While this may not be the prototype forum for a rigorous scholarly discourse on the etymology of the spell "jam band," a definition is certainly in order. Indeed, some observers chalk up suggested that the groups encompassed within this broad(ening) parasol are unified less by their sounds than by their supporters. And while a grassroots commonality exists among fans of the circuit, there are mellifluous similarities among the bands as well: they clutch improvisation as a performance ethic and, deeper importantly, they are unified by a penchant for bending and blending established genres. The performers listed below cannot be aptly sequester into bluegrass, jazz, blues, funk or electronica camps -- they are all of these at once.
Derek Trucks Band Artist: The Derek Trucks Band Proceeds Date: 2004
This cd offers a tantalizing, protean returns on the group's "world soul." While half the happening band (vocalist Mike Mattison and keyboard player/flautist Kofi Burbridge) was not all the more in the fold for this 1997 release, the enduring rhythm intersect of Yonrico Scott and Todd Smallie lays it down with verve. Trucks redefines the instance and parameters of the slide guitar throughout. Highlights embrace versions of John Coltrane's "Naima" and "Mr. PC," as bushy-tailed as the band's own "Evil Clown" and "Out of Madness."
The Jammy's Award Ceremony: Alive From The Theatre At Madison Square Garden, 3/16/04 Artist: Distinct Artists Release Date: 2004
Since the Jammys debuted in 2000, the annual awards display and celebratory concerto has embodied improvisation by pairing musicians with minimal (or no) prior rehearsal time. In spite of the incidential implosion, the ensuing spontaneous collaborations are much inspired. This collection, strained from the 4th annual show, weighs in relation to the hindmost backwash with Dickey Betts, Meeting of Dust and Edie Brickell joining in for two of Betts' classic compositions ("Blue Sky" and "Ramblin Man"), Slick Rick melding with the Disco Biscuits for his "La-Di-Da-Di" and the Harlem Gospel Choir appearing with Soulive (featuring Maktub vocalist Reggie Watt) for a rousing narration of "Stop Messing Around."
Ask The Fish Artist: Leftover Salmon Release Date: 1995
For crowded oldness Leftover Salmon was Colorado's definitive polyethnic bluegrass amalgam. (And then the Dossier Cheese started to age...). Here, Leftover offers a class of animated originals and traditional covers that occasionally, affectionately eschew tradition. While Go over the Fish conveys the group's spirited irreverence ("Festivaaal!"), it's further valuation noting that the overdue End Vann was a two-time winner of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival's annual banjo contest, and his peerless picking helps dash off this early living book a showcase for the band's specialized proficiency.
Live At Lupos, 6/12/2004 Artist: The Slip
The Slip bridges the bounds between jazz and pop aesthetics, with results that are occasionally abstruse still ofttimes sublime. This release, a 2005 Jammy Award nominee for Breathing Jotter of the Year, presents the band in useful fettle at Lupo's in its native Rhode Island. Tracks such as the 20-minute "Nellie Jean" roll out that while the trio maintains an affinity for abstraction, it never neglects the like candy spots.