How are improvisational parts of jamband type live performances coordinated and managed among the band’s members?

Question

I’m thinking about bands like The Grateful Dead, Dead & Co, Phish, Dave Matthews Band… when it comes to the long, improvisational portions of the songs’ performances, how do the other band members know what parts to play or when to return to the regular cadence of the song or end the song all together? Some of these bands’ live performances of their songs improvise longer pieces than the actual songs themselves.

In: 2

Answer 1

It’s not a matter of management per se.. it’s more a common feel. I had a great Southern Rock band in the 70s, a la the Allman Brothers band. Sometimes it just felt right to keep going. We’d all watch each own for cues, listen to each other, and it just seemed to click. What makes a great jam band is the chemistry between the players.