Sign In
 
 
 
 

Description of Jam Rock

 
Rooted in the free-form extended jams of psychedelic icons the Grateful Dead, the bluesy riffs of the Allman Brothers, and the Latin-tinged music of rock legends Santana, jam rock came into its own in the 1980s and '90s. The Dead were the quintessential point band for the jam rock movement, gaining a grassroots fan base through constant touring and word-of-mouth evangelism. Bands like Phish and Widespread Panic continue that tradition today, while the success of the platinum-selling Dave Matthews Band is one exception to the slow and steady sales normally enjoyed by bands in this school. The essence of jam rock naturally lies in live performance, as recorded formats place limits on expansive guitar spontaneity. Jam bands minimize the importance of song structures, relying instead upon an improvisational sprit that has its roots in the free jazz of Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane, even though their music is distinctly grounded in rock.
 

Top Jam Rock Tracks

 
Play Track Artist Price
1. Funny the Way It Is Dave Matthews Band
$0.99
2. Shake Me Like A Monkey Dave Matthews Band
$0.99
3. Crash Into Me Dave Matthews Band
$0.99
4. Why I Am Dave Matthews Band
$0.99
5. Lying In the Hands of God Dave Matthews Band
$0.99
6. Grux Dave Matthews Band
$0.99
7. Spaceman Dave Matthews Band
$0.99
8. Dive In Dave Matthews Band
$0.99
9. You & Me Dave Matthews Band
$0.99
10. Squirm Dave Matthews Band
$0.99
11. Alligator Pie Dave Matthews Band
$0.99
12. Seven Dave Matthews Band
$0.99
13. Baby Blue Dave Matthews Band
$0.99
14. Time Bomb Dave Matthews Band
$0.99
15. Crash Into Me Dave Matthews Band
$0.99
16. Run-Around Blues Traveler
$1.29
17. So Much To Say Dave Matthews Band
$0.99
18. #41 Dave Matthews Band
$0.99
19. Deep Elem Blues [Alternate Live Version] The Grateful Dead
$0.99
20. Hook Blues Traveler
$0.99
21. Where Are You Going Dave Matthews Band
$0.99
22. Dreamgirl Dave Matthews Band
$0.99
23. Funny the Way It Is Dave Matthews Band
$0.99
24. Two Step Dave Matthews Band
$0.99
25. Midnight Rider The Allman Brothers Band
$1.29
26. Melissa The Allman Brothers Band
$0.99
27. Ramblin Man The Allman Brothers Band
$0.99
28. The General Dispatch
$0.99
29. Stay (Wasting Time) Dave Matthews Band
$0.99
30. Say Goodbye Dave Matthews Band
$0.99
31. Ants Marching Dave Matthews Band
$0.99
32. Satellite Dave Matthews Band
$0.99
33. Touch Of Grey The Grateful Dead
$0.99
34. Pig Dave Matthews Band
$0.99
35. Jessica The Allman Brothers Band
$0.99
36. Friend Of The Devil (Remastered Version) The Grateful Dead
$1.29
37. Turtle STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9)
$0.99
38. Two Coins Dispatch
$0.99
39. Everyday Dave Matthews Band
$0.99
40. The Mountains Win Again Blues Traveler
$0.99
41. Too Much Dave Matthews Band
$0.99
42. Dixie Chicken Little Feat
$0.99
43. Bittersweet Big Head Todd and the Monsters
$0.99
44. Blue Sky The Allman Brothers Band
$0.99
45. Tripping Billies Dave Matthews Band
$0.99
46. Box Of Rain The Grateful Dead
$1.29
47. Satellite Dave Matthews Band
$0.99
48. But Anyway Blues Traveler
$0.99
49. The Space Between Dave Matthews Band
$0.99
50. Ripple The Grateful Dead
$1.29
 

Jam Rock Key Albums

 
All This Everything
$7.99
Artifact
$7.99
Everyday
$8.99
Grateful Dead (Skull & Roses)
(Bonus Tracks) $9.99
Light Fuse Get Away
$15.99
Live At Madison Square Garden New Year's Eve 1995
$18.99
No Room
$7.99
Senor Boombox
$9.99
Space Wrangler
$8.99
The Nashville Sessions
$9.99
Widespread Panic
$9.99

 

Filed Under

 
 

Jam Rock Key Artists

 
Bela Fleck

Widely acknowledged as
one of the world's most
innovative and technically
proficient banjo players,
Fleck plays newgrass. Fle...

