Please point out the red flag in my response

[sean_on_bass]

Maybe OP will figure out that they want to get deeper into the language of jazz, or maybe not. Learning to read charts will help in any style that OP ends up playing. I've gotten charts on rock gigs, country gigs, etc and being able to play from them is a great skill to have.

I've never said that learning how to play from charts is how one "learns to play jazz". OP just wants to play with other people, and learning to play from charts will help him do that.

Don't disagree with you on the usefulness of the skill set, but it's putting the cart before the horse. You can't just walk in and read these charts effectively until you have learned a bunch of tunes and really figured out how to play the style.

 

[sean_on_bass]

True. It sounded to me like the OPs situation was not a bunch of highly experienced players, since the organizer suggested any level of experience would be OK, so again just trying to relate it to the situation he's likely to face. Nobody will really know unless there's a session and he goes there, though. It could be a clarifying question for the organizer if he ever hears back.

We don't really know the skill level of the other players, but assuming all beginners(the "professor" claims to be intermediate AFAIK), it's likely not going to be a chart reading session and instead a "let's play tunes most of us know". You're gonna see the most common of common tunes called like Autumn Leaves and every other tune will be a blues. Essentially stuff jazz players learn in year 1. Like i responded to another post, if a group of beginners come together and sight read a bunch of charts i'd be very surprised. It's not a skill they would have yet.

 

[sean_on_bass]

Whose bandmates? Pro level players? Or an "any-skill-level occasional jam"? Context matters.

Whoever is playing with you at the given moment.

 

[LBS-bass]

We don't really know the skill level of the other players, but assuming all beginners(the "professor" claims to be intermediate AFAIK), it's likely not going to be a chart reading session and instead a "let's play tunes most of us know". You're gonna see the most common of common tunes called like Autumn Leaves and every other tune will be a blues. Essentially stuff jazz players learn in year 1. Like i responded to another post, if a group of beginners come together and sight read a bunch of charts i'd be very surprised. It's not a skill they would have yet.

Just to clarify, I don't think we're talking about notation here. For my purposes "charts" in this conversation are chord charts from iReal Pro or something similar. Reading standard notation is a much higher skill level than just comping over chords.

 

[Frank Tuesday]

Whoever is playing with you at the given moment.

If you're at an "All Skill Levels" jam. Reading a chart and playing roots and fifths is perfectly acceptable. Wouldn't be acceptable at a pro gig, but it isn't a pro gig.

 

[Lowandfat]

Why learn songs/heads when all you need to do is be able to fake it from a lead sheet?

 

[Frank Tuesday]

You folks are being way too precious about what is nothing more than pop music from previous decades. They are just songs to play like any other song. They can be played by virtuosos, professional, amateurs and beginners. Your attempts at gatekeeping are sad.

And TAB is a valid way to learn songs, too.

 

[S-Bigbottom]

Thanks for your input folks.

You met up yet or any other form of communicatio with the guy?

 

[comatosedragon]

You met up yet or any other form of communicatio with the guy?

I have not. It had been 24 odd days since I heard from him when I made this thread, and shortly afterword, even the ad was removed from CL; so I just thought it best to let it go, and try to learn from this experience.