Jazz is a kind of musical conversation, according to vocalist Barbara Alex of Marblehead, and listening closely to other performers is an important part of playing.
To give musicians a place to share in that conversation and to experience what she calls "deep listening," Alex has organized a series of Live Jazz Sessions at Chianti Tuscan Restaurant and Jazz Lounge in Beverly.
Regardless of age or experience level, any musician who attends one of the monthly sessions is welcome to sign up and take a turn on the stage.
"It's a community of musicians who come and jam with other people," said Alex, who hosts each program after singing a few songs. "Everybody's supportive. People can experiment."
The next session, on Sunday, is the third of four that were planned, and the turnout has been high enough that Chianti owner Richard Marino has agreed to extend the series.
Marino opened his restaurant in 1992 and occasionally hosted musicians there before adding its intimate jazz lounge in 2010.
The space was intended partly as an homage to Sandy's Jazz Revival, a legendary club on Cabot Street owned by Sanford Berman that closed in the mid-'80s.
"I would always find myself in conversations with people about Sandy's — it was like a love they had lost," Marino said.
While Marino clearly wants to invoke the legacy of Sandy's in his lounge, he is also careful to distinguish his space from the original.
"We're not trying to replicate Sandy's. We're trying to create our fantasy of what Sandy's was like," Marino said.
That has meant hanging black and white photos of great performers like Chet Baker and Dizzie Gillespie on the walls, pictures taken during performances at Sandy's by photographer Joe Johnson.
But it has also meant opening Chianti's doors to local talent, which has been pining for a place to play and listen ever since Sandy's closed down.
"I don't think jazz died at all on the North Shore," Marino said. "It was orphaned, and it was looking for a home."
Alex's Live Jazz Sessions are trying to extend the legacy of Sandy's by opening it up to everyone, and Marino approves of the plan.
Among newcomers who have played at a Live Jazz Session are Andover High School senior Stephen Richards, an alto sax player since grade four.
Richards was familiar with Chianti from playing there with the North Shore Jazz Project All Stars, a high school jazz band named for the nonprofit group that sponsors them.
The North Shore Jazz Project, which had its kickoff event at Chianti in 2010, is working to sponsor jazz music on the North Shore, which includes realizing Berman's dream of training young jazz musicians.
Where the All Stars band allows Richards to work with his peers, the Live Jazz Sessions gave him his first opportunity to jam with professional musicians.
"It was easier than I expected. It was really cool," Richards said. "They asked me what song I wanted to play — it was 'Beautiful Love.' They all knew it."
More seasoned performers, like Marblehead's Janine Graham, 51, have embraced the live sessions as a way to work on their material while connecting with a community of musicians.
"There have been several jazz jams in the North Shore area that come and go," Graham said. "I'm not sure why it fades off, because there are a lot of jazz musicians, and this is a good way for them to get relevant and network."
Graham thinks Alex's sessions will be around for a while.
"What Barbara's doing is fabulous because she's getting together the cream of the crop, both the people who come in to play and the band she fronts," Graham said.
If you go
What: Live Jazz Sessions
Where: Chianti Jazz Lounge, 285 Cabot St., Beverly
When: Sunday, Jan. 8 and Feb. 5, 3 to 6 p.m.
More information: www.livejazzsessions.org
