Harvard American Music Association Plays the Pub

Traditional American music has come a long way from being played on the porch during a hot, summer day or at the Boxcar Socials of a small Appalachian town, but is still rarely seen in an academic setting. Because the multiple musical genres encompassed under the umbrella of “American Music” generally rely heavily on improvisation and informal settings, it is easy for them to be overlooked by artistic and academic institutions, shadowed by the cohesion and organization of symphony orchestras and classical ensembles. However, in the spring of 2007, two Harvard students, in an attempt to bring to light the significance of these less-common musical genres, founded the Harvard College American Music Association (HCAMA), providing a vehicle for musicians from a variety of non-classical backgrounds to explore their unique styles and perform together. HCAMA has now also given musicians the opportunity to perform in the Queen’s Head Pub.

“There was not enough focus on bluegrass,” says mandolin player and current HCAMA president Forrest E. O’Connor ’10 when asked why he and Clay D. Miller ’10 founded HCAMA. “There was very little representation here at all.” Since then, O’Connor has expanded the group to include folk, Celtic, blues, ragtime, swing, jazz and Newgrass (a musical movement that combines bluegrass, jazz and rock) music at Harvard, though the list of styles that are connected to the group could go on indefinitely. Even though Harvard already had a well-formed jazz band and various other music groups, HCAMA is able to bring together talented musicians from various arenas because of its unique focus on bluegrass music and its emphasis on mixing musical styles at informal jam sessions.

These weekly jam sessions in the pub give musicians a chance to either collaborate with other musicians with similar backgrounds or to explore other American music styles that they are not as familiar with. When HCAMA was first formed, the sessions were usually held in dorm basements or common rooms, but, O’Connor says, “there was no social dynamic in basements, because the atmosphere was so mundane.” Thus, the recent move to the pub was like a breath of fresh air. It seems to also have affected the patrons of the pub as well. “People at the pub seem to love this kind of music. There’s always a look of surprise when they walk in and hear cowboy songs,” says David Gurney, former Vice President of HCAMA.

“We wanted to utilize the pub because its obviously a new installment and jazz, Irish and bluegrass musicians historically have found that pubs, whether they be in New York, Dublin, or Nashville, are great social figures for music making,” says O’Connor. The sessions are broken up into four categories: electric, jazz, bluegrass, and Celtic. Although members are welcome to try musical styles that they may not be familiar with, there is no pressure for musicians to move away from the comfort of their background.

In addition to the weekly jam sessions, HCAMA—with the guidance and support of the Learning from Performers program through the Office of the Arts—is dedicated to bringing guest musicians to Harvard for performances and workshops. In the two years since it was formed, the group has arranged visits from violinist and composer Mark O’Connor, banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck, mandolinist Mark Thile, and recently, the world-renowned bassist Edgar Meyer. Not only are these guests masters of their respective instruments, they are also known for their extraordinary ability to cross genres and styles in a way that HCAMA seeks to emulate.

“I don’t know how many more musicians of their caliber we can find. Musicians who not only embrace all styles, but have mastered all of them,” O’Connor says. The club hopes to continue providing Harvard students the opportunity to work closely with musicians dedicated to pushing the boundaries of American music with possible future guests such as bluegrass-country singer Alison Krauss, jazz pianist Chick Corea, jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, and electric bass player Victor Wooten. “All of these artists have had an impact on Harvard’s music community by expanding the boundaries of what constitutes American classical music,” says Thomas Lee, program manager of Learning from Performers. “It’s gratifying to note that their work is influencing a new generation of players and composers.”

The enduring legacy of HCAMA will most likely center on the monthly jazz series that the group sponsors at the Queen’s Head Pub. These performances give members the opportunity to perform their music in an actual show setting. The shows usually feature a set by HCAMA member and jazz pianist Malcolm G. Campbell ’10 and his quartet in addition to one or two other jazz or bluegrass bands. On the Friday night before the concert, anyone is invited to play music with Campbell and his group, breeding an opportunity for a creative amalgamation of bluegrass and jazz music. However, the Saturday show is a formal, programmed performance. “It gives students a chance to perform and meet people who play many different styles of music,” Campbell said.

“There are student groups at Harvard dedicated to many different musical styles and cultures, but only HCAMA spotlights the range of musical genres that can be characterized as indigenous American music: blues, bluegrass, folk, ragtime and others,” Lee says. Because of the significance that these styles of music have had on American culture, it seems only natural that they would inevitably be institutionalized. It may seem difficult for an organization dedicated to such a broad and ill-defined category of music to fit into a community known for its rigorous and intense focus, but O’Connor seems to have faith in the clubs place at Harvard. “We’ve been attracting great musicians who enjoy playing many different styles,” he says. “That doesn’t mean we’re filling in a bunch of gaps at the music scene here; we’ve simply complemented the other groups that were on campus already.”