Taylor Hicks ~ Jam bands--or bands that jam?

Taylor Hicks joined the large and raucous jamband community on board the MSC Poesia sailing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, last week and immersed himself into the floating musical party.

This was not the first Jam Cruise for Taylor. He had been onboard before, as a fan.

An early-on journal entry from jambands.com about the guests, including Mr. Hicks:

“Likewise, the ship’s Pool Deck stage also hosted some intriguing New Orleans jam sessions. Galactic—the only band to appear on every Jam Cruise—played a two hour set that featured appearances by Fred Wesley, Corey Glover, Corey Harris and Mike Dillon, among others. The set came to a powerful close when American Idol star Taylor Hicks, Karl Denson and Will Bernard all emerged for a final jam. Soon after, Widespread Panic keyboardist JoJo Hermann performed with his Mardi Gras band. As its name suggests, JoJo’s Mardi Gras Band pays tribute to the Big Easy, and the group’s show featured appearances by New Orleans heroes George Porter Jr., Ian Neville, Anders Osborne and Big Chief Monk Bourdreaux. A less obvious guest was Hicks who—despite his mainstream fame—considers himself a core part of the jamband community. He even played in a Widespread Panic cover band in college.”

It was a first Jam Cruise (albeit from afar) for this fan, who wasn’t clear about the whole jamband phenomenon.

I had only heard of some of the entertainers. I went looking for that “core” that makes jam band jam bands or a Jam Cruise a jam fest. Are they jam bands, or bands that jam?

From the book, “Jambands ; the complete guide to the players, music & scene,” by Dean Budnick, (owner of Relix Magazine and jambands.com.) and Introduction by Butch Trucks:

Butch states...

“…Semantics. Let us say that what these bands share is: an ability to play and a seriousness about their music that maximizes musicianship and minimizes showmanship.”

This sounded like the Jam Cruise music I had been reading about.

“To me it is all about blurring the lines and blending all genres of music – rock, blues, jazz, gospel, soul, funk, folk, bluegrass, zydeco….Take all the great musical styles and from those innovate, interpret and improvise to produce something new and exciting….”

More of what I had just read about. I was surprised to see some genres on board: bluegrass and acoustic sets? I thought this was all loud and raucous!

According to jambands.com site:

“Though it's been pretty well agreed upon that 1970's era improvisational rock groups like the Graeteful Dead and the Allman Brothers are the forefathers of today's thriving jam band scene, it's tempting to widen the scope. Was Cream a jam band? Was Led Zeppelin? What about the John Coltrane Quartet? And hey, those wicked nineteenth century chamber ensembles - did they start the whole thing with their violins and cellos?"

From jambandmusic.net:

“…jam bands can be multi-genre. A jam band is basically any band that performs live on stage and improvises a lot of their notes. Usually these artists are more noted for their live recordings rather than their studio albums. The term was coined in the early 90s when Phish took over the psychedelic rock scene in place of The Grateful Dead.”

Wikipedia weighs in:

“Jam bands are musical groups whose albums and live performances relate to a fan culture that originated with the 1960s group Grateful Dead and continued in the 1990s with Phish, String Cheese Incident, and Leftover Salmon, among others. The performances of these bands often feature extended musical improvisation ("jams") over rhythmic grooves and chord patterns and long sets of music that cross genre boundaries.

And this definition written by Budnick for the program of the first Jammy Awards in 2000:

“What Is a Jam Band? Please cast aside any preconceptions that this phrase may evoke. The term, as it is commonly used today, references a rich palette of sounds and textures. These groups share a collective penchant for improvisation, a commitment to songcraft and a propensity to cross genre boundaries, drawing from a range of traditions including blues, bluegrass, funk, jazz, rock, psychedelia and even techno.”

So…

“blurring the lines and blending all genres of music – rock, blues, jazz, gospel, soul, funk, folk, bluegrass, zydeco….Take all the great musical styles and from those innovate, interpret and improvise to produce something new and exciting….”

Well, no wonder Taylor Hicks considers himself a core part of the jamband community!

I do know what jamband is all about!

And I know why Taylor Hicks was right at home this week on Jam Cruise 9…

~~

Photos: Pool deck from ship's webcam; stage above by supergoodmusic.com.

For all the Jam Cruise journal recaps and photos, check out our Connections Anthology:
http://s1.zetaboards.com/connections/topic/3659298/3/

Sources:
http://www.jambands.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jam_band

http://www.jambandmusic.net/