I began posting information about jam sessions in the Greater Kansas City area in late 2004, maintaining this list on my family web site. As time passed the collection grew to include other cities where I would travel on business and bring along my fiddle. The list was useful to me as a reference when I knew what jam in which city I needed information on, but it was not well organized. My guitar toting friend Shawn had been making the case for months that I should move the information to a dedicated site. As my search engine hits for jam sessions increased into 2006 I finally decided it was time.
We've built a web site dedicated to making information on acoustic jam sessions easy to publish (yes, you can publish to the list!) and very easy to find. The site filters data based on your location and shows you all of the events we know about in that area. It is focused on the United States. For folks outside of the US - we are working to make sure the site will function anywhere that Google offers geocoding services. If you want to use folkjam in your country, post a note in our forums to let us know where the demand exists.
I've left the list below in place since the entries are still viewed by visitors, but I do suggest you visit the new home for this information, folkjam.org.
You should always confirm the details of the jam sessions on this list. I also recommend you follow the links to the folkjam.org entry for the jam session as it may be more current.
If you are new to acoustic jams you might want to read some of these rules and guidelines for playing at a jam.
This open jam session post is now maintained on folkjam.org. You can find up to date information on this jam here.
The Kansas City Area Bluegrass Music Club has monthly jams on the 2nd Friday of the month, October thru April, at Vesper Hall in Blue Springs, MO (15 miles east of KC, on I-70).
Contact: Jim Boling (816) 454-4773 or E-Mail: jboling AT kc.rr.com
This bluegrass jam session post is now maintained on folkjam.org. You can find up to date information on this jam here.
David and Rene Lizor have been running a monthly jam at their house since 1978. Typically there will be a sign that reads "jam" telling you where to turn - information on where the jam is has been moved to folkjam.org.
It starts at 8pm and runs until the last two people go home, which could be well into the morning. Groups will be playing both inside and outside, so bring bug spray for the summer. While there are plenty of chairs to share it does not hurt to have one of your own along. Come with something to share - a snack, a bottle of wine, a six pack. The crowd is a mix of people who play and people who listen, so bring along a friend or three.
This open jam session post is now maintained on folkjam.org. You can find up to date information on this jam here.
Every Sunday night around 8pm Doc Fuller hosts an open jam / open mic night at WJ McBrides [google local], just south of 119th Street and west of Blue Valley Parkway, Overland Park, Kansas. For me this is just one more reason to enjoy McBrides, which is the only local watering hole I know of that serves Strongbow Cider. Doc Fuller is flat out amazing on the Guitar. The range of groups who get up on the stage after his opener run from "can I start that again?" grade to "this song is from our latest CD" caliber. Don't be shy.
As always, I suggest you call to confirm before you go. Visit their web site for contact information.
This acoustic jam session post is now maintained on folkjam.org. You can find up to date information on this jam here.
This session runs on the fourth Friday of the month at St. Luke's Methodist Church, 9420 James A. Reed Road in Kansas City, MO. The church's website is www.stlukeskc.org.
This bluegrass jam session post is now maintained on folkjam.org. You can find up to date information on this jam here.
The Heart of America Old Time and Bluegrass (HABOT) runs a monthly jam at 6pm October through April in Kansas City's Northland. See their web site for contact information and directions. This jam is a huge affair with room after room of players playing away at bluegrass, country, old time, fiddle tunes and pretty much anything acoustic instruments can muster.
This open jam session post is now maintained on folkjam.org. You can find up to date information on this jam here.
This is a great jam hosted at St. Matthews United Church of Christ in Riverside, MO. It is put on by the members of the church. It is set up like a concert, with the player's chairs facing an audience, but it is not run like a concert. The song selection passes around the room, and the selections include old-time fiddle, celtic, country and the rare blues/rock number. Acoustic instruments and voices make up the group. The church members kindly "pay" the musicians with home made cookies and cakes. All skill levels are welcome.
This free form acoustic jam session post is now maintained on folkjam.org. You can find up to date information on this jam here.
On a business trip to Tampa I came across a bi-weekly jam right near Busch Gardens. The group is run well and plays a broad range of music. The jam is at a fixed location on the fourth Tuesday and changes locations on the second Tuesday. Details can be found on
This bluegrass jam session post is now maintained on folkjam.org. You can find up to date information on this jam here.
Meetings are every Thursday evening: 9801 Blue Ridge (about three blocks north of Hwy 470 on Blue Ridge Boulevard) 6:00-10:00 pm.
Gary Russell says, "It's been a year and a half now, and getting bigger every week. We are ranging from 75 - 100 folks each week. We have changed our format effective Nov 3. We now have a 2 hour stage show from 7:30 pm and have open mic for individuals to be on stage beginning at about 6:15 pm. This seems to be working well and is well received by pickers as well as listeners. We still have 4 rooms with great acoustics for jamming. Mostly, we are only using two of these rooms right now so there is still room to grow. There is still a multitude of talented pickers who haven't found their way to our door. But, with the new opry/stage show format, we are expecting to see them soon. We are looking for bands who would like to do a performance occasionally. They can contact me by phone of by email, and I'll get them sheduled. P.s.: We have free refreshments every week. The ladies bring all kinds of snack food as well as coffee and pop. It's a good "family" gathering."
This open jam session post is now maintained on folkjam.org. You can find up to date information on this jam here.
A group of us jam once a month in the Brookside area of Kansas City. This has been going on for about a year. Our venue just changed to the Oak Street Coffee Shop, 6221 Oak Street, KCMO 64113 (corner of Oak and 63rd St.) The jams are acoustic with a PA system. We cover a fairly eclectic range including traditional/oldtime/bluegrass, light rock/oldies/Greatful Dead, blues, and celtic. There are slots available to folks who want to play as a group at the beginning of the jam. We then work into a typical circle. We're very friendly to beginners and enjoy new songs. Our jams generally begin at 2pm on the last Saturday of the month, although there are some exceptions due to holiday weekends. Interested parties can get on my mailing list by sending me an email via my contact form. The 2006 schedule is subject to change, but looks like: 2/25, 3/25, 4/29, 5/20, 6/24, 7/29, 8/26, 9/30, 10/28, 11/18, 12/30 (tentative).
Thursday Night Bluegrass/Folk/Random Acoustic Jam The focal point jam session post is now maintained on folkjam.org. You can find up to date information on this jam here.
Hosted at The Focal Point, this weekly jam circle accepts all and welcomes songs from nearly any genre, although bluegrass and fiddle tunes tend to dominate. More information can be found here. There is a very reasonable $3 charge to cover the use of the facility. It is waived on your first visit.
5 years 12 weeks ago