Jam Bands

^ I had a bad divorce with both the Dead and Phish because I thought their jams were too similar. Ive reconciled with the former and only listen to studio and Live at MSG 1995 for the latter. Overall I agree with the statement that not a lot of improv goes into jamming. That's why I prefer jazz and its structure improv

in case no one knows, Phish's reunion shows from Hampton, VA this weekend are available for FREE to download on LivePhish.com. i already D\L last night's and Friday night's shows and they were awesome. Its great to hear the band playing again, and they seem more into it than they were from 2000-2004. waiting for tonight's show!!

Edited by darkshade - March 08 2009 at 16:12

Windhawk wrote: I would think Öresund Space Collective should have a place on that list too; if I have understood matters correctly their releases are made up of selected parts of jam-sessions where next to nothing is planned and most everything is improvised.

thats insane. that's kinda like what Miles Davis did with his late 60s, and 70s albums. He's another, besides Zappa, who the jam bands owe so much to

but anyway, im going to have to check out OSC, i never heard of them and they sound interesting

Jam bands can be ok, but except for some exceptions I despise their hardcore fans.

Dick Heath wrote: Surely Cream by definition? And then there is jazz fusion section: Medeski Martin & Wood, Garaj Mahal... I subscribe the Home Grown Music' s newsletter and surprised by the sheer range of so-called jambands they include.   Took the risk and bought their 'studio album of 2008' in January by Scythian - surprised by a band with strong emphasis in Anglo-Celtic folk fused with a touch of Americana. I imagine live they jam and sound like a Ceilidh?

ah i forgot about those guys. i guess John Scofield would have to be added too, at least his later stuff.

well, Cream is debatable, as is the Dead and Allman Brothers, as they were around before jam bands were a thing. they all obviously improvised, with the Dead probably the only ones doing what many do today, but with more bluegrass and folk influences than later bands, as modern bands employ funk, and groove more than those earlier bands from the 60s and 70s

hell technically Led Zeppelin is a jam band. how does that sound? or AC/DC? i guess King Crimson 72-74 were a jam band. or Steely Dan? i consider jam bands to have come out of the woodwork with the bands that came out of the 1980s, as The Grateful Dead are like the fathers (or grandfathers now) to the younger bands. plus, i think the Allman Brothers and Dave Mathews Band are just considered jam bands by association, from playing with other well known jam band musicians. One is "a band that jams" and the other doesnt really jam and has a terrible (but funny) singer (DMB)

Well, I play in a jam band.

So yeah, I love 'em.

Surely Cream by definition?


And then there is jazz fusion section:

Medeski Martin & Wood, Garaj Mahal...


I subscribe the Home Grown Music' s newsletter and surprised by the sheer range of so-called jambands they include.   Took the risk and bought their 'studio album of 2008' in January by Scythian - surprised by a band with strong emphasis in Anglo-Celtic folk fused with a touch of Americana. I imagine live they jam and sound like a Ceilidh?

Thanks for the rec, dark, I will try to do that.  I have a friend who might have some Umphreys.  

I certainly enjoyed the old bands and paid attention some in the 90s.  I appreciate the counter-culture aspects of the scene.  But it seems as ripe for stagnation as any other scene, the fact that every song is a "jam" doesn't equate with every song being good.  The thing about the Dead is they would start with a quality track and grow the jam out of it, and they often reached a good conclusion in the jam, before returning.  Not always of course, sometimes they sucked as well which they would be the first to admit. 

In some of the 90s jam albums I would listen to, they rarely had the great songs from which to build, they would bypass that important part of the equation. 

But that's a casual observation, I certainlly didn't own a large amount of albums by these bands. 

Captain Capricorn wrote: The Greatful Dead are great (especially Anthem of the Sun)...so are Ozric Tentacles, Bela Fleck, Umphrey's McGee, & early Phish (I stop at Rift) & Dave Matthews(Lillywhite era) - but the rest of those guys I can do without. I saw String Cheese live, & it was a fantastic show - but their studio attempts are less than impressive.

the Aquarium Rescue Unit ive been meaning to check out, since i hear they are described as mostly progressive jazz-fusion and are coincidentally in the jam band scene.