Every week, students gather at Greene Street United Methodist Church with instruments in hand, ready to perform. But this isn’t a normal performance, it is an impromptu concert of jazz songs performed by any student who wants to give it a go.
This weekly gathering is known as Jazz Jaam. Third-year music performance student and event organizer Joshua Anderson said that students of all different skill levels and experience are invited to make friends and practice music without judgement. Live music lovers are also welcome to watch the jam from the audience.
Anderson is a drummer and the president of the Jazz Society, the group that organizes Jazz Jaam. With his position, Anderson focused on promoting Jazz Jaam with social media and flyers around campus.
Anderson didn’t start out as a music performance major. Originally, he was studying education, and said being invited to Jazz Jaam inspired him to change the course of his future.
“I actually started playing from this jam. I didn’t even know jazz or anything like that. It made me switch my major. So it’s kind of important to me,” Anderson said. “I didn’t listen to a lick of jazz until I got here.”
Anderson describes jazz as an accessible form of music, encouraging anyone to give it a try.
“As a musician, it takes you out of your comfort zone. You never prepare anything going in. It’s all improvisation, and you get to connect and play with people that you don't normally play with,” Anderson said.
For first-year jazz studies student Shaina Dashiell, Jazz Jaam is a way to put herself out there. Dashiell said there is not a predetermined setlist at Jazz Jaam; therefore, musicians take turns calling tunes and improvising different sounds and styles as they go.
Dashiell has been playing the saxophone since she was 10 years old. As a jazz studies major, she said she got involved in Jazz Jaam after hearing about it in class. She saw the jam as an opportunity to get her creativity out while making new connections.
“I just come here to hang with the really good musicians and play because it is kind of an escape from everyday (life),” Dashiell said.
First-year jazz studies student Santi Balagtas plays the trumpet as part of Jazz Jaam at Greene Street United Methodist Church on Sept. 30, 2025.
Second-year jazz studies student Jackson Goldy sees Jazz Jaam as a place to perfect the art of performing with others.
“I think the best place to learn is with other people. You can spend as much time as possible playing in a practice room by yourself, but you truly don’t learn until you experience it yourself,” Goldy said.
Goldy has been a jazz fan his whole life, He was inspired to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, who was a jazz drummer.
The main thing Goldy admires about jazz is how unique it is to each musician. He compares it to the Renaissance Era. He said most of the artists of the time were painting similar things because it was the style of the time. Jazz differs because everyone can being their own piece to the table and it doesn't become the same thing over and over again, Goldy said.
“With jazz, there are so many different lineages of teaching that everyone can kind of pick and choose what they want to develop their own sound," Goldy said. "I think that’s something that’s really cool.”
In addition to instrumentalists, singers also participate. First-year voice performance student Giianni Faught was invited to Jazz Jaam by her roommate, a jazz studies student, and said she couldn’t resist the temptation of a microphone.
“I started singing jazz in middle school, but it was just kind of a hobby. I mostly sang classical, and then I got to college, and I joined Carolina Alive. So I’ve definitely tried to delve more into it since then," Fought said.
Faught said she was drawn to the laid-back nature of Jazz Jaam. When preforming in front of big audiences, it can be hard to connect with the audience, Fought said. Because of this, she said she prefers smaller, informal performances.
“I love intimate settings because you have more of a connection with everybody in the audience,” Fought said.
Goldy said he also values unique environment the event provides, specifically the learning opportunities it presents. Because Jazz isn't a very calculated form of music, there are fewer parameters when playing, Goldy said. This allows for exploration into your own kind of style and sound.
"In this kind of setting, there are players at all kinds of different levels, so you don't really know what everybody knows, but that's the fun in it. I've learned plenty of songs where I've gone up not knowing what I'm playing or what I'm supposed to do, and you just kind of figure it out on the fly," Goldy said.
Jazz Jaam is held weekly at Greene Street United Methodist Church on 1106 Greene St. on Tuesdays from 8 p.m to 10 p.m. For more information, contact Joshua Anderson at his email, JJA8@email.sc.edu.