The final day of the 2005 Atlanta Jazz Festival, the day I had been looking forward to the most, was cancelled due to bad weather.
While weather reports predicted thunderstorms throughout the day, we ended up with little more than a light drizzle. By 4 p.m., the time Benny Golson would have performed, the rain had totally stopped and the clouds were clearing. By 6 p.m., the sun was even poking it's way through the clouds! Needless to say, I was extremely disappointed by this cancellation.
Determined to still see some live jazz, I decided to catch the jam session that evening at Churchill Grounds (Atlanta's premier jazz club). Several of the musicians who were scheduled to perform that day turned up, including Rene Marie and Andy Bey (both were great!).
What struck me the most about the evening, however, was the incredible level of talent displayed by several young local musicians. Russell Gunn hosted the jam session, and while I've heard him play before, he totally blew me away with his intro and performance on "Well You Needn't". On other tunes, he demonstrated a fantastic ability to meander through the main melody, embellishing it to the point where it almost sounds like a new tune, but not so far that the original tune is lost either.
It was also my first time hearing Melvin Jones (Morehouse's band leader) play. Knowing that he and Sean Jones are good friends, and knowing that they played together at Rutgers, I had assumed he would be pretty good. We'll, he's VERY good. I'm definitely going to look out for him around town.
There were a few other local musicians (all looked to be in their early 20's), on a variety of instruments, who were also excellent. I don't know any of their names, but I hope to learn them in the future.
Unfortunately, I had to leave around midnight. It was incredibly difficult to leave, especially since I saw several people entering the club with their instruments. And of those that I did catch, I would have loved to hear more, especially from Marcus Printup, who I only got to hear play on one tune.
I have to admit, when listening to such talented musicians, especially when they're younger than me (Russell is actually a couple of years older), it's easy to feel discouraged about my own playing. I'm not remotely in their league and I probably won't ever come close. Their playing seems effortless. I don't mean in their ability to hit a high note or play fast. Rather, I mean that they don't have any problems figuring out what notes to play, even on somewhat unfamiliar tunes (btw: nobody used fake books or any written music). They just get up there and play. And I mean PLAY!
I believe their confidence and fluidity comes largely from their ability to play by ear. All of the musicians at the jam session could play by ear. This was obvious in a number of ways, but especially in their ability to share motifs, and in their ability to play background melodies as a group (one of them would play a melody and they'd all jump in, playing the same melody perfectly… even harmonized!). I'm still developing my ability to play by ear, and I likely have (at least) a few more years until I can play with great accuracy and consistency. I'm totally inspired, however, by the handful of times when my ears lock in perfectly, and the mystery and difficulty associated with playing jazz disappears. Then it's easy, even for me.
