If there’s one segment of contemporary music that inspires exceptionally devoted followers, it’s jam bands. Structuring their craft around live performances and, often, ceaseless touring, such bands embrace improvisation in ways associated with the work of vintage jazz artists. From Frank Zappa and The Mothers to The Derek Trucks Band, such groups also bring exceptional musical skills to what they do. Below are 10 jam bands, past and present, who’ve set a standard for their peers to follow.
Dave Matthews Band
Formed in the early ’90s, the Dave Matthews Band brought a world music vibe to the jam band phenomenon. Emphasizing college campuses as their tour stomping grounds, the group built a word-of-mouth buzz that blossomed into the sort of mainstream popularity few of their peers have enjoyed. The Virginia-based group continues to win followers with their annual summer tours, lengthy improvisations and the distinctively rhythmic approach that underpins their sound.
Blues Traveler
Blues rock, psychedelia, folk, R&B and, of course, straight-up rock and roll comprise the simmering musical stew that drives Blues Traveler’s eclectic style. Fans have long been drawn to the improvisational nature of the group’s live shows, which are often punctuated by startling segues. Tragedy struck in 1999 with the sudden death of original bassist Bobby Sheehan, and frontman John Popper has struggled with health issues. Still, the group – who encourage live tapings – remain a favorite on the jam band festival circuit.
Umphrey’s McGee
Superb musicianship, marathon concerts and a predilection for wacky covers has made Umphrey’s McGee a favorite among jam band aficionados. Hailing from the Midwest, the group emphasized live-show releases over studio recordings as they built a massive fan base. Known for their spectacular light shows, as well as their stellar musicianship, the group has made every concert they’ve performed since 2006 available to the public.
The String Cheese Incident
Although they’re often pegged as bluegrass-based, The String Cheese Incident actually incorporate a multitude of styles into their richly eclectic sound. Fiercely independent, and committed road warriors, the Colorado-based group also has been hailed for their charitable endeavors, their community involvement and the integrity they’ve demonstrated in the face of corporate pressures. As regards their music, the band rightly describes their approach as a “sacrilegious mix of bluegrass, calypso, salsa, Afro-pop, funk, rock and jazz.”
Moe.
Founded in 1990, Moe. has taken a do-it-yourself approach in building one of the jam-band world’s most devoted fan bases. Dubbing themselves “moe.rons” (which they decidedly are not), Moe.’s followers have seen their beloved group emerge as favorites on the festival circuit, and indeed the group has made multiple appearances at Bonnaroo. Asked to describe their music, Moe. guitarist Al Schnier once said, “It’s an amalgamation of a wide variety of the history of rock, regurgitated … with a sense of adventure, a sense of humor and a constant desire to push the envelope.”
Widespread Panic
While R.E.M. was staking out a prime place in the world of alternative music, their Athens-based rocker peers, Widespread Panic, were doing the same in the jam band arena. Widespread Panic’s studio albums have put equal emphasis on songwriting and improvisation, but the band’s live shows have become striking communal events, wherein fans are treated to marathon performances filled with dazzling ensemble interplay. “We’ve always considered the camaraderie of the band to be as important as anything else,” drummer Todd Nance once said. “[We’re] like a family and I think that comes through in the music.”
Gov’t Mule
A shared affection for power trios led Warren Haynes and Allen Woody to form Gov’t Mule as an offshoot of the Allman Brothers Band in the early ’90s. Spearheaded by Haynes’ searing blues guitar, the trio (which includes Matt Abts on drums) brought a Cream-like psychedelic component to their core Southern-rock sound. Woody’s tragic death in 2000 dealt a terrible blow to Gov’t Mule, but the group continues to dazzle fans with marathon shows that mix funk, blues and incendiary rock and roll into astral improvisations.
Phish
If any single band can claim to have snagged the jam-band spotlight from The Grateful Dead, it’s Phish. Like the Dead, Phish often apply a free-form strategy to their genre-bending approach. Guitarist Trey Anastasio is capable of evoking the likes of Frank Zappa, Yes’s Steve Howe and Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour in the space of a few bars. The band’s epic compositions sometimes approach the ambitious scale of classical music, albeit in a rock setting.
The Grateful Dead
A strong argument can be made that The Grateful Dead represent ground zero for the emergence of the entire jam band phenomenon. Starting out in the ’60s with a “street party” form of psychedelic music, the Dead went on to establish themselves as gifted assimilators of folk, bluegrass, rock and roll, jazz, country and all points in-between. Writing about the Dead’s Jerry Garcia in Rolling Stone, Warren Haynes said: “[He’s] one of the few guitarists where, as soon as you hear him, you know instantly who it is. There was a humanity in Jerry’s guitar work, as well as his singing, that drew you in. He was a very personal guitarist; he played with more heart and soul than technique.”
The Allman Brothers Band
It’s no exaggeration to say the Allman Brothers Band set the standard for on-stage jamming. At their best, the pioneering Southern rockers can still stretch a song for 30 or 40 minutes, filling the performance with celestial solos and ensemble interplay that sound conjured from magic potions. While the Brothers’ guitarists have been uniformly brilliant, Duane Allman warrants special mention for inventing the template for improvisational guitar playing, especially in the southern rock genre. Cohort Dickey Betts played a formidable role in that endeavor as well.
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