TrailJams is about making acoustic music together, for the enjoyment of the musicians and of people pausing to listen.
Hi, I’m Jonathan Lay. As a musician, some of the most joyful and satisfying times I’ve had is playing and singing in the company of other musicians. It might be a late night pub sing or an afternoon of playing tunes. Making music with other people is a rich experience that leaves us feeling good for a long time. Adding to that is the joy that we see in people who pause to listen, smile and maybe dance or sing a little bit.
It’s all of that that led to the creation of TrailJams. TrailJams is about making acoustic music together, for the enjoyment of the musicians and of people pausing to listen. That’s certainly not a new idea — people have been doing that for as long as there have been people. But sometimes it can be hard to find other people to make music with, a place to play, and a set of music that we can share. That’s where TrailJams comes in — helping us to connect with other musicians, choose a time and place to play, learn music and technique, and stay in touch with each other.
What’s in the name “TrailJams”?
TrailJams started outside. That was partly out of the necessities of the COVID pandemic, and partly because it is really a pleasure to play music together outside. For our first two years, starting in 2020, all of our musical gatherings were outside in a variety of locations, but always next to a walking path. So that’s the “Trail.”
And the “Jams”? The first handful of us who gathered for what became TrailJams played American old-time tunes, and in the tradition of old-time music, those gatherings are called “jams.” Later we began gathering to play Irish tunes, and in the Irish tradition those gatherings are called “sessions.” But the name “TrailJams” has stuck, and it rolls off the tongue nicely, even if there may not be a trail or a jam every time we get together.
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