By Corey J. Feldman 

"Beer here! Getcha bee-ah here!"
The beer guy makes his way up the stairs weaving through hippie crowned girls dancing in the aisle.

Mmmmmm… I take in the taste of fresh fudge brownies with spiced butter and the pungent aroma of smoke. A thick cloud illuminates by the webbed rope lights stretched across the ceiling of the Theater at Madison Square Garden. The Jammys are about to start, and I’m feeling the excitement in my bones.

The 5th Annual Jammys, held on April, 26th 2005, delivered awards to the best Jam artists of 2004 in nine categories: Live release of the Year; Studio Album of the Year; Song of the Year; Archival Live Album of the Year; Live performance of the Year; Tour of the Year; DVD of the Year; Album Cover of the Year; and the New Groove Award. The Jammys, produced by Relix Magazine, Jambands.com and promoter Peter Shapiro, was originally held at Irving Plaza in 2000, but quickly outgrew its humble origins with the onslaught of bands making the current scene. The Jammys has become one of the cornerstone events of the improvisational music community as legendary performers share the stage with hot up and comers and noted musicians from a diverse array of genres. This year, lingering memories of the Dead and Phish dwarfed the efforts of younger bands trying to fill the niche of the growing musical landscape. Original deadhead Phil Lesh hosted the ceremony and whipped out his bass to jam with a number of musicians throughout the concert. The Jerry Garcia Band won "Archival Live Album" with a Kent College late night set from 1980. The Dead's Bonnaroo 2004 recording won "Download of the Year."

Phish won "Tour of the Year" for their summer journey ending in Coventry, as well as "DVD of the Year" with "IT", and the only member present on stage was bassist Mike Gordon. I thought Acoustic Planet (Keller Williams/Bela Fleck and the Flecktones/Yonder Mountain String Band) had been the best tour, but surely the world still loves Phish.

Swimmers and Skeletons were not the only winners, but Phish’s influence extended beyond awards for their own material. The "Best New Groove" category introduced several new bands to the jam scene, but the winner is arguably the "future" of jam. Mike Gordon discovered the Benevento / Russo Duo (keyboards/drums) in 2004, and the three musicians performed at Jammys ’05 for an energized crowd. Apparently, Mike Gordon's legacy can turn a "New Groove" nominee into a "New Groove" winner. While some of the other bands may not have had a fair chance, Gordon made B&R recognizable to me and the 100,000 other online voters.

Keller Williams won best live album of the year for "Stage." Phil Lesh proclaimed that words just could not describe Keller’s music. No other artist can create the fullness of sound that Keller achieves with an acoustic guitar and loop effect. One of the few performers that evening to play solo acoustic, the unofficial climax of the Jammys was the moment Keller Williams brought the crowd to an energetic plateau. He later switched to bass, backing Nellie McKay’s vaudevillian voice and composition.

Who better to win the lifetime achievement award than blues master Buddy Guy? And who better to share the stage with the maverick than Phil Lesh and John Mayer? The amalgamation of musicians on stage at any given moment was amazing. Take Bruce Horsby with Vince Herman (Leftover Salmon) and Yonder Mountain String Band, follow it up with Umphrey's McGee featuring Huey Lewis, Mavis Staple, Sinead O’Connor and Jeff Coffin (Umphrey's late night set at B.B. King's was also blessed by Huey Lewis, and his harmonica, for two songs). One eclectic musical combination was Travis Tritt meets the Disco Biscuits. A folkified electronica/country rock jam; the selections of were complicated, melodious, and impeccably tight.

The best song and best album were two important awards heralding the future of
jam. Umphrey's McGee won Song of the Year for "In the Kitchen" (a staple on Cityzen Radio- Ed). Though UM’s “Anchor Drops” was also nominated for Album of the Year, Gov't Mule deservedly claimed victory for "Deja Voodoo." I was slightly put off that Warren Haynes didn't make it to the stage for any of the major jam sessions that night, but there were certainly enough performers to satiate my palate.

While Relix Magazine has been faithfully covering jam music for decades now, it seemed like mainstream competition was itching to get a foot in the door. Classic Rock radio station Q104.3 had two radio personalities present awards. As the two thanked us for making it possible for them to play bands like Medeski, Martin and Wood and Gov't Mule, I was almost ready for them to announce "In the Kitchen" as the next late night Q104.3 single! I've always wondered why jam and radio never mixed; might we be witness to a new radio paradigm in infancy?

The show came to a mountainous climax with a performance by jazz/improv trio Medeski, Martin, and Wood, nominated for album (End of the World Party) and live show of the year (Halloween @ Hammerstein). Aiding MMM, musicians piled onto the stage: Sinead O’connor, Burning Spear, the Antibalas Horns, Benevento and Russo, some Disco Biscuits, Les Claypool, and others. A tense and emotional collaboration, the jam faded to nothing but Sinead O’connor and Burning Spear trading vocals before booming back to a peak of massive proportions, The official climax of the evening set the bar quite high for next year’s 6th installment.

Medeski Martin & Wood, At Least We Think They Are In That Order...

The end of Jammys ’05 did not mark the end of the night however. After the show, throngs of people headed up 7th avenue to B.B. King Blues Club & Grille for a late night extravaganza with Umphrey’s McGee and unannounced special guests. The venue was full of people for the official afterparty, though only half had come from MSG. The rest were UM fans lucky enough to be treated to a jam that lasted until sunrise. They opened with "Jazz Odyssey," melded straight into their winner, "In the Kitchen," and that just got the party started. Lasting well into the morning hours, Umphrey's gave the crowd everything they had – songs from their entire repertoire and guests that made the evening unique. Between the Jammys and the Umphrey’s after-party, topping this night will be a feat. Oh wait… I can see The Big Summer Classic on the horizon. For More Info, Please Visit: www.jammys.com