the online live music gig guide for the midlands

'Jam night?  Why would anyone want to review a jam night?' I can hear you say.  Well, dear reader, speaking as a musician & music lover, I've been to quite a few jam nights over the years, and for me, the Maverick Jam Night is the best one around.

            The first thing you should know about the Jam Night is that it's a bit of an institution.  Its been running for the last fourteen years, and over the years has seen a few famous (or infamous) faces, including Black Country supermegagigastar Rob Plant!

            The second thing you should know is that it happens every Wednesday at The Maverick in Amblecote, and the third thing you should know is that actually, there's not one Jam Night, but two - different house bands host the event, each taking their turn on alternate Wednesdays, and although the basic set up is the same, the different personalities and tastes involved create a different feel. 

www.myspace.com/backdoorboogiekings

or Pete Zimmer & The ASBOs:

www.myspace.com/petezimmer, also www.petezimmer.co.uk

 -  both nights tend to be rock/blues based, but not exclusively so, you can occasionally expect more eclectic tastes in music to make an appearance, and in my opinion both house bands feature some of the finest musicians in the Black Country.

            I recently had a chat with Simon 'Q.B.' Chadwick, Jam Night host & charismatic frontman of the Backdoor Boogie Kings, and asked him to tell me about the Jam Night. He said, and I quote, 'In the main we do our best to make the jammers sound good and we try to have a laugh. As my old nan used to say, "If you only make one person in the room happy... you're obviously crap!" which made me smile. Unfortunately I was completely off me tits at the time, and I can't remember the rest of what he said now... 

 Luckily, the following week I also spoke to Pete Zimmer, the other charismatic frontman & host, this time before I'd sampled all the ales on offer.

 LB: So Pete, for the uninitiated Surgemusic.com reader out there - wossit all about, then?

 PZ: The night is billed as a "musicians' jam night", and so, from my perspective, a degree of competence should have been reached before inflicting oneself on the public. It's a bit of a balancing act between trying to keep it mostly musical so that both the audience and jammers enjoy it, and continue to patronise the night. I think broadly speaking we achieve this.

LB: It's fair to say, I think, that you will accomodate novice musicians if they're keen to have a go, though?

PZ: Of course.  Some of our regular players teach, and we often get their students turning up - and not neccessarily young students.  We've had schoolkids, adults in their fifties or sixties, or any age in between.

LB: What sort of music gets played?

PZ: There are no particular constraints in terms of the genres played - it just depends what everyone knows or can jam along to - usually the repertoire is determined by what the singers know.

LB:  I understand that drumkit, PA, mics & backline are provided, but the house bands prefer that players bring their own instruments.  I think its also worth mentioning that the house band lineup usually consists of drums, bass, at least two guitarists, and a singer or two, so if you're, say, a saxophonist or keyboard player, its absolutely vital you bring your own axe, man.  If there are any musicians out there who fancy a go, what else do they need to know?

 PZ: The rules of engagement are simple, come early - we start playing around 9pm, and finish around 11.30 - bring your own instrument and tuner (drummers bring sticks please), make yourself known to one of the host musos so we can try and manage things, and tune up before it's your turn to get up. We get through people in the order that they arrive, within the constraints of the mix of instrumentalists, and we try to accommodate everyone.

LB: Its not just jammin, though is it?  I've seen solo artists get up, and bands, and semi - complete bands who might need to borrow a drummer, bassist, or whoever.

PZ: That's right.  While it is primarily a Jam night, we do not turn away solo performers or bands, as long as we know early enough to be able to allocate the time. The host lineup typically does 3 numbers to start the ball rolling, then we get people up.  Thankfully, we are usually blessed with a retinue of fine musicians and the nights tend to take on a life of their own. Many of the regulars are pro/semi-pro players and come down to socialise with each other as much as to play - it's a good place to make friends and contacts, and a number of bands have been spawned from the night. Personally, I've got to know several people well and most of my dep book is filled with quality musos I've met through the Maverick jam night.

              Thanks for that chaps. 

            I was racking me brains, trying to find a way to express just what it is that I love about the Mav Musicians Jam Night, as a punter & a player, when I came across this quote by Ian McEwan (from his novel, 'Saturday'):

             "...There are these rare moments when musicians together touch something sweeter than they've ever found before in rehearsals or performance, beyond the merely collaborative or technically proficient, when their expression becomes as easy & graceful as friendship or love.  This is when they give us a glimpse of what we might be, of our best selves, and of an impossible world in which you give everything you have to others but lose nothing of yourself.  Out in the real world there exist detailed plans, visionary projects for peaceable realms, all conflicts resolved, happiness for everyone, for ever - mirages for which people are prepared to die and kill.  Christ's kingdom on earth, the worker's paradise, the ideal Islamic state.  But only in music, and only on rare occasions, does the curtain actually lift on this dream of community, and it's tantalizingly conjured, before fading away with the last notes. Naturally, no one can ever agree when it's happening..."

             Now you might be thinking, 'F*ck me ragged, that's a bit over the top, ay it?' & maybe it is, a little, but it does capture for me something of the edginess & excitement you get when you see & hear young musicians discovering what they can do, or more experienced musicians moving outside their comfort zone, & all relying on their talent, experience, technique & listening & improvisational skills, rather than merely reiterating the stuff they've worked out in the rehearsal studio. If that's the kind of thing that turns you on, the Maverick jam night is a good place to go & look for it.  Its also a good place for musicians to meet other musicians, and for young or inexperienced musicians to get the chance to play with seasoned players, and to get invaluable performing experience in front of a friendly audience who genuinely appreciate live music.

            But you don't have to be a musician to enjoy the jam night - come to look, listen & enjoy the playing & banter, and the fine choice of bostin' real ales, well kept, served by friendly(& foxy!) barstaff, the well thought out covered & heated smoking area, and the relaxed & friendly atmosphere. 

 Be seein ya.

Lester.