Attention all bluegrass music lovers: If you walk by Old Cabell Hall between 8 and 10 p.m. Wednesdays, you can catch a jam session of bluegrass musicians.
The group is spearheaded by Music Department Chair Richard Will, a bluegrass fiddler and a specialist in American folk music. He first conceived the idea of creating a bluegrass jam session in 2003, "when an award from the Mead Endowment enabled me to begin hosting a weekly jam session on Grounds and also to travel with a group of students to a bluegrass festival," Will explained. "The jam has continued in one form or another ever since."
The Mead Endowment is a University program which allows faculty to realize a "dream idea" which furthers interaction with students outside the classroom. Will's idea was to teach students bluegrass musical styles as well as the style's historical and cultural significance, and to allow students hands-on experience.
Last week, seven musicians, including Will, stood in a circle in front of the Old Cabell's front doors practicing bluegrass improvisation. While in the past, Will has "put together bands drawn from participants in the jam, primarily for University events or benefit concerts around Charlottesville," he has no such intentions for members of the session in the near future, he said.
One of the striking characteristics of the bluegrass jam is its informal, cheerful atmosphere, which emphasized that the performance last Wednesday was not a concert. The musicians were dressed in casual clothes, and laughed and talked between songs. Although it was clear they were there to have fun with the music rather than to perform for a specific audience, they caught the attention of many passersby who paused to appreciate their playing.
The musicians ranged in age from undergraduate students to Will himself. "One of my favorite things about the jam is that it has always brought together undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff and community members," he said. The diversity of musicians
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