Whanganui is a hotbed for live music, and it comes in all shapes and sizes. One offering is the IJD Jam Session, which is sponsored by Porridge Watson, on the third Sunday of the month.
The Chris Dan Trio featuring Chris on keys, Michael Franklin-Browne on drums and Berndt Reiss on bass are the house band that welcomes local musicians to come down and jam. And come they do! Last month there were no less than nine.
These included Joe Kennedy, a young saxophonist from Taihape who comes down every month to get the experience that only ‘jamming’ can give. His parents are taking him to New Orleans so that he can soak in all the culture at the home of his chosen music – jazz.
A good way to describe the jam is that it is designed to feature spontaneous improvisation. Here it is not what has been played before that is on show, rather it is what has never been played before that counts.
The music is unpredictable. Who will turn up? What will be played? What we do know is that the musicians who have taken part in these sessions keep coming back. And the sessions are attracting an appreciative audience.