Blues Traveler

Fueled by dexterous
improvised jamming, John
Popper (vocals, harmonica)
leads this NYC Blues Rock
band with joyful melodies...

Charlie Hunter

Charlie Hunter is an
innovative jazz musician
whose eight-string guitar
allows him to play bass and
guitar at the same time. Jo...

Dave Matthews Band

The Dave Matthews Band
(DMB) emblazoned the 1990s
with its hybrid of jazz, folk,
and world music with a
distinct pop sensibility. B...

Gov't Mule

Many people consider Gov't
Mule to be the little
brothers of the Allman
Brothers (musically
speaking). Warren Hayne...

Jerry Garcia

Best known as the lead
vocalist for the Grateful
Dead, the late Garcia was an
admirable folk and
bluegrass player as well....

Keller Williams

Keller Williams stacks simple
melodies onto dense
rhythms played in a flurry
of notes for a simple, yet
complex sound. The Strin...

Medeski, Martin and Wood

With roots in straight-ahead
jazz, MMW has steadily
evolved with new
dimensions in jazz and
electronica. MMW is orga...

Mike Gordon

Phish bassist Mike Gordon
embarked on a solo career
with "Inside In," released in
2003. In August 2003,
Gordon was arrested for "...

moe.

Led by bassist/vocalist Rob
Derhak, this slaphappy band
from NYC presents a funky
blend southern-influenced
jam rock. They were orig...

Phil Lesh

The Dead bassist tours and
plays his old band's songs in
the absence of poor Jerry.
Deadhead endorsed.

Phish

This Vermont-based jam
rock quartet is best known
for their live shows,
improvisational jams, and
funky psychedelia. They...

Soulive

A new-jazz trio from
Vermont, Soulive crank out
energetic, organ-fuelled
jams influenced by
soul-jazz hero Jimmy Smit...

Steve Kimock Band

Guitarist Steve Kimock (the
Other Ones and Zero) keeps
on truckin' with the Jam
Rock tradition.

STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9)

Often associated with the
"jam band" scene, this
5-piece group creates live
improvised electronica.
Originally from Snellville,...

Tea Leaf Green

Artists such as Jimi Hendrix
and Phish have influenced
this keyboard-driven Jam
Rock band from San
Francisco.

The Allman Brothers Band

This long-running,
significant rock band
traffics in purist bluesiness,
countrified boogie and
jazz-influenced superjam...

The Disco Biscuits

Trance-fusion begins here:
Disco Biscuits' rock 'n'
roll-infused-electronica is a
fave among fans of the jam
rock set. Members of Disc...

The Grateful Dead

Rumbling, woozy guitars,
woozier vocals and
evocative lyrics are the
hallmarks of this American
institution. The purely Am...

The New Deal

This live Progressive House
trio from Toronto takes the
art of the "Jam band" into
the electronica realm with
high energy.

The String Cheese Incident

From the crusty mountain
town of Crested Butte,
Colo., noodly jammers
String Cheese Incident have
built a huge following. Th...

Umphrey's McGee

As one of the premier
up-and-coming jam bands,
this Chicago-based group
has a unique taste in
syncopated psychedelia....

Ween

Unfortunately, most people
remember Ween for their
silly, modest hit "Push Th'
Little Daisies." Ween are
actually damn fine songw...

Widespread Panic

Like any true American
band, this blues-influenced
southern rock jam band has
a dedicated, beer-guzzlin'
following. Vocalist John B...

Yonder Mountain String Band

Popular among
"festavarians," Yonder
Mountain String Band plays
progressive bluegrass with a
traditional acoustic set-up...

Rhapsody Memberships

What does Rhapsody membership mean?
Learn about the Membership Plans

Download Your MP3s Easily

Install the Rhapsody Music Store Downloader

Need Help?

Visit our Help Center
AMG - Portions of Album Content Provided by All Music Guide © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC.
© 2001-2009 Listen.com, a subsidiary of RealNetworks