Group Jams in Chicago?

[Briantime]

Another post here got me to wondering...

Does anyone know of somewhere in the Chicago area that has blues jams geared toward the amateur? Anyone know of a school that teaches group blues or similar jam styles?

I would love to get some experience playing with others and not sure how to go about it. I have taken classes at the Old Towne School downtown. They are great, but looking for something more rock/blues/electric/with drums etc...

I appreciate any leads...


Brian

[Goluphi]

I'm pretty sure that OTS has a blues jam and blues centric classes, I've seen/heard em jamming in the basement.

[Ptrallan01]

I'm pretty sure that OTS has a blues jam and blues centric classes, I've seen/heard em jamming in the basement

What is OTS?

Thanks

[Goluphi]

Originally Posted by Ptrallan01

What is OTS?

Thanks

The Old Town School of Folk Music. http://oldtownschool.org/

[FatTeleTom]

Yes, Old Town School offers several blues offerings. The "big" one is the Blues Ensemble class (I think it's called Blues Band Live now). First week, you show up and they have new folks play (or sing) a bit to evaluate skill level, and then break everyone up into small groups. The idea is usually to group players of similar skill levels together. Usually 2 or 3 guitarists, singer, bass, drums, maybe a keyboard or harmonica player per group.

You then spend the next 7 weeks practicing, and then perform live, usually on a Sunday afternoon at Buddy Guy's.

It's a lot of fun, and I've done the class several times. I ended up with a great bunch of folks the first time, and we did several sessions together and had a blast. It was a big help for me getting comfortable playing in a "real" band.

Aside from that, there are regular jams at Buddy Guy's, at Bill's Blues here in Evanston (Tuesday nights), and other venues around the city.