To jam is to improvise with other musicians. Linguist David Dalby traced jam to the Wolof word jaam for slave. As early as the 1700s, when slaves gathered together for their own entertainment, they called the get-together a jama.
Fierce jam sessions and cutting contests inspire blues, rock, and jazz musicians to stretch beyond their limitations. As composer/multi-instrumentalist Elliott Sharp puts it, “Improvisation is the immediate and spontaneous manifestation of visceral musical intelligence.”
The musician with the most jamming stamina ever may have been jazz saxophonist John Coltrane, who would jam all night and keep going while he signed autographs, while he was in the dressing room, and even while he was in the club’s bathroom.
The first blues musician to tap into Coltrane’s concept of extended improvisational soloing was Michael Bloomfield, the Chicago guitarist who played with the original Paul Butterfield Blues Band. “Man,” Bloomfield said to a close friend, journalist Andrew M. Robble, “Coltrane just blew my fucking mind.”
The Butterfield Blues Band’s 1966 recording of “East-West” by Nick Gravenites lasted twelve minutes and was the first lengthy improvisation recorded by a non-jazz ensemble. Live, the group would sometimes extend the piece up to forty-five minutes.
“‘East West’ is all Coltrane-Indian Ragafeel-acid experience awakening and the blues- the real thing, no shuckin’ here,” Bloomfield told Robble. That recording had a profound effect on the San Francisco psychedelic scene and the British electric blues scene that spawned such talented white blues guitarists as John Mayall and Eric Clapton.
“What a great resource, as fascinating as it is informative. Debra’s passion for the blues shines through.” – Bonnie Raitt
“Debra’s book will teach you what you really need to know about blues history and where the blues are coming from.” – Joe Bonamassa
“Finally one can understand the mechanics behind the overwhelming viscera of the Blues. Debra Devi’s work is a true guide book to the soul.” – Al Jourgensen (Ministry)
“This book is fascinating! Take it to the bathroom and don’t come out until you’re done reading it.” – Jimmy Vivino
“This is a beautiful book. Upon receiving The Language of the Blues I discovered my knowledge only scratched the surface. Debra Devi has written an invaluable reference book. And it’s also great fun to read.” – Hal Willner
“Don’t think that The Language of the Blues might read like a dictionary or reference book. There’s no plot, but you can open it up at random and fall into the world of your favorite blues songs, and find out more about the lyrics than you would be guessing from context. I learned a lot more about the blues music I already loved.” – Bob Margolin
