It started when Thatcher Norton, a drummer from what was then HSU, had an idea. He started a group with players from two different bands that would meet twice a week and play music. It was called “Jazz Club”.
They played at Blondies, a venue just outside the university campus every Sunday and Tuesday night. The main trumpet player, Don Hammer
stedt, joined the group after meeting a Baritone Horn player who was in the band.
“When Thatcher finally moved on,” Hammerstedt said, “he handed the torch to me to run the jazz jam.”
These jazz jams have been happening for over ten years now, and now take place at Northtown Coffee. “It’s become kind of an institution now where people just show up every Sunday and have a great time,” Hammerstedt said. “Anybody’s welcome to play.”
The instrumentalists gather together to play the main melody, then the improvisation begins. They go up one by one and solo over the groove. The shop bustles with people listening to the music, ordering drinks, and above all, enjoying the fantastic atmosphere of the event.
In addition to the music, Miles Schmidt, a tap dancer, sometimes performs. He says that jazz and tap are intertwined because they came from the same place in history. “There’s people that don’t know that,” Schmidt said, “but as soon as I start dancing, they figure it out because [jazz and tap dancing] come from the same place rhythmically.”
His grandpa is a jazz drummer and his sister is a ballet dancer, so it made sense that he would get into tap. “I’ve always been around the rhythm and the dance, and tap dancing is the intersection between those two,” Schimdt said.
He says that the music scene here is rooted in jazz. “[The jams] really show off the music community of Humboldt county, which is a very rich one,” Schmidt said.
The jazz jams are free to anyone who wants to enjoy the incredible music, or to play their own instrument, whether that be a beginner or a seasoned performer. “You could be a first year player who just wants to get up in front of people and play,” Hammerstedt said. “Great; more power to you.”
The jams happen every Sunday night from 5:30 to 8:30 PM, with free admission. If you enjoy jazz music, or are just looking for something new to do over the weekend, I highly recommend going.
