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South Bay / Santa Clara Valley Old-Time Jams

Old-Time Jams

These are informal jam sessions of mostly American "Old-Time" music, often with some contra and "Celtic crossover" tunes thrown in. They're held in the southern San Francisco Pensinsula area (~ Palo Alto to San Jose, California). The jams are acoustic but otherwise open to anyone who'd like to join in.

Monday Night Jams

We typically have 15-20 (or even 29!) people for the Monday night old-time jams. The jams have moved from time to time; currently they are held in Palo Alto.

This jam (and several others, see below) are held at Fandango Pizza who have merged with the Pommard Delicatessen and Cafe in Palo Alto. The Fandango folks have been very supportive of our music. Please return the favor (and help them stay in business!) by buying something to eat and/or drink before or during the jams. Suggested amount: at least $5 per person.

Schedule: Now every Monday, 7:00-9:00pm (as of 3/09)
The Fandango staff has asked us to quit by around 9:00 so they can clean up and lock up by their 9:30 closing time. So we're making the "official" start time 7:00 pm to allow a full two hours of jamming. Come early and order a pizza!
In warm weather we sometimes continue outside -- but Bay Area evenings can get chilly quickly, so bring a jacket!

Location: Fandango Pizza's new location, 3163 Middlefield Rd (at Loma Verde), Palo Alto. This location is shared with the Pommard Delicatessen and Cafe.

These are the same jams that were formerly in Mountain View at Cuppa Joe and Fibbar McGee's, then in Sunnyvale at the Bean Scene, then at the Coffee Society in Cupertino and the Cafe la Dolce Vita in Palo Alto. The Irish sessions that used to alternate with the old-time jam are currently inactive. They have been supplanted by various other Irish and Celtic (or "mostly Celtic") jams -- see Other South Bay Area Jams below.

Sample Tune Lists

Here are names of some tunes I and others have heard at the jams. These lists are not definitive (and are sadly out of date), but just intended to give an idea of some of the tunes played. The old-time list is organized by keys as well as by title because we often stick to one key for a half-hour or so. (Some banjos and fiddles need to be retuned to change key.)

• Old-Time Tunes (PDF format)

A CD with sheet music for a number of the traditional tunes commonly played has also been compiled. Ask at the jam about getting a copy.

Email Notification List

We send notices about changes to a Yahoo "Old-Time Jams" group (mailing list).

You can join or see recent messages here.

You can also subscribe by sending a message to: old-time-jam-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Traffic level is normally very low. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Need more information? Email Pete Showman:
with subject: "Old-time Jam query"

Other South Bay Area Jams and Sessions

• The Santa Clara Valley Fiddlers Association (SCVFA) holds a large jam and open-mike stage on the first Sunday of every month, 1-5 pm usually at Hoover Middle School in San Jose. Adult admission to the jam is usually $5; children to 16 are free. (Occasionally a concert is held during the jam, with a higher adult admission charge.) A slow-jam Beginners' Circle is offered for an hour or so most months, led by an experienced musician; sheet music and audio for a few typical tunes are posted on the Beginners' Page. Various youth activities are also offered at the jam from time to time, including periodic KidFiddle youth fiddle workshops and an annual Youth Fiddle Contest in November. (Note: During July, August and sometimes September this jam often moves to a nearby park -- no open mike, but admission is free. Check the website for current information.)
  
  
• District 9 of the California State Old-Time Fiddlers Association (CSOTFA) holds a monthly jam and potluck, usually on fourth-Sunday afternoons, 1:30-5:00. (The schedule is sometimes adjusted to avoid holidays, e.g. in November and December.) These events are held at a church in Castro Valley, at 19806 Wisteria St.
  
  
• Pipers' Club Slow Session: Irish tunes played slowly. Each week they pick a tune for everyone to learn; see the list on the website. A few of the tunes (especially the oldest ones) include a PDF or MP3 to learn it from.
  Schedule: Most Tuesday evenings, "around 7:30" until 9:30pm.
  Location: Stephens Green, 223 Castro St., Mountain View.
  Session Contact: See link above.
  
  
• Bluegrass Jam in Palo Alto
  Schedule: Most Wednesday evenings, about 7:00 to 9:00pm.
  Location: Fandango Pizza / Pommard Deli & Cafe in Palo Alto (see above).
  Jam Contact: (unknown)
  
  
• A Slow Jam group meets usually twice a month on Friday evenings at homes in the south SF bay area. The idea is to play music more slowly, to give people a chance to learn the tunes. For more information email Grace, tralalaaaaaaaa
  (that's 8 consecutive a's)
  
  
• Irish Sessions at O'Flaherty's Irish Pub, 25 North San Pedro Street (just north of Santa Clara Street), San Jose; (408) 947-8007.
  Schedule: every Sunday, approx. 5-8pm
  • 2nd and 4th Sunday evenings usually led by Art Friedman,
  • 1st and 3rd Sunday evenings usually led by John Lavelle, (408) 269-1752. (These replace the Sunday Irish sessions that John used to lead at Scruffy Murphy's in Sunnyvale before February 2004.)
  • 5th-Sunday leader is determined as needed.

Links to other Bay Area sites with calendars or event lists

• The Slowplayers website has a list of (mostly) Irish sessions in the Bay Area and elsewhere, and lots of other useful information.
• The Northern California Bluegrass Society has an extensive calendar
• The South Bay Folks also have a useful calendar, and operate a regular open-mic session in San Jose.
• The San Francisco Folk Music Club has a good list of music activities throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
• Tony Becker maintains a list of some mixed Celtic (instrumental and song) and old-time jams, including his "Mostly Celtic" jams at various venues.

This page is maintained by Pete Showman, .

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