What do I need to know to survive at a jazz jam session?

adrian_h has good tips. Since you're a pianist, you have to carry the changes. That's also a tough seat to fill in a jam since there'll only be one pianist playing at a time. *DO* go out and assess some jams now, and maybe sit in even though you're still woodshedding tunes. It'll give you continuing incentive. Here's my tips: *Scope out the session first. Your skill set may not be appropriate for all jams, amateur or pro. *Know the standard 20 standards. They're likely to all be in the Real Book for almost every venue and skill level. Off the top of my head and vaguely in alphabetical order the list starts like this: All Blues, Autumn Leaves (RB key is "wrong"), All The Things You Are, Blue Bossa, Blue Monk, Black Orifice, Cherokee (kidding!)... *If you don't know a tune and suspect it may be problematic, say so and freely relinquish your seat. Song For My Father is AAB, not AABA. Giant Steps is not a good tune to sight read. You'll get a lot more props and invitations to sit in if you don't kill a tune than you will for gamely hacking through it. *Be heads up aware. Literally. Head up. Roving eye contact. Catch the subtle closed fist ("going out"), finger twirl ("again"), or head tap ("top"). Note the puzzled look on the bassist ("where are we?") so you can show the root or turnaround more obviously. *Behave. Take compliments well. Compliment others when possible, and be specific. If you don't have something nice to say about a player, ask them about their axe or what tunes they like to play. *Have fun. Let the other players know you're having fun.

I've been going to Chicago gypsy-jazz jam sessions for around five years. (Gypsy jazz is a smaller scene than general/straightahead jazz, but I think some of the tips apply.) Here are some random tips: * When you're getting started, just take one chorus (a solo one time through the song), no longer. It's much better to be in a position where the other musicians are excitedly encouraging you to take another solo than to wear out your welcome by soloing on and on. * If you don't know a song and can't easily figure it out on the fly, it's classier to sit out than try to play a bunch of wrong notes/chords. * You didn't mention which instrument you play. If you play an instrument that's intended to provide constant background rhythm (e.g., guitar, piano, mandolin, drums), play it straight. A great way to kill a jam session is for the rhythm guitarist to do a bunch of weird rhythm fills all the time. Nobody likes that; it messes up the soloist and makes it about you instead of the whole group. * On a related note, more broadly, think about the overall ensemble sound, not just your own sound. Play with dynamics that match the other musicians'. If everybody's playing quietly, play quietly. The groove is important. Make it so that the total is greater than the sum of the parts. * Yes, memorize tunes! Whenever I play with people who need to flip through a book whenever we play a new tune, it's an instant momentum killer. BTW, welcome to Chicago! Which instrument do you play?

Thanks, adrian_h! That was helpful, especially the bit about playing rhythm straight (I play the piano). Sounds like I should keep my head down memorizing tunes for a while before I start playing out.

It sounds like you're far more advanced than me, but I quite enjoyed doing a couple of rounds of the jazz ensemble class at http://www.oldtownschool.org/. David Jennings, the teacher, was fantastic, and there were certainly people in the class a lot more experienced than me.