Jam Sessions in Jerusalem

It's been a while since I updated my list of music venues and jam sessions in Jerusalem, I'll start with the jam sessions. i don't make it to every jam every week but when I do I post an album of photos on Facebook with a link to videos on YouTube.  I also included directions for places that are had to find with just the address.  They are all within waking distance from one another.

Most of these jams will have guitars, an electric bass, drums, and maybe a keyboard or a piano, if you want to play something else you'll probably need to bring it, and people frequently bring things like violins, double bass, and wind instruments or their own guitar, electric bass, maybe some elements of a drum kit.

Sunday

There used to be nothing much happening on Sundays.  Shuka Bar (which used to be inside the Shuk, and now is right across the street from it) was the only place with live music, but they're not doing that anymore.  They do have performances on other nights once in a while, however.

Now there's a Jazz Open Stage at Avraham Hostel (67 HaNevi'im, at the bar up one flight of stairs) from 8:30 PM to around midnight or a bit later, whenever they decide to stop it so people at the hostel can get some sleep (I think the only food they sell is pizza, I usually buy a soup at Alma at 70 Rechov Yafo and take a shortcut through a parking lot to get there).  It's hard to find my photos, I post them to the hostel's page, but I don't see them there, so go to my Avraham Hostel category on YouTube, there's a link from the videos to the photos.  The music tends to be jazz standards, some vocal.

And there is a blues jam at Blaze Rock Bar, its address is 23 Hillel St, but you won't find that address, go down Darom St and when you see a longish passage on the side opposite the Cinema Hostel and Dublin, but closer to Hillel, it's at the end of it.  It starts at 9 PM (which probably means 10, I try to give the actual starting times) and goes for two or three hours.  Sometimes after the blues musicians leave, the stoner rock jam which can start up at any night there might start, see Wednesday for more info.  The group for updates and my pictures is Bluesin @ Blaze on yom rishon  I don't get there every week, it depends on when the jazz jam ends.  

Monday

Besarabia.  Under the leadership of Daniel (Jesus) Azuelos until recently, it's now run by different jam regulars each week.  Starts at 11PM, goes until the musicians get tired, or owner or bartender wants to go home which can be 2 or 3 AM.  Sometimes there's a pre-jam show.  For updates and my photos, join JAM SESSION at Besarabia.  The music can be jazz, rock, pop, reggae, middle-eastern, really whatever people want to play.  Sometimes a singer will ask to sing a song, sometimes they will scat along with the jam.  If the songs get too pop-music I call that karaoke with live musicians.  And sometimes, the owner will perform his original songs. Sometimes, when Birman was open, the band that was playing there would come by, and Dan Birron, the owner of Birman, might come after his bar closed for the night.

Besarabia is in the basement of Migdal Ha'ir.  The address is 24 Ben Yehuda street, but the entrance is down the stairs at the corner of Ben Yehuda and King George.  These stairs used to lead to the Jerusalem Comedy Club and the supermarket that could also be reached from inside the Mashbir. take a left turn when you get to the bottom of the stairs.  If it looks dark, just go through the gate, and if the gate is shut, rattle it until someone opens it.  The horseradish vodka is an acquired taste (I still haven't acquired it).

Tuesday

John Smith (the bar in the Cinema Hostel, over the McDonalds, the non-kosher one on Shammai Street, not the kosher one on Ben Yehuda).  But the entrance to the hostel is on Darom St, right before Dublin if you're coming from the direction of the McDonalds. There's also a staircase on Shammai from the parking lot that leads there.  Runs from about 8PM until midnight or so.  Some of the same jazz musicians from the Avraham Hostel and Besarabia jam come, the music is a mix of jazz standards (again, some vocal) and some pop songs if someone wants to sing something that the musicians know.  I post my albums to the events each week, and for now I'm posting them on YouTube under Assorted Venues, but I may eventually make a category just for that.

I want to say a few words about a now-defunct jam.  I don't remember anymore where it started, for a while it was at Haozen Hashlishit, a record shop, but it had to leave because it was close to a residential building and noise from the jam, and from people taking a break outside, disturbed the tenants.  Now the former location Haozen Hashlishit is a gym.  Then the jam moved to Pergamon, which still has the occasional performance, but no jams.  And then it ended, leaving a hole in my Tuesday nights.  But there's usually a live show at Blaze, and the jam at John Smith, so once more, I don't have to go to sleep at a reasonable time.

Wednesday

Blaze Rock Bar.  I put directions on Sunday.  The jam starts at 11 and can run until whenever, depending when the musicians go home (once in a while there will be a show before),  Most of the performers are the people who can be found at Blaze any night of the week (unless there's a metal show somewhere else) and is often stoner rock which Wikipedia calls "a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of doom metal with psychedelic rock and acid rock".  Or someone could show up and play something else.  This jam can break out at Blaze any night of the week after the scheduled performance ends and it can take a long break on Wednesday before resuming.  I post my albums on BLAZE ROCK BAR group

Saturday

Birman used to have a jam session, but they closed.  It moved to Roxanne, and I was at the first one, but I stopped in there sometime in January, and the bartender told me it was taking a break.  Roxanne has rebranded as Hagoren that has Israeli music shows on Tuesdays.  For a jazz jam session, see above, under Sunday.