A musical conversation

???Jamming doesn't come with a strict set of rules. It's a laid back way for people to explore and nurture their musical talent, and for many it's therapy. The Jam Club, now about seven years old, is about spontaneity and love of music.

"Jamming is a musical conversation," said Jay Jerose, a junior accounting major and president of the Jam Club. "Just as a verbal conversation is the spreading of ideas, jamming is the spread of musical ideas to one another."

According to Jerose, jamming is completely improvised: Someone starts playing and others begin contributing to the musical conversation, and before they know it, the sporadic start leads to music that has not been played before.

"You learn new ideas from other bands and sometimes members write music, but I personally like contributing," Jerose said. "Anyone can set the tempo; the main focus is on complementing each other."

Members take turns being the leader because the unwritten rule is to not step on each other's toes and to follow good ideas together, according to Jerose.

"Individuals start it while the group completes it and evolves it to the next level," Jerose said. "For any musician, it is truly about practicing and spreading your art."

The club already has amplifiers, drums, keyboards, and a PA system. Jerose encourages members to bring their own instruments, like guitars and basses, which are shared.

The club plays various genres of music, such as funk, hip-hop, rock and jazz. It's a melting pot of music where musicians who are used to playing only one genre can expand and learn different forms, Jerose said.

"I joined my freshman year," said Joe Thomas, a sophomore biomedical sciences major. "People actually said to me that they noticed I play with a lot more groove now, and as a drum player, I have also been told that my tempo has greatly improved."

According to Thomas, the club has a very relaxed atmosphere, where there are no pressures, and members are friendly.

"It's stress relief," Thomas said. "I don't have to worry about anything; I just play"

???The Jam Club provides an opportunity for aspiring musicians at UB to have a place to start networking with other musicians and playing music with them. Jamming with as many people possible is what improves skills, Jerose said.

???"If you want to start your own group, this is the place where you can meet people with similar styles, develop a band and go off into the world and find success," Jerose said. "If you have no musical experience, the club is still open and most, if not all, members are helpful with teaching newcomers and encouraging them to get on stage and jam."

???There are no heavy obligations. There are approximately 50 regular members, but only about 20 show up each week, giving members the chance to jam at least three to five times onstage for 15-minute rotations with completely different people, Jerose said.

???The club has performed for small events on campus, including a recent performance at the JSU coffeehouse. They also dress up for formal events and play jazz background music at events like SA Formal and Gala.

???This past semester, the club played an all-day, outdoor concert in front of the Student Union for the first time and plan on continuing the event annually, Jerose said.

???Next semester the club is planning on hosting a huge seminar on independent recording and intellectual property law, Jerose mentioned, where big-name producers will be speaking, and because the club is branching out to other schools, a large crowed is expected to attend.

???If you find it hard to play loud music in your dorm room and you are interesting in joining the Jam Club, you can find them in the Student Union Theater every Sunday from noon until 3:30 p.m.