{"id":33,"date":"2021-05-21T11:27:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-21T10:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lastminutemusicians.com\/how_to_get_gigs\/?p=33"},"modified":"2026-04-11T09:43:44","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T08:43:44","slug":"tip-4-jam-sessions-jazz-jams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lastminutemusicians.com\/how_to_get_gigs\/tip-4-jam-sessions-jazz-jams\/","title":{"rendered":"Jazz nights and other jam sessions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Last updated: April 2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jazz jams and jam sessions are one of the best ways to network, meet new musicians and get better at improvising. Regularly hosted in venues around London and the UK, jam sessions can be great fun. <\/h6>\n\n\n\n

There are many different career paths in music that attending a jam night might help you get onto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For instance, if you’re looking to start working as a session musician<\/a> (potentially performing in an artist’s backing band or in the studio), attending a jazz jam night will give you some invaluable experience of playing with new musicians and a chance to practice a few of the vital musical skills you might need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are lots of different jams going on in most major towns and cities throughout the UK. The genres will vary, but they will generally either be Jazz or Blues-based, although there are also many Folk music-oriented events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also read our LMM blog on finding musicians to jam with<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re looking for more gigs as a Jazz musician, consider joining Last Minute Musician\u2019s Facebook communities.\n \t
  • UK Musicians for gigs<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n \t
  • Dep Musicians in the UK \u2013 Needed and Available<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    What is a jazz jam session?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    A jazz jam session is an informal live event where musicians take it in turns to sit in with a house band and play jazz standards together. The house band usually opens with a short set, then the bandleader invites players up from the audience to join them on stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Someone calls a tune (often a well-known jazz standard), the key and tempo get agreed, the head is played, and then each player takes a turn to solo over the changes before the head is played again to finish. It’s equal parts social club, rehearsal room and public performance, and it’s one of the fastest ways to get better at playing jazz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Key skills you might want to brush up on before attending a Jazz night<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Improvisation<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    The first order of business for any Jazz night is the idea that anyone sitting in gets the chance to improvise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    When someone nods in your direction, you want to be ready! Think about playing over different changes, what scales work over what chords (and why!) and playing around\/extemporising on melody lines. For a deeper dive, see our guide to improvising at jam sessions<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"saxophonist\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Changing key<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    If you\u2019re having a singer sit in with the house band, they may want to change the song’s key they are about to sing to better suit their range. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Having a good handle on the Nashville number system is a good way to make this easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you’re a guitarist looking to expand your Jazz vocabulary, you should head over to https:\/\/www.mwgcourses.com\/<\/a> for hundreds of free Jazz guitar lessons. A new series of EBooks on Blues guitar entitled “Blues Guitar 101” is also in the process of being launched. <\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Stylistic awareness<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Having a good knowledge of different styles of music is going to become invaluable when it comes to jamming along to a song you might not have heard before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Try and become familiar with some of the most popular players in a certain genre and pick out a few of their particular trademarks and subtleties \u2013 this can be an exciting and mind-expanding experience!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Jam session etiquette<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    A few unwritten rules go a long way at a jazz jam. Don’t sit in on a tune you don’t know, keep your solos short (say what you have to say in a couple of choruses), respect the other soloists by not noodling on your instrument when they are playing, and remember that it’s the bandleader’s jam, not yours. Be polite, be humble, and listen before you play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Jazz standards & real book tunes<\/h2>\nThe songs below are considered \u201cStandards\u201d of the jazz world and will be really popular for local jazz nights, so it\u2019s worth taking a look at them. Here\u2019s a few of our top picks, with some from Learnjazzstandards.com<\/a> \u201c50 Jazz Standards You Need To Know\u201d:

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  • All Blues<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n \t
  • All of Me<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n \t
  • All The Things You Are<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n \t
  • Autumn Leaves<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n \t
  • Blue Bossa<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n \t
  • Bye Bye Blackbird<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n \t
  • Days of Wine and Roses<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n \t
  • Fly Me To The Moon<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n \t
  • How High The Moon<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n \t
  • In A Mellow Tone<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n \t
  • My Funny Valentine<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n \t
  • Night and Day<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n \t
  • So What<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n \t
  • St. Thomas<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n \t
  • Stella By Starlight<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n \t
  • Sweet Georgia Brown<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n \t
  • The Girl From Ipanema<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n \t
  • What Is This Thing Called Love<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n \t
  • Yesterdays<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    How to prepare for your first jazz jam<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Before you head to your first jam, come prepared with three to five jazz standards you can play confidently from memory, including the head, the chord changes and a short solo over the form. Bring a small amp or your instrument in gig-ready condition, arrive early so you can hear the house band’s first set, put your name on the sign-up list, and be ready to introduce yourself to the bandleader. Above all, listen to what’s being played and only sit in when you know you can contribute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Best jazz jam sessions in London<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Here are some venues in London who run weekly jazz jam sessions (great places to hear saxophonists<\/a>, jazz singers<\/a> and jazz pianists<\/a> mixing it up together). Google them for more information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n