January 25 2007 Jam

Where’s Doc’o… on the road again…somewhere betweenst Redwoods and Bowers…

Matt started out the night flying solo. Then it was, “bring up the band” for a Priney duo and a little Bonnie Raitt spiced up with Jam Master Hammer’s special rockin’ arrangement of “One Belief Away.” No more calapso for this tune!

John A. joined the crowd, calling up Special Guest Host Jammer, Loren Arment, to join him. They launched into “Worried Man” and “Abeline” as Jam Master Hammer slipped over to mando. Lots of laughs this night. Matt quipped, “Read the memo, John, special guest host jammers get a special, MC ‘and here they are’ tada before making a grand entrance”… and so, here it is, better late than never, “Give a Big Welcome to Special Guest Host Jammer, Loren Arment, it was Arment to happen!” John sang old folk standards, “Chilly Winds” and “Greenback Dollar,” accompanied by the man with the human voice, Alaska’s own, Loren Arment. Mr. Ricky then jumped up on stage and sang his heartfelt version of “Can’t You See” as set one came to a close.

Set two started out with Robert Howard on electric, Special Ed on electric, Patti Greene on bass, Gary Price on drums, Paul on harp, Cuba on congas and special guest host Loren Arment, the man with the human voice, on acoustic guitar and vocals. Loren beckoned, “Come on In, Sit Yourself Down, Take Your Shoes Off My Friend.” Especially for the Freedom Writer, the group launched into “Two Hangmen,” a Mason Prophet tune, with the Lovely Miss Penny Lee joining the boys for a powerful three-part harmony closing.

Then into a harp player’s request for “Amy” which had Miss Patti Greene joining in for a bit o’sweet four-part harmony and Tallahassee Steve aka Yakatat Steve stepping up on stage on flute and harp to accompany jammers on “Killing the Blues.” Sweet, sweet harmonies, this one always strike a chord with all the audience. What a powerful tune! A little “Boys of Summer” rounded out the set.

Freedom Writer Quote: “This last set is living proof that you can get high off of your music!” Bill is our own personal “music aficionado” and one of the biggest supporters of live music in Anchorage. Thank you, Bill, for your words and your support!

Set three brought a pirate to the stage…opening with, “what’s a pirate movie rated?” “arRRRR.” A big welcome goes out to Cea; it’s been a long time since we’ve seen you! Welcome back! Cea launched into her soulful version of “Love Me Like a Man” accompanied by Steve on flute, Robert Howard on electric, Patti on bass, Tom Lambert on organ, Cuba on drums, Moe on keyboards, and the owner Mike Merrill joining in on flute. Sweet, sweet music from this grouping of musicians. A little “Mustang Sally” had the dancers to their feet and a’singing…”Ride Sally Ride.” Cea, whew, what vim, what passion!! And she plays audience congas as well!

Jam Master Hammer rejoined jammers for a little “Tupelo Honey” and then guest host Arment led jammers into he and Special Ed’s own special rendition of “Black Magic Woman,” bringing this segment to a powerful close!

Jam Master Hammer rejoined jammers for a little “Tupelo Honey” and then guest host Arment led jammers into he and Special Ed’s own special rendition of “Black Magic Woman,” bringing this segment to a powerful close!

Miss Patti Greene then stepped center stage for her own passionate version of “Wild Horses,” promising jammers that she would “drag jammers through the ditches and back out to the middle of the road.” Whew…she takes us to the moon and drops us right down through the basement…what a sweet, sweet ride! Bassman Dane joined jammers, recently returned from Hawaii, for a little “T-Bone Shuffle” and “Steamroller Blues” which brought Miss Michelle up on tambourine.

I slipped to the stage for a quick trip to “Atlanta” with a lotta help from my jammin’ friends!

Guest Host Arment and Jam Master Hammer (Arment/Hammer) led jammers into Matt’s own special “Harvard Classic” rendition of “Summertime” and Loren grabbed the reins on “Hotel California” and Miss Penny joined the group to close the night out with a little “Swerving on Life’s Highway.”

Big thank you to Mike Merrill, our host, Miss Jessica behind the bar, all our audience and all the jammers.

Live long, love much, laugh often…and play music!

January 18 2007 Jam

Where’s Doc’o… stuck near Lodi again… lost in America and makin’ his way back home!

This jam session started out with a tribute to Doc…entitled… “I Hate It When That Happens to Me.” Since we were on a Priny note, the core band launched into an additional trio of Priny tunes. Can you tell? Matt loves the wordsmithing of ole John Prine!

John A. joined jammers and sang, “Worried Man.” His tune “Abilene” had all us “old folks” singing along in the audience…funny how you remember all those old songs and it takes a monumental effort to learn a new tune. Guess it’s easier these days to wrinkle on the outside rather than wrinklin’ a new memory on the inside… John then sang “Where Have All the Flowers Gone.” I can tell, he’s been listening to that Seger Session tape, again… kewl! He ended the set with his ace tune, “Greenback Dollar.”

Welcome back from America, Robert! Glad to see that those Colorado snows didn’t bog you down! Big welcomes to Miss Barbara and her friend who were first time audience members! It’s always a delight to meet new people and see new faces in the audience.

