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THE JELLY JAM

Psychedelic/Space Rock • United States


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The Jelly Jam biography
Founded in 2002 (following PLATYPUS dissolution)

The JELLY JAM consists of guitarist and singer Ty Tabor of KING's X fame, John Myung, bass player for DREAM THEATER, and Rod Morgenstien, drummer extraordinaire. It is an amazing disc of guitar driven, psychedelic influences, and the spirit of Jimi jumping in, this is quite simply a great rock n' roll album without any frills or complications included. This is not prog-rock, neo-prog, or anything else associated with the word progressive when regarding genre classification. The sound is very spacey and open, with a mixture of harder hitting passages to toss up the moods of the songs. The spacey sound comes from the light guitar work with an underlying bass groove. Highly recommended!

See also: WiKi

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THE JELLY JAM discography


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THE JELLY JAM top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.78 | 65 ratings
The Jelly Jam
2002
2.94 | 44 ratings
The Jelly Jam 2
2004
3.40 | 25 ratings
Shall We Descend
2011
3.71 | 43 ratings
Profit
2016

THE JELLY JAM Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

THE JELLY JAM Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

THE JELLY JAM Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

THE JELLY JAM Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

THE JELLY JAM Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Profit by JELLY JAM, THE album cover Studio Album, 2016
3.71 | 43 ratings

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Profit
The Jelly Jam Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by MaxnEmmy

5 stars This trio has matured and delivered their best musical expression with a theme of earth, money and power. "The edge of the view, is round, the massive horizon, in the lights on the ground." Ty Tabor is very underrated as a song crafter. The lyrics for this album all go together and should be taken as a whole. There is a bit of ecological optimism and hope for a better future (if we just get together), and the overall view is positive. Altogether, Ty has put together a classic "rock" record, in the sense that it has substance and repeated listenings make it better. Kings X fans should not pass it up.
 The Jelly Jam by JELLY JAM, THE album cover Studio Album, 2002
3.78 | 65 ratings

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The Jelly Jam
The Jelly Jam Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by kev rowland
Special Collaborator Honorary Reviewer

4 stars When keyboard player Derek Sherinian left Platypus the decision was taken not only not to replace him but also to change the musical direction and the name of the band. The result is a trio playing intricate rock yet maintaining at times the Beatles-esque qualities of the original band. It is again an album that belongs not only firmly in the present day but also in the Sixties and Seventies as the music captures the mood of that time. It is melodic and some times even psychedelic, and has moved away from the progressive tendencies while also maintaining some of that interest.

One of the problems that the band has that they find it difficult to play in standard 4/4, using the minimum amount of notes, so instead they go out and have a blast to enjoy themselves. Luckily for us that they do as even on their more basic songs there is still a wealth of diversity to enjoy. Given that this is basically a side project it is amazing that they manage to bring together songs that are consistently strong and not fillers. It is a shame that Platypus are no more as I have enjoyed playing their albums, particularly 'Ice Cycles', but I know that I am going to enjoy this in the future just as much (even if it is an extremely naff name!!).

Originally appeared in Feedback #67, Apr 02

 The Jelly Jam 2  by JELLY JAM, THE album cover Studio Album, 2004
2.94 | 44 ratings

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The Jelly Jam 2
The Jelly Jam Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by jampa17
Prog Reviewer

4 stars Ideal for Porcupine Tree and King X fans!

When you come to listen a supergroup like The Jelly Jam you have to stop thinking in big arrangements, complex instrumentation, epic thematics, or conceptual albums. This case is a bit different. It seems like every now and then John Myung (DREAM THEATER), Ty Tabor (KING X) and Rod Morgenstein (DIXIE DREGS) just like to get together and throw in some riffs and spend a good time making just beautiful music.

The idea is very simple but the chemistry between these talented musicians made a wonderful result. With this second album, the Jelly Jam simply reached the same amount of moody vibe than the first one, just more oriented to alternative heavy rock and less "jazzy".

It's not as popular as other side projects from DT members, but it wouldn't work deeply on that kind of fans. For me, they are the best alternative rock band in history. The music is great, with space for everyone. Some moody ambience elements, some heavy riffs and the melodies fit greatfully on Tabor vocals.

If you want to relax a bit, this is a band you can try. It's maybe the best band to introduce regular people to Prog Rock, but it's not that exciting when you expect the same complex and saturated prog. Well, if you like King X, you should try it. If you like Porcupine Tree kind of music, dig into it.

