Jazz 'Jam Session' Provides Platform for Music Students

GOLDEN GATE XPRESS -- A couple of SF State jazz professors have put together a live jam session that provides an outlet for music students to showcase their talent and share the stage with their musical mentors. Every second Tuesday of the month, Professors Andrew Speight and Michael Zisman host Jazz Master and Student Night at a historic building called the 7 Mile House in Brisbane. On September 13, these jazz professors alongside their students, alumni and musicians will take the stage in an improvised ensemble, also known as a jam session. “We don’t really rehearse, it’s a jam session, so we get there and it all comes together on that night,” Speight said. Alum drummer Lilian Wu will usually perform for the entire night, but occasionally give the reigns to another drummer for the second half. “It really gave me the confidence to keep going,” she said.