Monthly Jam Session

On the last Monday of every month, bring your instrument to midtown and play. Our monthly jam session is led by guitarist Payton Kerkes and saxophonist Eli Hershiser, who call the tunes, set the tempos, and make room for everyone who shows up — from players sitting in for the first time to musicians who do this for a living.

This is a jam, not a performance. Standards from the common repertoire, a rhythm section to play with, and two bandleaders whose job for the night is to help you sound good.

Your hosts

Payton Kerkes is a guitarist and electric bassist with more than a decade of teaching behind him. He graduated with honors from The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, where he studied with Peter Bernstein and Reggie Workman, has released two self-produced albums, and works throughout the New York scene.

Eli Hershiser is a saxophonist and composer based in Queens. Born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, he earned his BFA in Jazz Performance from The New School and has performed with the Metropolitan Players. He plays in the line that runs from Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane through Joshua Redman.

What to bring

• Your instrument — piano, drum kit and bass amp are on site
• Any charts you would like to call, though the standard repertoire will carry the night
• Any level of experience. If you have never sat in before, say so when you arrive and we will set you up

Pay what you can

This jam is pay-what-you-can. Our suggested donation is $20, and what you give goes to paying the musicians who lead it. If $20 is not possible right now, come anyway — nobody is turned away over money.

RSVP is free and takes a moment, and you can add your donation when you register. You can also donate directly at any time. The New York Music Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so your donation is tax-deductible.

Space is limited to 15 players, so please RSVP.