Open jazz jam sessions in East Bay?

May 9, 2013 12:12 PM

Are there any venues in East SF Bay, preferably Berkeley/Oakland, that host jazz jam sessions that are open to all comers (e.g. an amateur saxophone player such as myself)? Such places must exist, but Google and Craigslist have both failed me so far.
posted by zeri to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (2 answers total)

Best answer: The Alley on Grand (near the Grand Lake theatre) is a piano bar that people sometimes jam at... it's been a few years since I've been there though. The googles indicate that Rod is still holding court.

In SF, Savanna Jazz has jam sessions Sundays and Thursdays.
posted by phliar at 2:15 PM on May 9, 2013

Best answer: One other thing -- do you know the Jam List run by Jim Grantham? Jim lives in the Grand Lake area and is a long-time sax guy, he used to teach at the Keystone Korner and now teaches theory and improv privately. (You can see him Thursdays 7:30-10 at Monkey Forest Road, a couple of doors down from The Alley. He's one of my teachers.)
posted by phliar at 2:28 PM on May 9, 2013