Atlantans take the spotlight at Twain's sessions

On Tuesday night, the call for horn players went out after the Joe Gransden Quartet’s first tune. The trumpeter had yet to arrive at Twain's weekly jam session, and drummer Chris Burroughs, pianist Tyrone Jackson and bassist Craig Shaw had just brushed the dust off their chops. “Are there any horn players here?” Burroughs asked. “If you want to sit in, please let us know.” And just like that, the rest of the night belonged to, well, everybody but the house band. (Gransden showed up a few tunes later, with many apologies.)

The focus of the Twain’s jam session is on the amateur. Guitarists, vocalists and horn players each with a variety of voices and styles were encouraged to take a turn leading the quartet. The spotlight belonged to every new musician, and the backing band took on a supporting role. Musicians with all manner of instruments and causal listeners populated the audience. And while the playing was what you’d expect from an open jam session, at no point was it dull. The crowd awarded warm applause not for artistic merit nor technical aptitude but for uninhibited performances. Talent was nice, but it wasn’t necessary.

The atmosphere at Twain’s is almost the opposite of that at the now-defunct Star Jazz & Blues weekly sessions. At Star, Atlanta’s best players got together to blow as hard as they could. Newcomers were always welcome, but the level of musicianship was so high that beginning jazz musicians seemed out of place. Twain’s is a true egalitarian session. Gransden and co. may be running things, but Atlanta’s hobbyist musicians and jazz students are the headliners.