Jam Session, Reloaded to explore music at several levels

I've been threatening to do this for some time.

As if a fella doesn't have enough blogs going around, I just had to introduce a new one. What you are now reading is the latest of the Reloaded line, The Jam Session Reloaded.

There's a good reason for this.

I am a person with many interests, as you can probably figure. I'm a news junkie. I can get a little outspoken in discussing politics. Really strange news captures my attention. And yeah, I've been known to disassemble a computer or three, and I've reprogrammed more than a few.

A quick way to determine one's passion is to ask yourself: What is it you'd rather do than eat? Of course, if your passion is eating, then you may want to try a different benchmark.

None of these aforementioned pursuits have ever stood in the way of a good meal. OK, I may scarf something down real fast while ripping into the guts of a computer, but you know what I mean.

When it comes to music, though, it's a whole different matter. To me, listening to a good live performance will make me forget I'm hungry. And if I'm in the middle of it all, playing that music, then that's going to trump any stomach growling any time.

So there it is.

Credentials: I started enjoying music as soon as I became aware of it. Started playing harmonica, got proficient, began playing in public in the mid-1980s. First got paid doing this in 1986. Added some flute to my arsenal; that's still under development. Played in a number of bands, led some, recorded a couple of times (none of the results are in print), played probably a few thousand live sessions in venues ranging from living rooms and front porches to festivals, from bars to churches. Attacked genres as diverse as jazz, bluegrass, blues, folk, rock, country, even Mexican folk songs and Slovenian polkas (which is a story in itself). And loved every minute of it all.

But this blog isn't about me. I'll share a personal anecdote every now and again, maybe plug a project I'm working on, but that's not what this is about.

I'm working this from several levels. To the layman, I'll relate some of the wonderful sounds I've heard. To the accomplished professional, I'll discuss some of the finer points of the creative process, of musicianship. So if there are times I get a little too technical for the layman, just bear with me. I'll get over it shortly.

The jam session is starting. Be there.

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