There have been regular old-time music get-togethers in the Boston area for many years. A few years ago I started making a list of the tunes that were played at some of the jams I attended. Here's that list.
Old-Time Jam
Minuteman Music Jam Dates
Upcoming Old-Time Jams
at Minuteman Music
January 8th,
2009 7:30pm
February 12th, 2009
7:30pm
March 12th, 2009
7:30pm
April 9th, 2009
7:30pm
May 14th, 2009
7:30pm
June 11th, 2009
7:30pm
Old-Time Jams Around Town
Old-Time Jams Around Town
Monday nights
8pm ‘til whenever
896A Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 491-2812
One of the longest running jams that I know of. I’ve met many a cool musician and old-time music enthusiast at Sandy’s store. Sandy also has a great radio show on WUMB that covers amazing musical ground. His Traditional Folk program can be heard on Saturday nights from 9pm until midnight. His store is a great place to buy your first instrument, buy music books and CD’s and get great advice.
The second Thursday night of each month.
7:30pm until 10pm
235 Bedford Street
Lexington, MA 02420
(781) 274-0088
Small, inimate jam with diversely talented regulars. Banjo, Fiddle, Guitar, Mandolins usually well represented. Usually some good singing. Beginners welcome.
Sunday nights
6pm to 9pm
240 Moody Street
Waltham, MA 02453
(781) 647-0679
Giant jam with a whole bunch of musicians led by fiddler Alan Kaufman. Good food and drink and lots of opportunity to socialize with fellow musicians. People wave been known to spontaneously break out waltzing.
Jam Tune List
| Tunes in the key of D | Tunes in the key of A | Tunes in the key of G |
| Arkansas Traveller | Bill cheatum | Are You from Dixie? |
| Backstep Cindy | Booth Shot Lincoln | Aura Lee |
| Battleship of Maine | Boys them Buzzards are Flying | Big Footed Man in the Sandy Land |
| Bonaparte Crossing the Rhine | Breaking up Christmas | Brickyard Joe |
| Briarpicker Brown | Bull At The Wagon | Cacklin Hen |
| Chinese Breakdown | Campbells Farewell to Redgap | Charlie He's a good Old Man |
| Cider | Candy Girl | Cotton Eyed Joe |
| Coal Miner Blues | Chicken in the Snowbank | Cowboy's Waltz |
| Coon Dog | Chinquapin Hunting | Devil Ate the Woodchuck |
| Cuban Soldier | Copwboys Dream | Ebeneezer |
| Cumberland Gap | Cowboy's Waltz | Fly around My Pretty Little Miss |
| Devil chased me around the stump | Doney | Free Little Bird |
| Don Tremain's Reel | Double File | Garfield's Blackberry Blossom |
| Dry & Dusty | Ducks on the Pond | Goin to Jail |
| Dubuque | Dull Chisel | Golden Slippers |
| Duck River | Elzick's Farewell | Got no Honeybabe Now |
| Ducks on the mill Pond | Folded Deer | J. Goulds Daughter |
| Ducks on the Pond | Frosty Morn | Lazy John |
| Dunbar | George Booker | Leaving Home (Charlie Poole) |
| Durang's Hornpipe | Ginny Get Around | Lost Girl |
| Fall on My Knees | Goin Down the River | Lynchburg Town |
| Fields of November | Gospel Ship | Magpie |
| Fishers Hornpipe | Great Big Taters in the Sandy Land | Nancy Rowland |
| Flop Eared Mule | Grub Springs | Paddy on the Turnpike |
| Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss | Half Past Four | Pretty Little Bird |
| Glory in the Meeting House | Hand me Down my Walking Cane | Pretty Little Miss |
| Grasshopper Sitting on a Sweet Potato Vine |
Hangmans Reel | Sail Away Ladies |
| Green Willis | Hunt the Buffalo | Sandy River Belles |
| Hang me oh Hang me | Ice on the Pond | Seneca Square dance |
| Hawkes & Eagles | Jeff Sturgeon | Shoes & Stockings |
| Hell Among the Yearlings | Jeff Sturgeon | Shove the Pigs Foot a Little closer to the Fire |
| Hi Born Girl | Jenny get Around | Sugar in Gourd |
| John Hardy | John Browns Dream | Turkey in the Straw |
| Johnny Don't Get Drunk | John Henry | Waynesboro |
| Julianne Johnson | June Apple | Willow |
| Julianne Johnson (RG) | Kitchen Girl | Willow By the Lake |
| Julianne Johnson (alt) | Little Billy Wilson | Wink the other Eye |
| Leaving Dear Old Ireland | Little Darlin' Pal of Mine | |
| Liberty | Little Dutch Girl | |
| Mississippi Sawyers | Little Girl with the Hair all Down Behind | |
| Needlecase | ||
| Old Yeller Dog Coming Through the Meeting House |
Liza Jane | |
| Over the Waterfall | Meet you at the Station | |
| Paddy on the Railroad | Mole in the Ground | |
| Police | Old Bunch of Keys | |
| Polly Put the Kettle On | Old Horse & Buggy | |
| Quince Dillons High D Tune | Old Mother Flanagan | |
| Rabbit in a Pea Patch | Police | |
| Robinson County | Policeman | |
| Rock the Cradle Joe | Pretty Little Gal | |
| Rockingham Cindy | Pretty Little Shoes | |
| Rocky Mountain Goat | Pretty Little Widow | |
| Sadie at the Back Door | Rabbit in a Log | |
| Saint Annes Reel | Red Haired Boy | |
| Sandy River Belle | Ride Old Buck To Water | |
| Sara | Sadie At the Back door | |
| Silly Bill | Sail Away Ladies | |
| Snouts & Ears of America | Sandy Boys | |
| Soldiers Joy | Santa Ana's Retreat | |
| Spotted Pony | Shaking down the Acorns | |
| Spring Creek Gals | Shenandoah Falls | |
| Spring Creek Girls | Soldiers Joy | |
| Staten Island Hornpipe | Spring Creek Girls | |
| Sugar Hill | Springs all muddy and the pond is Dry | |
| Train on the Island | Sugar in the Gourd | |
| Turkey in the Straw | Swing 9 Yards of Calico | |
| Valley Forge | Tater Patch | |
| Waiting for Nancy | The Girl that I love Don't Pay me no Mind. | |
| West Fork Gals | Train On The Island | |
| Whiskey Before Breakfast | Trouble in the Mind | |
| Wind the Shakes the Barley | Waltz of the leaves | |
| Winder's Slide | Waterbound | |
| year of Jubilo | Ways of the World | |
| Yellow Barber | Ways of the World | |
| Yellow Rose of Texas | When I get Home (E.C. Ball) | |
| Wild Rose of the Mountain | ||
| Wreck of the Old 97 | ||
| Year of Jubilo | ||