You never know who will show up to play with the acoustic group Jammin’ to the Left, but that’s part of the fun for this band of area musicians.
The instruments and the musical styles can vary from week to week. Anyone who can sing or play is invited to bring an acoustic instrument and join in, said Wanda Cass, who started the group with a friend. Most Wednesdays, they meet at the Great Bend Senior Center to rehearse.
Cass belongs to more than one group that meets regularly for a jam session. This Friday, starting around 5:30 p.m., they’ll be playing at Mom’s Bar & Grill in Seward.
They call this group Jammin’ to the Left because that’s how a typical jam session progresses. “The person to your left picks the next song,” she said.
At last Wednesday’s meeting, they started with the blues song “Hurricane” by Levi Helm and then concentrated on Christmas songs: “Up on the House Top” “Jolly Old St. Nicholas” and “Jingle Bells.” They played “Mary Did You Know?” several times as they worked to perfect the three-part harmony.
“I feel what I play,” Cass told her fellow musicians as they stopped to discuss the tempo. “I might not be right with you.”
Cass said when players started meeting at the Senior Center they were the only ones there, so they started in the main meeting area. Then the weekly Wednesday evening card players arrived and the musicians offered to move to the back room. The card players didn’t mind, however, so there is usually background music and Pitch playing.
There are several regulars who bring different arrangements and instruments. John Makings was playing the percussion Wednesday. He brought some egg shakers and a box drum called a cajon.
“I like to sing and I like to play music beats. It’s amazing how music can change your outlook,” he said.
“There’s quite a few jams in the area – probably one every weekend,” he said. Jamming is different than performing in a band because you never know who will show up or with what kind of instrument. Fiddles, banjos, mandolins and other stringed instruments are welcome. “We just get together and have some fun.”
People are welcome to come to the Senior Center with an acoustic instrument, Cass said. The jam sessions usually start around 5 p.m. and last as long as someone wants to play. She advises anyone wanting to join in to text her first (620-793-2900) to see what time they’ll be starting – or if they’re meeting at all.
