Jazz Swing

I have never heard this before. You're not making this up, are you? Who is teaching that the "bass" is viewed as a "drum"? I know many bass players who would take umbrage to this notion.

When I mean my personal view that the bass is viewed as a drum and not as pulse in jazz drumming or the bass should be used as comping, I meant the bass as in bass drum and not bass (strings)
 
Sorry, dude. Gotta call you on this one. There is no such thing as an open "rock" jam. There is for Blues and Jazz and of course, Jazz is an offshoot off Blues.

Now I have to call you on that dude.

Many jam sessions held around town on a more amateur level are in fact open rock or pop jams.

From a drummer's perspective, one does not have to know the song intimately but just keep the back beat going. It may not be the correct feel but most time it works as attention is focussed on the lead guitar or singer. Yes , pop and rock songs are more structured and restrictive in that one has to keep to the general form and arrangement otherwise it does not work with the audience. There is also no tradition of doing all the jazz thingies like soloing on the full form, trading 4s or 8s , or even taking a bass solo.

All this makes the rock/pop drummer's life much easier in a pop/rock jam. It's all about the 2 and 4 groove...most of it anyway. Maybe the occasional 3/4, 6/8, 12/8 or cut time pattern....but still back beat oriented. Most beginners and novice drummers can handle that, albeit not brilliantly.

But what such jams lack is the opportunity for each player to display his 5 minutes of fame that jazz jams offer. Here the men are separated from the boys.
 
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