Boston Jam 2003AThe Boston Beatbox Jam took place on June 8th 2003 on Boston Common. The event had been organized to give beatboxers in the New England area the chance to meet fellow beatboxers, share their knowledge of the art and, most importantly, to jam. This was the first Humanbeatbox.com event outside the UK, and this step proved yet again the international scope of the worldwide beatboxing community. 
I arrived at the Parkman Bandstand at 12:30 and I was soon joined by Gabriel, a vocal scratch master who had travelled up from Providence. Others started to arrive, until we reached a total of eight beatboxers, a perfect number for an afternoon of jamming. Surprisingly, no one who attended actually lived in Boston, they had all travelled from the surrounding states, so props to everyone for making the trip. The enthusiasm that everyone showed in making the trip into Boston is one of the most important qualities of our beatboxing community and the reason that I believe the scene will grow bigger and better and in next few years. After introductions we got down to business. We sat in a circle and one person would start off with a simple beat, this would be added to by each person round the circle until we had a complex mix of various beats and vocal scratches going on. The roof of the Parkman Bandstand echoed and amplified our beats, attracting the attention of a lot of passing tourists. Group jamming took up a lot of the time, but there were also some impressive individual performances. Justine has an amazing range of talents that he displayed, including beatboxing through a dijeridoo and a harmonica, as well as rapping, and impressive circular breathing techniques. Gabriel had some extremely polished vocal scratch routines that he entertained us with. Shanes ‘So Fresh, So Clean’ routine went down well, and Andrew, Sam, Casey and Dirk all weighed in with their own contributions. I showed off my snare scratches and hardware whistle techniques.
Most of the beatboxers had techniques that I hadn’t heard before, so one of the most interesting parts of the afternoon was finding out how they do it. There was a lot of discussion about circular breathing, and some good examples of it by Justine and Shane, but unfortunately I still can’t do it! Gabriel had some good tips on how to imitate a DJ scratching by sampling a clip that you want to use and then slowing it down until it is easy to practice each part of the scratch. There were also various other rolls, clicks and snares that I can do now thanks to the advice of the other beatboxers. That’s the great thing about beatboxing, there’s nothing you can’t do, you just need to know how. Events like the Beatbox Jam are important for aspiring beatboxers as the easiest way to learn is by watching other people and taking tips on their techniques. The jam finished after a couple of hours, as most people had somewhere they needed to be. It was a wicked afternoon, I met a lot of cool people and jammed until my cheeks cramped up. In my opinion this is the best way to enjoy beatboxing, jamming in the fresh air without any amplification, back to basics style. Big thanks to everyone who attended. Humanbeatbox.com has plans for more international jams this summer, so keep an eye on the site. Report by Spitkicka |
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