The most 'elite' jam session I ever attended was in 1973. Planxty was playing at the Edinburgh Festival and I knew Paul Brady pretty well at the time. After a performance, a few of us went to the flat where some of the group were staying for drinks. Liam O'Flynn and Paul Brady got out their instruments and played tunes together for perhaps an hour straight. There were 5 in Planxty at that time, Paul having just come from NYC to join them. Everyone sat around in amazement listing to the music which was incredibly fluid, rhythmic and impassioned. None of the other 3 (Irvne, Moore and Moynihan) felt inclined to join the others. There was nothing they could have added to it to make it better. That's something to think about! Remember, this wasn't a practice or a performance!

The whole issue of who plays hinges around modesty, good manners and common sense. A really good player who posesses the above will want to play the occasional show piece but will want to play with others most of the time. Likewise, a bodhran player arriving at a session in progress should make contact with the bodhran players who're there already to let them know he'd like to play from time to time as well. When 4 go at it at once, they should be lined up and shot!

All the best,
Dan