I'm excited to listen to their new album. So I give a solid 4 star review. Great for me and ideal for a little time to breath and taste music without trying too hard.

 The Jelly Jam by JELLY JAM, THE album cover Studio Album, 2002
3.78 | 65 ratings

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The Jelly Jam
The Jelly Jam Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by jampa17
Prog Reviewer

4 stars Top class musicians making regular music. Great groovy alternative effort.

After the departure of Derek Sherinian, the original Platypus band became a trio and they leaved out almost every shake of prog metal moments. In their first album they came with a very original and regular alternative-prog album in the style of Porcupine Tree with some jazzy moments and a very nice and soft groovy style, enjoyable and focused.

Well now, I understand that a regular Dream Theater or Dixie Dregs fan could expect more bombastic and experimental music, but it's not and to hear Rod Morgenstein and John Myung playing "human" music is kind of nice, because they really sound strong and cohesive, it's evident that the members understands each other and the chemistry between the band is great. The songs THE JELLY JAM and THE KING'S DANCE are the only real "progressive" songs with some flashy guitar solos but never getting "too" proggy. The rest are very short alternative rock songs but I wish alternative bands play like this. Ty vocals are really great and catchy.

Not too much else of saying about this 35 minutes piece of music. I can assure you that you will headbang to some of the catchy and groovy songs. For prog standards maybe is not that cool, but it's one of those albums that is continuously on rotation in my stereo because if very enjoyable and rocker. I suggest this album to any PT lover, they will appreciate this kind of music. I put this with 4 stars. Sometimes is great to hear "regular" music from the masters. This is one of those rarities, in which the challenge is "not" to play. Great album.

 The Jelly Jam 2  by JELLY JAM, THE album cover Studio Album, 2004
2.94 | 44 ratings

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The Jelly Jam 2
The Jelly Jam Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by Conor Fynes
Prog Reviewer

2 stars 'Jelly Jam II' - The Jelly Jam (4/10)

Before any comment on the actual music takes place, let it be known that the Jelly Jam is a supergroup between John Myung (of Dream Theater fame,) Ty Tabor (King's X) and Rob Morgenstein (of Dixie Dregs.) With three established members of the progressive rock scene coming together to create something, it's implied that there would be alot of fans with high expectations for whatever might come out of the partnership. Unfortunately though, this particular supergroup doesn't seem to be a winner.

The Jelly Jam seems to be a respite for the band members from their typical, more technical musical styles. This project plays grungy hard rock with the occasional psychedelic influence. While a simpler approach to their music is fine in my books, the songwriting (while being catchy) and execution feel bland and uninspired.

Ty Tabor runs the show here almost entirely; his vocals and guitars dominate the mix and sound. John Myung and Morgenstein sound like they are both very bored playing here; everything is done very much by-the-numbers, without any showcase of their great skill. Bluesy riffs are the order of the day here, and Tabor seems to do everything he can in order to make himself the controlling member of the group. While this might have been alright if Myung had been the leader, Tabor's songwriting and lyrics end up making the project sound like a poor man's King's X.

All bad things aside though, the Jelly Jam suceeds at making some catchy hard rock. Although there is little replay value for the songs, each song is memorable in it's own right; gifted with strong melody writing. Unfortunately, none of the songs ever really get developed to the point of being 'fantastic,' and while being pleasant to listen to for a short while, 'Jelly Jam II' has little to offer in terms of depth.

 The Jelly Jam 2  by JELLY JAM, THE album cover Studio Album, 2004
2.94 | 44 ratings

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The Jelly Jam 2
The Jelly Jam Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by Mellotron Storm
Prog Reviewer

4 stars THE JELLY JAM doesn't get a lot of love on Prog sites (haha). This is not very challenging music per se but the kind of music that that gets my blood moving and my head banging. For me this is an upgrade over their debut and definitely worth 4 stars. Ty Tabor (KING'S X), John Myung (DREAM THEATER) and Rod Morgenstein (DIXIE DREGS) make up this power trio. Ty Tabor sings, plays lead guitar and he also produced this great sounding album. KING'S X is the band they most sound like in my opinion with but without Dug Pinnick's in your face bass and vocals. On that subject I must say that Myung is prominant here and i'm really impressed with his style. He's different. And how good on the kit is Morgenstein ? Amazing drummer. I had a chance to see Tabor live when KING'S X opened for PORCUPINE TREE last year and the highlight of the whole concert was watching Ty solo for what seemed like 5 minutes as they jammed. It was like a light from heaven shone on him for a brief time, I was moved deeply by what I heard and saw.

