Jeneane Sessum mentioned this piece.

Shame on the Bandstand: Rites of Passage -- What They Don’t Teach You in School
by George Sessum

We know how long it takes to become a musician, even a mediocre one. But the real test of talent doesn’t come until we hit the bandstand. Eventually, every young (or at least inexperienced) musician playing traditional jazz -- in this case, the one type that has survived for decades: bebop or bip-bop -- hits the infamous “Jam Session” to test his or her musical prowess. No matter how much practice or training a musician has had, the unwitting instrumentalist may not be prepared for what’s about to take place when they hit the bandstand.

Every jam session has a set of unspoken, unwritten Rules, which are essentially the same whether the jam session is in New York or Los Angeles or any small town in between.

Understand, you won’t be told about The Rules because you are expected to know them before you step foot on stage. If it’s your first time sitting in, my suggestion is to be as humble as you possibly can be. This serves to confuse “The Men” who are ready to test you. They will think one of two things about your humility. Either (a) you are a total genius -- perhaps Charlie Parker returned in the flesh -- or, (b) you are completely lame. Remember, confusion is the ultimate goal.
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  thanks to allied

George also did this wonderful piece about Jaco Pastorius. Now, I have some old Weather Report albums, but I wasn't familiar with Jaco. Rhapsody has three Jaco albums that I am listening to — Jaco Pastorius, Word Of Mouth, and The Birthday Concert. Wow! So much music, so little time.

What Jaco Said: Thoughts on the Man and His Legacy
by George Edward Sessum

When I first heard Jaco, I was 16 years old. I walked into the music store where I worked in Utica, New York, and didn’t see anyone minding the store. Everyone was over by the stereo section. A few of the older musicians were standing in a circle, passing this album back and forth. They were shaking their heads and listening.

I said, “Who is this?” And one of the guys said, “It’s Jaco. We played with him in Lou Rawls’ band. I can’t believe he got a record deal.” As I stood there listening with them, “Donna Lee” was playing. I was familiar with the song, but it was just plain out the way Jaco did that tune, not to mention making it the first cut! I didn’t understand what I was hearing because it was so odd to hear something so fast and so melodic in the lower register. My ears weren’t ready for what I was hearing, and I couldn’t digest it right away.
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George also has a blog — Musick. A recent entry...

This Just in From My Buddy Mary Brotherton

What with all the sadness and trauma going on in the world at the moment it is worth reflecting on the death of a very important person which almost went unnoticed last week.

Larry La Prise, the man who wrote "The Hokey Pokey" died peacefully at age 93.

The most traumatic part for his family was getting him into the coffin. They put his left leg in... and then the trouble started ...

I am on the floor...
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