Explaining a 20-minute jam to my mother, who is a jazz pianist

Theo MarlowSound engineer. I hear the room before I hear the band.1 min read

She played standards in hotel bars for twenty years. When I put on a 1998 Ghost she listened to eleven minutes with her eyes closed and then said, "Oh — they're comping for each other."

Which is the most concise description of what this band does that I have ever heard, from anyone, including people who have written books.

There's no soloist. That's the whole thing. Four people simultaneously accompanying whoever is momentarily most interesting, handing it around, nobody claiming it. She recognized it instantly because it's a jazz idea wearing arena clothes.

Her only complaint: "it's very long." She's not wrong. She still asks me to send her ones.

Did this land? Upvotes are how a story climbs the chart.2 comments

2 comments

  1. Dev Ramanathan

    I've told a version of this story badly for twenty years. You told it right.

  2. Otis Kingsley

    Man. That last line. Come on.

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