"Not Today" is such a freakingly good track. Heavy guitar with vocals that are pretty much spoken. A headbanger's delight. Great way to start. "Coming Round" is a feel good tune but it's still heavy with strummed guitar over top. Check out the impressive guitar / drum section 2 minutes in. "Empty" opens with the guitar soloing as the bass and drums create the heavy base. Vocals join in. This is killer ! It turns psychotic before 3 minutes. "Drop The Gun" has some nice deep sounds with Myung standing out. Vocals after 1 1/2 minutes. This gets really intense. "Allison" is on fire to start before settling when the vocals come in. Contrasts continue. Nice. Holy hell check out the guitar solo 2 1/2 minutes in with the drums and bass causing tremors in the soundscape.

"Maybe" is a laid back tune as they slow it down. I like the lyrics and the tasteful guitar solo after 3 minutes. "She Was Alone" sounds so good to start out. Ty is laying it down. Rod is incredible on the drums here. "Angel Or Devil" is probably my favourite track on here. A powerful intro before it settles quickly with vocals. An emotional song and so is the guitar after 4 minutes. "You Don't need Me Anymore" is interesting with the intricate acoustic guitar and tapping. "Runaway" is powerful and uptempo. What's not to like ? "War Is..." sounds different from the rest. A ton of bottom end and lots of attitude. A very intense track. "Message" is a funny 36 second message from an answering machine.

This was a blast and it will sit nicely with my favourite KING'S X albums.

 The Jelly Jam 2  by JELLY JAM, THE album cover Studio Album, 2004
2.94 | 44 ratings

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The Jelly Jam 2
The Jelly Jam Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by eMTee

2 stars The band's self titled debut album is one of the best of its kind, a mixture of modern progressive/psychedelic rock with many great songs. Now with '2' we got something very different. Its OK when a band's sound is changing through each and every new release but with this album that change is a bit shocking - in a negative way!

This album sounds as almost a pure mainstream or AOR release: most of the songs sounds are good, however, some of them would even be too bad for an average mainstream rock album. Not much progressive elements this time - the album simply falls into the category of alternative rock and interestingly it reminds me to the a great alter rock album 'Grave Dancers Union' by Soul Asylum. The only problem is that GDU contains a much more dynamic and diverse music than '2' so...

Tracks like 'Empty', 'Runaway' and 'War Is...' are the weekest parts of the album and 'Allison' is the only song what slightly brings back the feeling of the fine first Jelly Jam release.

So I must say people who love the first album must probably avoid this one - the peculiar feeling of that unique music is gone and, let's say it, a bit of boredom what the guys offering us in '2'. In an alternative rock music site this album would easily deserve 4 stars but sorry, no more than 2 stars for this one at PA.

 The Jelly Jam by JELLY JAM, THE album cover Studio Album, 2002
3.78 | 65 ratings

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The Jelly Jam
The Jelly Jam Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by Mellotron Storm
Prog Reviewer

3 stars 3.5 stars. In the liner notes each song is shown on a different jar of jam. Cute. As others have noted this is basically PLATYPUS minus Derek Sherinian and the sound now is more like KINGS X. What I liked most about this album was the drumming of Rod Morgenstein and with the bass of John Myung we have an amazing rhythm section. As hdfisch notes this is probably more Alternative sounding then anything else,and I really like their sound.

"I Can't Help You" is one of the heavier and better songs on the record.The heavy bass and rolling drums are great ! Can Rod drum or what ? "No Remedy" is very KINGS X sounding. Heavy with THE BEATLES like harmonies.The drumming and bass lines 3 minutes in are incredible. "Native" is a short instrumental. "Nature's Girl" is an uptempo, catchy tune that I bet they had a blast playing.

"Feeling" is in the same style as the previous ones and it's starting to get boring. Fortunately the rest of the songs provide some variety starting with "Reliving", a mellow tune with some good vocals and a tasteful guitar solo. "The Jelly Jam" is the best song on the record, a slower paced instrumental that is quite atmospheric. The lead guitar is amazing from Ty. "I Am A King" has a dreamy sound to it, although not so much in the chorus.There is a nice breakout of guitar as well. "The King's Dance" is a laidback instrumental with some lazy, spacey guitar melodies that grow more intense as the song plays out. "Under The Tree" has an Eastern feel to it at times.

This is a good record that I would definetly recommend to fans of Alternative music.

