camden, with house band members Nick (guitar), Kez (bass) and Virgil (drums)

There are plenty of jams around town - you could probably attend one every day of the week - but the sessions I've played are Charlotte Street Blues (now closed), The Blues Kitchen, Camden and Sam's Jam at Alleycat, Denmark Street (hosted by the aforementioned Sam Hare).

The Blues Kitchen holds a very popular Sunday evening jam. The place is always packed. It's got a funky Camden vibe - a lot of musicians and followers of the broader music scene, in addition to the regular blues crowd. The evening is hosted by house band front man Kez (Kerim Güneş, also a member of The Dirty Feel and The Killer Meters), or his partner-in-blues (and now also Killer Meters band mate), Guy. The Blues Kitchen jams tend to start as they mean to go on - loud and energetic. Genre boundaries are often blurred with rock, funk and soul adding flavour to the mix: these evenings are always entertaining for both jammers and audience alike. The occasional guest appearance by an established musician, or sometimes even a full band, is a bonus. And, of course, there's always Albie...

The Blues Kitchen house band: Nick (guitar), Kez (bass), Virgil (drums) and Guy (guitar)

Sam's Jam is a smaller, more intimate affair. Some might say it's more "orthodox" blues, but (again referencing Blues in London's discussion), I would say it's just a different blend of the elements that make up blues. Firstly, there's a real piano on stage, which is naturally conducive to some quieter sets, with musicians (such as Sam himself), showing off a "clean" guitar sound to full effect. Take a listen to Joe Glossop's piano solo in this performance with Aaron Keylock (around 5:40). Of course, the piano's also great for thumping out some boogie-woogie!

Sam Hare has been active in the blues community for many years, and has performed and collaborated with many of the country's top bluesmen. For this reason, his jam often features special guests such as established artist Ian Siegal or touring blues acts, both local and international.

Sam Hare warming up for the Wednesday jam at Alleycat, along with Ed Green (drums) and Jamie Lawrence (bass)

Right, enough writing - time to pick up the bass and head up to Camden for tonight's Blues Kitchen jam!

The Blues Kitchen

Have been jamming at The Blues Kitchen in Camden. They have a great Sunday evening jam session.

Playin' The Blues

Played the Charlotte Street Blues jam last Wednesday - great jam hosted by Sam Hare, and well attended by a huge range of musos, from die-hard old-timers to youngsters not quite old enough to buy a drink. All keen and sharing a passion for playin' the blues. It's a regular event that takes place most Wednesdays from 8pm. Check it out.

http://www.charlottestblues.com/

Too many bassists?

While watching Spinal Tap, I was interested to see that one of their (all rather amusing) songs featured the two guitarists on bass, as well as the regular bassist playing an impressive double-neck bass. It emerged that the song is called Big Bottom, which is fitting (although the lyrics have little to do with the lower frequency ranges).

While searching for the video, I found this discussion of bands with many bassists. Co-incidentally, one of the guys I work with recently hooked up with a band he used to play for - he plays upright (double) bass. He was slightly surprised to discover that they now have another guy on electric bass... He's not quite sure how it's going to work out, but he's running with it. For now they each take a turn.

It did get me thinking about how an acoustic and electric bass would go together in the same song. I'm not completely convinced that the whole would be greater than the sum of the parts. I need to think about it a bit more, so I'll save that discussion for another day.

British Music Experience

I had a great time at the British Music Experience (BME) at the O2 on Monday. They've done a great job presenting the history of British music over the last half-century through a series of highly engaging and entertaining interactive spaces. I thoroughly enjoyed the Gibson Interactive Studio which was jam packed with gear - guitars, drums, keyboards, a mixing desk and a vocal both. Most of these where hooked up to pretty slick interactive tutorial software allowing visitors to learn a basic beat, or jam along to a commercial track with instruction from the artist. You could even save the result of your efforts to the BME website to impress your mates at a later date. The £15 ticket also gets you 3 tracks from iTunes - great. All in all, a lot of fun and very well put together.