Do you have a regular local jam in your area? Would you like to tell OBA members about it? If so, please contact David Sumner dsumner@linfield.edu so your jam can be featured here.
There’s no better way to get to know your neighbors than to make some music together, and in McMinnville, there has been a regular Tuesday night jam for about a decade now. The jam has moved around a bit, but for the last two years has been meeting weekly at the Mazatlán Mexican restaurant on the north side of town.
Bluegrass and Mexican food may seem a strange match, but it turns out that fajitas and fiddle tunes make a nice pairing, especially when washed down with a frosty Pacifico. And many of the patrons have not just become used to the strumming and singing coming from the bar, but now expect some string music with their salsa.
Cam Urnes, retired elementary school counselor and multi-instrumentalist, rides herd on this loose group, keeping a group chat updated, sending out reminders, and helping with jam etiquette. “Local music is important,” says Cam. “But the most important part for me is that despite our various backgrounds, we’ve all become great friends, trust each other, and enjoy each other’s company. We’ve built a little community, and that’s not easy these days.”
Andrew Spence, another long-time regular, has been around bluegrass all his life. His dad Hal, also a frequent flyer, was a member of the Sawtooth Mountain Boys, a legendary Oregon band started in the seventies. But despite his long exposure to the genre, the McMinnville jam has given Andrew the space to become comfortable playing music in a public setting. “When this jam started, I wasn’t comfortable playing with other people; I was terrified to take a break or worried about making a mistake. But the jam has helped me develop those skills. Now I perform in Sawtooth and Sons with my dad. Without the jam, I don’t think that would have been possible.” One of the great pleasures of the McMinnville jam is to hear Andrew and Hal harmonize.
McMinnville’s is an open jam that plays traditional bluegrass and half grass (bluegrass adjacent tunes). It is open to all levels with some folks just learning the ropes while others are real pickers. It is held every Tuesday night from 7-9 at Mazatlán, 2714 NE Hwy 99W. All ages and abilities are welcome. So if you’re in McMinnville on a Tuesday night, come help make some music, and maybe by a taco or two.