 The Jelly Jam by JELLY JAM, THE album cover Studio Album, 2002
3.78 | 65 ratings

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The Jelly Jam
The Jelly Jam Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by Ben2112

4 stars After Derek Sherinian left Platypus, the other three guys decided to continue to work together on this King's X/Dream Theater side project. What you will immediately notice is that it sounds very little like Platypus, but instead a lot more like King's X with a better rhythm section. Rod Morganstein's incredible, busy drumming meshes with John Myung's way-more-up-front-than-Dream Theater bass to give Ty Tabor's muscular guitar riffs a solid foundation to weave in and out of some excellent rock and roll songs with a psychedelic edge.

The album kicks off with "I Can't Help It", a propulsive rocker driven by John's thunderous bass and Ty's chunky guitar and Lennon-esque vocals. The song is pretty straightforward, and not really prog in any way, but it's powerful, melodic and satisfying, which you could really say about this entire album.

Next is "No Remedy", another fairly heavy song with a killer Hendrix-like wah wah riff and nice vocal harmonies. It also has a lovely vocal interlude that harkens to the Beatles' Abbey Road era, followed by a sparse section punctuated by some absolutely mindboggling drum fills. If you are a fan of great drumming, you should definitely give this album a listen.

Track 3 is called "Nature", but it's really just an intro to track 4, "Nature's Girl", which is my favorite of the album. This is classic Ty Tabor guitar pyrotechnics here, with a blistering intro riff and a similar verse riff doubled by John. Just when you think the song can't get any "hotter", the much more "pretty" chorus transports you back to Beatles-land. There is also a section where John's bass playing is highly reminiscent of Chris Squire's. Good stuff.

Next is "Feeling", a pretty good song, but not as good as tracks 1, 2 & 4. It does have another very appealing and soft chorus with beautiful harmonies and another Abbey Road- like bridge. I realize that I am mentioning the Beatles in just about every song, but it really does seem as if Ty is channeling John Lennon in pretty much every project he does, particularly when you take King's X bassist/vocalist Doug Pinnick out of the picture. The lyrics are a little on the goofy side though.

Track 6, "Reliving", is a bittersweet song about carefree childhood days. Yet another great vocal showcase for Ty, although this song is one of the more mellow tracks on the album, and the one your girlfriend is most likely to enjoy (apologies to all you female proggers out there). It is also one of a handful of songs on the album that contain a fabulous guitar solo. I really love Ty's playing, and it's very good here.

The title track come next, a long, meandering, very ambient instrumental piece with mesmeric bass lines and psychedelic guitar flourishes. It is probably the most "prog" on the album, but I find it a bit boring overall.

"I Am The King" starts with some African-styled drum figures and more Squire-ish bass lines. Another track that could easily have been done by the Fab Four, it's another tasty "pop" song somewhat similar to "Reliving".

"The King's Dance" is a sort of short instrumental continuation of the previous song. Great playing here from all three, but Ty really shines. The song has a very laid-back, psychedelic vibe running through it which I enjoy a great deal.

The last track on the album, "Under The Tree", starts off with a weird phased pick-scraping effect by Ty accompanied by some party chatter a la "Welcome To The Machine". After the intro, the guitar takes on a sitar-like quality, and the vocals remind me of Porcupine Tree (as does much of the album actually). Rod rounds things out with heavily eastern drum stylings. The album closes out by reprising the "Nature" guitar part.

This album really surprised me when it came out, as it was completely dissimilar to Platypus, but it ended up being probably my favorite album of 2002. I really debated on the rating I would give; it nearly got 5 stars. But since this is a prog site, and it really isn't terribly "proggy", I gave it 4. If I could have, I would give 4.5. If you're interested in giving Jelly Jam a try, get this one, as their second album is not nearly as good. Fans of bands such as Porcupine Tree & obviously King's X will probably find much to like here; just don't go in expecting symphonic or prog metal.

 The Jelly Jam 2  by JELLY JAM, THE album cover Studio Album, 2004
2.94 | 44 ratings

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The Jelly Jam 2
The Jelly Jam Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by rafael.m.reis

3 stars This second album is much better than the first in my opinion. It's cool to listen when your head is full of notes and complex harmonies of virtuous bands, to... let's say... clean up your mind for a while. A bad point is that the participation of John Myung in Jelly Jam is superficial. Not that it is bad, but he could make more variations to fill and give more spirit to the band. Ty Tabor and Rod Morgenstein are very good.
Thanks to ProgLucky for the artist addition. and to Quinino for the last updates

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