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HISTORY On July 13, 2003, our first Sunday Jam Session took place at the Sanctuary Coffeehouse in Somerville, NJ. Jim Jasion, the founder, envisioned a Traditional Jazz jam session geared to the membership of the New Jersey Jazz Society, many of whose members, lived in the area. Unexpectedly, the first participants came from other "walk-ins" to the coffeehouse and some local high school students who were studying jazz. When the coffeehouse closed early in 2005, the Sunday Jam Sessions were moved to The Red Tower III Family Restaurant on Route 22 in Bridgewater, NJ. In April, 2006, the sessions were moved to Thursday evenings and a new Sunday Jam Session was instituted at PJ's Coffee in Highland Park. In September, after a month's hiatus, the Thursday Jam Sessions were moved to the Day's Inn of Hillsborough. 
Us on March 9, 2008, the first "Great Day In Highland Park"
Row 1 - Left To Right - Max Jacob, Jim Jasion, David Kolchmeyer In April, in 2007, the current schedule and venues
were adopted, with a Sunday Jam Session continuing at PJ's and a Wednesday or Tuesday Evening Jam Session at Rhythm's
Nightclub in Manville, NJ. In late May 2009, out stint at Rhythms came to an end but we have been able to secure an
interim private summertime venue for our Tuesday evening jam sessions. Currently we have two regularly scheduled jam sessions, Sundays from 1 - 5 PM at
PJ's Coffee, located at 315 Raritan Avenue Highland Park, NJ and Tuesdays 7 - 10 PM at a private studio belonging to
our Tuesday House Band guitarist, John Forrestal, in Edison, NJ. We also do 2 pro bono appearances Monday and Wednesday
evening from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM at the Home Town Buffet, with Monday given to a septet with a full rhythm section consisting
of piano, drums, guitar and bass, and 3 front-line horns, consisting of trumpet, tenor sax and trombone and Wednesdays
featuring a more intimate chamber jazz concept with a drummerless trio of piano, guitar and bass. Sit-ins
by experienced musicans we have played with during the jam sessions are welcome. The buffet is located at 561 US Highway
1 (at the intersection of Route 1 and Plainfield Avenue) in Edison, NJ. As we've grown, we've begun to fill a niche all too often neglected in current day academic musical
training for young jazz students. That is, the opportunity to play in a small
to medium combo setting, without recourse to a fully fixed score, relying upon one's own ear and improvising
ability to create a cohesive ensemble sound. This goes beyond the typical performing experience of many
a current day musician-in-training. We extend the following
invitation to music students, their instructors, their parents, friends and other interested musicians. This
is to: (1) Learn, by listening and/or performing about the real Jazz, not just what is being
spoonfed to the public as 'Smooth', 'Cool' or 'Soft' Jazz by the large record corporations. Fostering community-based
local live musicianship by making jazz easily accessible to a local audience, and in so doing developing
and nurturing a knowledgeable audience / clientele for the music. (3)  |
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