Photo: Brett Sherman.

At Ziggies on 38th Street in Denver, the Sunday night Blues Jam has become a tradition, apparently following an older tradition.

With a rich history and multiple owners, no one seems to know for sure how long the small, dark bar now called Ziggies has been a music venue.  The blues have been played there for many years, although lately rock, R&B and funk have been added to the mix.

But on Sunday nights, it's strictly the blues.  And apparently, anyone with who wants to can play them.

This past Sunday at 7:00 PM, local band Roadhouse Joe took the stage and played a forty-minute set of smoking, Chicago-style blues.  As the bass and drums thumped and the guitars and harmonica took turns with the lead, people started bringing in their guitar cases and gear, signing up on a sheet near the back.  After the set, the band mates turned over their stage and amps to the waiting jammers, who were called up a few at a time with their instruments.  The new musicians introduced themselves to one another, shook hands, picked a key...and started playing and singing the blues with as much passion, if not as much polish, as the host band.

And so it began: a night not just of playing the blues, but of celebrating them--because at a jam session, people don't just show up to listen.  They show up to play.

Roadhouse Joe hosts the Sunday Blues Jam two weekends out of the month, but actually these jam sessions occur every Sunday night--and every Tuesday as well.  Doc Brown's Blues Band hosts the other Sundays, and the Tuesdays are covered alternately by Papa Juke and the Mike Maurer Band.  There is no cover charge for the blues jams.

Ziggies is located at 4923 W. 38th Avenue in Denver, offering live music seven nights a week, including the two blues jams, open stage nights, and featured bands on the weekends. 

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