Arts & Entertainment
Reclaiming His Day of Rest: Local Legend Jim Perry Cuts Cord on Blues Jam
He's 'burnt out.' Singer/multi-instrumentalist Jim Perry hosted his final blues jam this week after ten years.
WORCESTER, MA -- “Well, I should make a comment. After last night’s experience at the final jam, and then reading the comments on FB this morning, I must say I’m overwhelmed. It’s amazing how the community rallied around my little ol’ blues jam over the years. All I did was show up and plug in. Really. I just wanted to play good music with good people. And it turned into something else. ” -- Jim Perry, Facebook, Monday, Feb. 1.
Sometimes you have to just know when to bow out. And Perry did just that, cutting the cord on the blues jams he’s hosted for ten years in and around the Worcester area, the most recent at Greendale’s on Sunday nights.
Perry, who sings and plays just about any instrument that applies to a rock or blues band, started participating religiously in blues jams about 10 years with a weekly gig at Frank’s Pub in East Brookfield, which became Dunny’s. He first hosted one in Warren at the Danger Zone about eight years ago.
And for the past six years, his weekly blues jam took place at Greendale’s Pub on Sunday evenings. Each week, it pulled in some of the best players in the area, either sitting in or as the week’s feature.
“I stopped doing it because I burned out from it,” said Perry. “It is a lot of work each Sunday. It’s time for me to reclaim Sundays as a day of rest.”
The Greendale’s jam, however, is not dead. It’ll move on with new host, singer/guitarist Mike Lynch, who will resume the jam on Valentine’s Day.
“I always thought of it as a big living room, people dropping in to chat with each other, and hear some blues,” Perry wrote on Facebook. ”The best part of the whole experience was all of the new friendships formed, either between the musicians or the fans. ”
Perry said in terms of backing bands, he went through only two drummers and three bass players during his blues jam reign; Dana Bonardi and Dan Bungee on drums, and Bob Berry, Dave Kenderian and Scott Sheehan on bass.
”There were too many highlights to name,” said Perry. “I will just mention the fundraiser we did for fellow musician Fran D’agostino, who was diagnosed with cancer. We raised more than $800 in the basket. Quite a night.”
Photo Credit: Angela Padavano
