Sitting shoulder to shoulder, dimly lit with fairy lights, and serenaded by some of Oman's best musicians was a signature of Just Jam Sessions. Of course, all of this changed the moment the pandemic rolled in 2020. The pandemic has become an overused and overworked term and yet here we are, in a world recovering from unchartered territories with vaccine passports and crushed economies, people are getting increasingly impatient to go back to normalcy after nearly two years of being stuck at home.
Oman Daily Observer in conversation with Ghazi Balucci, founder of Just Jam, explored what this post-pandemic world meant for them and their fellow creatives and their audiences.
A Little Background: In 2016, a group of young musicians decided that it was time that people left their homes and brought their talent out into the public. Whilst every creative idea they had wasn’t the most feasible, this group decided that they would kick start things with what they already do — Music!
Tapping into their network of musicians, Just Jam Sessions was born. A homely setting with floor seating, dim lights, and beautiful music — the sessions quickly gained momentum. Starting with a hand full of artists to full audiences, moving venue to venue Just Jam Sessions became a popular destination for the young and creative of the Sultanate.
Along with the music nights, Just Jam Sessions also introduced Poetry Nights — An intimate event with a mix-bag of newbies, amateurs, and experienced writers and poets, sharing their thoughts and experiences through poetry in a safe, comfortable environment of like-minded beings.
“We are a small community here, and often we have similar or shared experiences that aren’t often spoken about, and these artists can share their vulnerabilities in a space with known strangers through poetry,” said Ghazi Balucci.
As Just Jam Sessions took hold of the music and poetry scene, Other collaborators joined the scene creating more space for a completely different demographic of creatives like True Story Tent founded by Abdullah al Maawali for hard-hitting and inspirational storytellers, and Humor Infection founded by Abbas al Lawati for local comedians. The Sultanate in the past few years has seen a drastic shift in the local entertainment scene with more local talent finding new ground on their home soil.
“Music events for the longest time in Oman were focused on bringing international artists, but to us, the emphasis has always been on showcasing local talent. “Local” is a term we emphasise in everything we communicate through our public existence — Local to us includes everybody that currently resides in the Sultanate, anybody, and everybody.” He added. Just Jam, 5 years on, has outgrown their sessions and rebranded, Now it isn’t just about showcasing talented musicians but creating an experience for its audience, Today, they are a fully-fledged Talent and Event agency that helps its clientele visualise and create out of the box ideas and brings them to life with the support of the young and creative of Oman.
“We also hope to work and collaborate with local businesses like SMT Acoustics who custom build scientifically designed acoustic setups along with other entities in Oman that have supported local artists and creatives like us over the years. Redbull and Redbull Mobile have not only been our corporate clients over the years but also creative collaborators to our initiatives along with many others like Majid Al Futtaim and LuLu Group International,” he said.
The Loft:
Just Jam has always lived a Bohemian life, moving from venue to venue, popping up at events, and hosting gigs in different parts of the country and region for the longest time believed that space is the fundamental requirement for an artist to work on their skills. A space just for them where they can work on their own skills or collaborate with others, learn and grow, and hopefully turn their talent into a trade. That’s where the Loft comes in. A Just Jam collaboration with SABCO, the Loft is a co-working space, by creatives for creatives — A physical and visual representation of the previously virtual entity Just Jam.
Currently, a work in progress, the Loft aims to become a hub for artists, musicians, clients, SMEs, and any and all creative entities. Ghazi explained, “The Loft will not only become a space for creatives to use, but also to learn from. We hope to host workshops that will help our local creatives grow. Some of us have been a part of this industry for a long time and believe we could help newer entrees into the scene to not make the mistakes that we made whilst we navigated through this space. We hope that through these workshops we can help creatives turn their talent into a profitable skill. In Today’s world, it isn’t just enough to be good at something, you also need to create yourself into a brand to make you stand out. And we want to make this happen.”
Post Covid19, what are the plans for Just Jam?
Ghazi: “We want to work towards enhancing the local experience for both creatives and the clients that hire these creatives. Since day one, our mission has been to be the bridge between creatives and the corporate, less focused on the financial incentives and more to create a space for local creatives to gain opportunities in the local market. We want our creatives to be able to meet client demands whilst also ensuring that the client creates a healthy space for its creatives. The pandemic may have shut the world down, but it also gave rise to many creatives that were often left out and we have been lucky enough that even after things had slowed down, we had enough creatives around us, supporting us constantly to bring operations back to where they were before the pandemic. In a small community such as ours, it is increasingly important to not only build each other but welcome competition in a healthy environment that will support the growth of all creatives and those around them. Although the lockdowns seemed endless, and often dreary, they also gave people a chance to tap into their creative sides and which is why we see so many more artists creating, we have seen the rise of singers, artists, painters, and creators alike, and this power is something we hope to harness in the following months.”
“Sell your work, sell for commissions, sell ideas, and sell your designs, this includes your sound, music, and words. I believe that in the upcoming months and years, the entertainment industry in Oman will see a huge shift in not only the style of events but also the quality. There is immense talent locally and now will be the time they flourish. To upcoming artists, entrepreneurs and musicians, I repeat, sell your work, sell for commissions, sell ideas, and sell your designs, this includes your sound, music, and words,” he added.
Find out more about upcoming events, Jam nights, and poetry sessions follow their Instagram @justjamsessions & @theloft.om.
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