dynamic open mic @ the homie's house

it all started like this:

One morning, you're going about your day thinking all is right with the world.
Then, imagine your friend (who's a killin' musician) texts you some random address out of nowhere.

I checked my phone to see who it was.
Gibsone Malone. Dang, I really haven't seen this dude in literal ages.

"hey... what's this for?"

I asked.
Moments later, his reply came in.

"it's a music show, my band is doing 30mins and then jamming out w/ everyone in the room who can play or sing. bring ur instruments. kinda spontaneous, but come vibe. no stress, just fun."

I shook my head with a smile. God, I love the spontaneity of New York City.

I haven't seen Gibson in a looong time, since 11th grade I think. We shared some high school friend group, but time flew by and we where all well into our college years now. Gibson's an incredible guitarist - I used to jam with him whenever our friend group got together back in the high school days.

"that sounds fun, can I bring a friend?"

"absolutely! it's gonna be nice to see ya after so long!"

Well, seems like I know what I'm doing that evening.

strangers, now homies.

...we have no clue what we're getting ourselves into, do we...?

That's the first thing my friend Jose said to me when we met up in the streets of Harlem. We couldn't pass up on a chance to vibe to some good music, but other than the homie from high school who was hosting, we where going to be walking into a house full of strangers.

Given that we didn't know what the vibe of the crowd would be, or who these people even where... anticipation took control of our walk until Jose and I reached the beautiful brownstone that was our destination.

Soulful sounds bellowed as we made our way into the Harlem apartment, with the occasional jazz standard played with a bit of rock fusion.

There was about 25 people inside, no one who we knew. But instantly, it felt cozy. It felt warm.
A house full of strangers smiling, laughing, exchanging stories... united for experiencing the the vibe, for being there for the music.

One thing happened after another.

Jose and I

Everything from jazz to soul to R&B to rap to psychedelic rock started to come out of the room. Different artists all started mingling together, starting with a song but ending up in complete improvisation.

Purple Rain became free jazz.

Billie's Bounce ended in rock.

Jimmy Hendrix songs turned into reggae... then into up-tempo swing.

It was a complete melting pot of different musical styles coming to play.
Nothing was off the table.
And in that complete exploration, we all felt free.

It got incredibly creative. People started exploring beyond their instruments.

Once the improvisation started flowing, those normal social barriers seemed to melt away.
At a normal jam session, if you weren't a singer, you'd probably not go for the mic. Somehow, I ended up singing (I am a trombone player).

The freedom in the vibe allowed us to not just explore what was for us uncharted territory, but to have fun with it too.
The crowd was so supportive, so encouraging.

And despite all of the experimentation going on, it didn't sound like cacophony. It was still musical, still soulful, still real.

We all jammed late into the night. And, we all talked.
Once strangers became friends that night.

Exchanging our stories, I realized how many times me and a few people in that room likely crossed paths before.
One of the girls there was also a trombone player - her and I both played in the Jazz at Lincoln Center Youth Programs, just at different times. We even had the same trombone teacher in middle school (I was just a few years ahead of her so we never really crossed paths).

Jose even met someone who he lived next to all his life, but never knew.

Growing up in New York City, it's kind of wild how in some way or another, everyone is connected.

we entered the house as strangers, we all left as homies.

After the jam faded away and most instruments where laid to rest for the night, we all slowly trickled out of the apartment... some to keep hanging out, some to go home , some to New York City's late night jazz jam sessions.

After saying bye to everybody, Jose and I took a long walk from uptown Harlem and through the campus of Colombia University.
Appreciating the vibes that Gibson cooked, appreciating the newfound connections with people, being grateful to have been a part of such a wonderful musical evening that came seemingly out of nowhere.

With a shared smile, we thought to ourselves:

It really was just the homies...
Chillin on couches and playing tunes in a random Harlem apartment.

Jose and I rode bikes around Central Park, got dollar pizza, and watched the sunrise before splitting off on a midtown subway station... me going to Queens, Jose heading back up to the Bronx.

and though this night was around 2 years ago from today... whenever Jose and I catch up, we always recall this jam with gratitude.

thanks for the awesome jam Gibson & friends, one of the most cherished memories I have from that season of my life in NYC.

the homie dropped an EP not too long ago, check it out! Gibson Malone EP

As life goes, I haven't seen Gibson Malone in person since (he invited me to some more jams, but I have left the City since for the life of travel).
I hope the homie is doing well, I know he's still out there swingin'.

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shot on 35mm analog film, on my old little film camera.
@nataliatothemoon
new york city circa 2023.

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Note from Natalia:
I used to photograph the underground music scene in NYC on my vintage cameras, especially during 2023.
I'll be sharing more of those stories, photos, and maybe even video edits here!

If you know some other communities that would enjoy this type of content, comment them down below!

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