907 Jazz Jam

About The 907 Jazz Jam...

The 907 Jazz Jam is a fun, low-pressure space to explore jazz, blues, and beyond. It's especially geared toward beginner to intermediate players, but everyone is welcome—whether you're just starting out, brushing up on your chops, or simply coming to listen and hang out.

Jazz might seem complex or intimidating at first, but there’s a place for everyone to jump in. Maybe you start with a super simple melody (e.g., C-Jam Blues), a three-chord tune (e.g., 12-Bar Blues or Blue Monk), or a solo using just one basic scale (e.g., major scale or pentatonic scale) over a tune like Autumn Leaves.

At the 907 Jazz Jam, we play a mix of styles and songs, from simple blues to more complex jazz standards. You’re welcome to participate at whatever level feels right—whether that means playing, singing, listening, or just connecting with others in the 907 Jazz community.

Keep reading below for a few tips to help you (and everyone) have a great jam. Let’s keep the vibe supportive, creative, and fun for everyone involved.

Attitude: Come As You Are

At 907 Jazz, we’re here to learn, grow, connect, and have fun through music. Some folks are seasoned jazz jammers, while others are stepping on stage for the very first time. No matter your level, our top priority is maintaining a warm, supportive, and welcoming vibe.

In this jam we are flexible and open to whatever needs to happen—songs might need to start over if people aren't on same page, or we might pivot to simpler tunes when beginners are up. That’s totally okay. We embrace patience, creativity, and flexibility as part of the jam experience.

Jam Etiquette: A Few Things to Know

While everyone is welcome, a bit of preparation helps things run smoothly:

If you don't have tunes you know well already, consider picking a jazz standard or two in advance—you can prepare to play the melody, the chords, the rhythm, and/or improvise a solo.
If you only know part of a tune or just want to solo, no problem—just let the group know.
We’ll always take a moment before each tune to agree on the intro, outro, arrangement, tempo, and feel.
Bringing lead sheets (ideally for C, Bb, and Eb instruments) is not necessary, but it is a huge help—especially for songs not listed in the resources below.

Want to get up to speed on jam etiquette? Check out Nick Petumenos’s Sessions Etiquette Guide, a great starting point—especially for first-time jammers. We’ll also be adding resources right here on the site.

A Note for Vocalists

We love having singers! Most vocalists have preferred keys and arrangements—if you do, awesome. If not, no worries—we’ll try to figure it out together.

What helps:

Know your song’s key (this is the most important) and if you know the arrangement, tempo, and style you want then let us know that as well (but these elements can easily be negotiated on the bandstand)
When you can, bring lead sheets for the band (ideally for C, Bb, and Eb instruments). It's not required, but it definitely helps the jam flow better, especially if it's a less common jam song.
If you don't have lead sheets, we’ll do our best to find unfamiliar songs with Real Books, iReal Pro, etc.

Skills: Where You’re At Is Enough

The jam is open to a wide range of abilities. A few very basic skills that will help you start to enjoy playing jazz might be:

Know how to play a major scale (and its relative minor scale)
Know how to play 7th chords on guitar or piano (Major 7th, Minor 7th, Dominant 7th, Half-Diminished, Diminished),
Learn jazz melodies (aka "heads") or sightread simple melodies from a lead sheet
For drummers, know the form and basic groove
If you don't have the particular skills listed above and still want to join in the fun, bring a shaker or other percussion instrument and jump in!

And if you’re looking for a music teacher, additional opportunities to jam, or other music resources in Anchorage, the 907 Jazz community will be happy to point you in the right direction.

What to Bring

Instruments & Gear

Bring your instrument, amp, cables, and music stand if you need one.
A vocal mic and PA are usually provided—but feel free to bring your own just in case.
There’s a grand piano available at Organic Oasis.

Sheet Music: We recommend bringing one or more of the following books:

The Real Book, Vol. 1 (6th Ed.)
The Real Easy Book (Level 1)
The Django Fakebook (free PDF)

These cover a big chunk of tunes we typically play. Here’s a list of 130 Jazz Standards to give you a sense of what to expect.

Optional Tools We Recommend

iReal Pro (App)
This app gives you backing tracks, easy chord transposition, and access to thousands of jazz tunes (melodies not included due to copyright). We’ve created a 907 Jazz Playlist with the core 130 standards, and on the iReal website download other playlists including the full Django Fakebook (find link in the forum).

forScore (App)
An excellent tool for organizing and viewing sheet music on iPad or tablet. It supports setlists, annotations, and sharing with bandmates. If you’re going digital, this is the one to get.