Set two brought Ricky to the stage on acoustic, singing “Spanish Pipe Dream,” “A Pirate Looks at 40,” “Lying Eyes,” and “Paradise.”

Set 2, part two, brought Special Ed Christiansen to the stage on his special electric and Alex, back on electric. Nice electric licks from these two! Whew! A little “T-Bone Shuffle” and some “Steamroller Blues.”

A slightly familiar face then jumped to the stage on flute and harp, a long hair…left us wondering who is that somewhat familiar man… I looked closely and darn…it was a jammer from the Whaler Jam. A big, big welcome goes out to Yakatat Steve, back from a four-year tour of Tallahassee with his kids and grand kids. So glad you’re back, Steve! He’s been playing in bands up down, and around those Florida towns! Inquiring minds want to know, did you see Jimmy Buffett?

Ed stepped up to the mic and sang “Flip, Flap and Fly.” A quick player shuffle brought Mike Johnson stage left on electric and Pat Rat stage right on bass, joined by Steve, Gary and Cuba. Ed led jammers into “All of Me,” and “Black Magic Woman.” On this tune we had a spunky drum solo by our own Gary Price. A sweet suite! Mike stepped up to the mic singing, “Stormy Monday” and “Standing on Shaky Ground” with Steve moving to harp.

Another quick change brought Texas Jimmy D to the stage on electric and Paul on harp. Mike was calling this group a rather seasonal name, “The Defrosters.” Defrost us, boys! Moe joined in on keyboard. A key to the highway, Patti stepped up to the mic singing “Bossman.”

A little “Time Will Get You” from Jimmy D and Jam Master Hammer stepped center stage for a trip to “Tupelo Honey.” And another night of jammin’ came to a close.

Live long, love much, laugh often…and play music!

January 11 2007 Jam

Wow, it’s a new year and we’re back! Miss Patti Greene joined the band on bass and vocals. Big welcome to Miss Patti—she brings a wealth of talent and depth to the band. Big hugs to Pat Rat who has become quite the soloist with his tasty acoustic guitar stylings. For the dinner set, catch him all around town and… of course, from time to time with the band… and, it goes without saying, at any and all jam sessions.

Our first guest host of the new year was Stu Schulman. Wow, what a treat! The core band with Matt, Patti, Paul, Dean, joined by Paul and Cuba started out singing “Devil’s & Dust.” A little “Glory of True Love” and John, our favorite “Worried Man,” jumped center stage and sang a trio of folk tunes. Matt ended the set with his original, “Some Things are Never Gonna Change.”

Set two brought Stu back to the stage on electric. We ask him to sing but he confided, “not tonight, I have a headache.” Hum… Keith Junot, on upside down and backwards acoustic guitar, joined Stu, Dean, Patti, Paul and Cuba. Keith, in his best Willie Nelson stylings, sang “I Had a Beautiful Time” and “Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground.” This tune had the audience mesmerized with Stu’s sweet licks, Keith’s velvet vocals, Patti’s strong rhythmic bass lines, and Dean and Cuba’s tasty drumming. Very nice!

A new jammer to the stage, Tammy sang an old, old tune, “Delta Dawn.” Tammy confided that we probably wouldn’t know many of the tunes she likes to sing as they were all old, old tunes. Jammers then jumped back into “Can’t Find My Way Back Home.”

Set three began with Ricky on acoustic, Mark on bass, Dave on harp, Matt on acoustic, Cuba and Dean, on congas and drums. Dave’s a new jammer and a little shy of the mic, but Paul told us he’s mentor him…speak into the microphone. Freedom Writer dubbed this group the “Electric Hodgepodge.” The first song up was, “Cover of the Rolling Stone,” but I’ve got to tell you, these guys seemed more suited for the cover of Field and Stream! A trip to “Cripple Creek,” a “Changes in Latitudes,” and Ricky closed with a rather interesting version of “Hotel California” with Patti joining on keyboards.

Set three, part two, brought Ranger Doug up on electric, Stu on organ, Patti on bass, Paul on harp, with Patti characterizing the first song as, “not jammin’, that’s trash.” Sweet, sweet trash if that’s the case! Patti then sang her unique rendition of “Don’t Think Twice It’s All Right.” This one comes straight from the heart and hits the rest of us right in the gut. Wow, what a great tune! Bobby would be proud!

Shelly of Bull’s-Eye then jumped to the stage on energetic lead vocals and jammers launched into “Runaway,” “Wild Horses,” and “Chain of Fools.” “Chain of Fools” had the whole audience on their feet dancing!

Set four brought a change of pace with Mr. Dane center stage on his acoustic twelve-string playing his originals for us one last time. Dane was dressed in his Hawaiian shirt, in preparation for his late night flight back to Hawaii. Dane, we will miss you! And all too soon another night of jamming at the North Slope came to a close!

Live long, love much, laugh often… and play music!

January 4 2007 Jam

Photographer's note: There are about twice as many pictures of this evening's Jam than is normal. The reason is that not only one, but two different people came up to me asking that an extra few pictures be snapped. One thing I've learned from Matt this past year is that the audience needs to be both much-respected and made-happy, and so, you see 16 pictures above from this night. Enjoy. SteveR