Jam Camp – Black Hills Jam

A Flavorful Black Hills Jam

Imagine stepping back into the 1970’s, and walking into a dark smoky club. Onstage are Frank Zappa, Jimmy Page, Jerry Garcia, and a host of other fabulous music-makers. Accompanying them are a saxophonist and a synthesizer. Were this intense merging of talents and styles content to simply sit on stage and improvise, the resulting music would likely sound like Jam Camp’s Black Hills Jam.Jam Camp has been dubbed “musician’s music,” and it is aptly labeled. An amalgamation of mostly rock, prog, jazz and jam, with folk influences here and there, the music is eclectic in its flavors and covers a wide spectrum of styles. There are no vocals to cheapen the songs, they are simply artistic triumphs, each crafted as though planned by master architects. However, the feeling of spontaneity and invention is present enough to remind one that these are improvised studio sessions, by artists who proverbially know their shit.

The album has only seven songs, but listeners will not be disappointed with over an hour of impressive musicianship. From the very bluesy “Black Hills Jam” to the more down-home “Swamp Gas & Moonshine” (nominated for an IMA Music Award), Jam Camp shows their mastery of a range of styles. At times the songs become chaotic, a la jazz improvisation, but always return to a groovy well-rounded sound. “Wormhole” is reminiscent of a Yoko Kanno-style bebop, and “Groove Monkey” rolls along with smooth precision.

For fans of 70’s-era rock, prog, jazz and the jam genre; Jam Camp is a welcome addition, and an excellent introduction for anyone interested in the liberating sound of a true jam session.