I have now been hosting Jam Sessions in Amsterdam for over a year. This grew out of our Acoustic Sessions at Molly Malones. Once Fraser started managing Coco´s Mine, for 6 months we ran a very successful Jam Session on what had to be the smallest stage in Amsterdam:
Despite the night being success, the Mine stopped doing live music. Ours was the only night where the musicians played for free, and the place really wasnt big enough to merit paying a full band, so another one bit the dust. I didn´t really mourn. Working 9-5 while holding down a successful jam session with only a handful of trusted helpers was a pretty big drain on the energy levels and it also prevents you from being able to explore other musical avenues.
Inevitably after a few recording projects and various aborted attempts to find a regular band to play with, I jumped at an offer to start doing it again. The offer came from an unexpected trip to Café De Kluis to deliver a cable for a mate who was playing there. After a 5 minute conversation with the barman he asked if I´d host a weekly Jam:
This Jam session was cancelled after week one due to disagreements between the bar manager and the bar owner. I assumed it had been a tiring but enjoyable one off, but after a few weeks I got a pphone call from René the Bar Manager to say that he had left Café De Kluis and bought his own music bar. He was keen for us to host a weekly Jam. I decided that Thursday would let me have a day off the morning after the jam every second week, and Thursday Tunes was born.
We´re still working out what works in the venue and what doesn´t, but we´re hoping to build the great atmosphere we´re had in the past and provide forum for musicians to let their hair down a little and meet some like-minded jammers:
Our basic rules are that anything goes... leave your ego at the door and only make mistakes if you have the balls to make them loudly and smile while you do so... There´s a house Drum Kit, Piano and Guitars and Bass Guitars....
Good memories!
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