The Jam session: 15 Musos with nothing better to do

The Leinster Arms Hotel was heading for closure - and this was a low point for Melbourne's longest running jam session. Better days were ahead! Well, a quiet day for a change, in the Chateau de Leinster, and 15 musos (and you may treat the term with derision if you wish) all neatly lined up to take their turn (hah!) in mangling a fine selection of toons. We even played a Peter Ryan original, but we were getting desperate by then.

Fine cameo by Trev on piano, Fermin and Neil on guitars, and a welcome return by Michael Findlay on drums, followed by Bill, the Captain and later a coupla solos from Will on saxaphone, much improved and improvised, before Malcolm took over the keys. Bassist Pierce played solidly all afternoon, and got the bass sound right: he held the rhythm section admirably together. Black Nile a standout that flew well above the audience’s heads, then the Debster and Kevin on vocals. After which point, some of us wandered out into the warm air of an autumnal evening, and the remaining musos probably ramped it up until the dancing on the tables died down, and they all left when the pub ran out of beer.

Or not as the case may be. Well, probably not…

TW