Led by guitarist Bob Sneider and his trio, the nightly jam session at the 2006 Rochester International Jazz Festival proved to be a disappointment. The state of jazz has changed drastically since the mass migration of many American families to the suburbs occurred decades ago. A jam session used to be a place where young musicians could prove their talents and work out ideas and melodic solo lines with an established band. Often times, these sessions would prove to be a place where musicians could network with one another and find work for the coming months. The old style jam sessions were a place where musicians could challenge another to a musical duel. Fans could root on their favorite horn player while they showcased their skills to an appreciative audience. Are those days a thing of the past?

If the recent jam session held at the State Street Bar and Grill in Rochester, New York is any indication, the answer is yes. While the concept was great (musicians from the festival jamming with local talent), the execution left something to be desired. Students from the Eastman School of Music seemed to dominate the early set. Though not intended to be a college recital, Bob Sneider appears to be most comfortable when he is surrounded with students he teaches. Others were allowed a 2 chorus solo on one song then ushered off the stage. This was no real jam session. Musicians were not allowed to explore ideas and engage the audience. It seemed more like a classroom lesson.

The one difference from days past and currently is that in this day and age of college degrees for everything, musicians of days past realized you can’t teach jazz. It has to be something learned from experience and something that is past down from elder musician to young lion. Hopefully, this trend will not continue in future festivals. Musicians need to play and young students need to learn. I am hoping for a true jam session in years to come instead of the Eastman student recital we all witnessed at this year’s jazz festival.