MidTones Open Jam takes place at legendary Grand Star Jazz Club on the 1st Wednesdays every month, offering an inclusive venue for musicians, noise-makers and music-lovers to experiment, explore and experience. Led by SK, music at the event ranges from Miles Davis to Black Sabbath, Michael McDonald to Bob Marley, Frank Zappa to Prince, Journey to uncategorizable pure improvisation.
if you’re on Facebook, this page will have the info on the upcoming session. more pictures from the past events are available at this page.
“Most folks who aren’t musicians — and even some who are — avoid open jam nights like the plague. They can be the source of endless guitar solos, out-of-tune vocals and people who promptly leave after they perform. That doesn’t make for much of a hang out.
But twice a month at the Grand Star in Chinatown, Shin Kawasaki is adding a new meaning to what an open jam can be.
The night that I stopped by, I heard a Bob Marley song transition into “Smoke on the Water” as if Bob himself had written it that way. The best part about the show is that everyone can participate in some form or fashion. In fact, before the night was out, I found myself onstage with the band trying to remember the lyrics to the Beastie Boys’ song “Girls.” – Monk Turner
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