On the first Wednesday of each month, you can catch the longest running blues jam in the Seattle area at Conor Byrnes Pub, 5140 Ballard Ave. in old downtown Ballard.

The next Jam is scheduled for March 4. There is no cover charge. It usually starts about 8:30 and goes until people get too tired to play. A lot of dancers show up due to the good-sized dance floor and the jumping live music. There are a lot of fans who just like to listen and watch live music.

This jam provides them with a wealth of interesting skills and talents to absorb.

In the winter of the year 2000, the owner of The Bit Saloon happened to catch Greg Roberts and Guy Quintino playing blues at Folklife. He invited them to come play at his bar and to bring some friends.

He wasn't paying anything, but they were interested in having a regular spot where they could practice and experiment a little. They recruited blues playing buddies Jack Cook, Billy Spaulding, and a few others as their core.

They started out in the side-room of The Bit, located at 17th and Leary Way. The side-room had been storage area to the previous owner. Though it has gone through good decorating changes recently, back then it was maybe 20 foot by 20 foot room with a few old video games and odds and ends of furniture stuffed in a corner, some booths, a few rickety tables and chairs, and a couple of nasty spotlights that made everyone look sickly.

It didn't take long and the word spread like oil on water among those in the know, and soon the place was so packed that people were in the other room trying to get a peek through the doorway. It was informally called The Bit Jam.

It had as it's main focus an emphasis on an older style of blues; that which uses the sounds and styles that were popular in the 1940’s, 1950’s, and 1960’s era of the blues.

One night, perhaps a year later, the guys showed up to jam and found there was a pool table smack in the middle of the room. The owner had found it, and had it delivered that day, forgetting to tell the guys about it. They went ahead with the jam and stood with the pool table between them, the audience, and fellow participants.

The Bit Jam moved the following month to Conor Byrne Pub, which in the 1970s was called "The Owl Cafe." The Owl was once a notorious old blues joint with that probably merits a good full story write-up of it's own.

This turned out to be the perfect setting for the blues jam, which was re-titled "the Broomdust Jam of the Past." With the move, the primary personnel changed a bit. The mainstay folks are now Greg Roberts, "Bubba" McCoy, Guy Quintino and David Hudson.

After they play a set, other very talented folk are invited up to continue the evening's entertainment and to keep the dancers grooving as well. There's a lot of amazing talent to be seen out there!

Perhaps I should back up a little and explain what a blues jam is like.

Usually there is a skeleton crew who are the main players, consisting of the "must need" rhythm section; usually drums and bass, plus a front man or two. They will start things off by playing about a 45 minute set, during which time other musicians just walk in with their instruments and equipment, such as amplifiers, special microphones, etc.

They ask around for the designated jam coordinator, who then attempts to match up an appropriate set of musicians and vocalists to do the next set. Usually the musicians know each other and are invited, but and sometimes they are new to the jam. Some of them have been in bands together in the past. Once in a while things work so well, or someone is impressed enough, that new band members are recruited on the spot by a working band. If you are new to town and want in on the local blues scene, this is the place to strut your stuff and get noticed.

People come out of the woodwork with unbelievable skills and talents. They may be visiting from out of town and looking for the local action. Or, it may be a local who has a full time job, and can't get out often enough to be a part of a full time band.

A stranger may do a couple of songs and walk out of the room and you just look at each other with mouths open in amazement. Where did they come from and why aren't they famous? As I tell "the kid," you may be loaded with talent and skill, but that doesn't mean you'll be able to make the first string on the team.

With professional music, as in professional sports, there are crucial factors, such as skills and talent, as well as good timing and luck. It's a roll of the dice and you take your chances. Those that persist with their musical dreams sometimes can make the big time, or as in the case of so many pouring their considerable chops into this jam; they're just waiting for that erstwhile promoter to walk in at the right time.