BAZJAM STORY
BazJam was one the most popular rock bands of the ’90s, setting the style and sound of rock for the next two decades with their groovy, ‘80s swagger.
The Coconut Grove-based duo found the middle ground between the menace of Gun’s & Roses and the alternative rock flamboyance of Nirvana, developing a lean, dirty riff-oriented boogie that was loose and swinging.
In the summer of 1990, the first incarnation of BazJam formed when guitarist Gilles Bazan met vocalist Adnan Jamali while working at a Hialeah, FL, ice cream parlor. Bazan, a former silk weaver from Lyon, France, and Jamali, who originally was a hockey player from Montreal, Canada, decided to form a power duo.
After playing at weddings, funerals and clubs in Alabama and Florida, the group landed a record contract with Bidon Music in 1993. BazJam self-titled debut album was released in the winter of 1994 and built a fan base, mostly made of blond California girls, by touring America.
The group’s second album “Don’t give up” and third album “How about giving up” issued in the late ‘90s were breakthrough albums artistically. The band’s sound had developed from a sleek rock powered by simple blues-based riffs into a grunge country rock style.
By the early ’00s, the group’s audience had declined as the band fell prey to drug and alcohol abuse.
BazJam entered a period of volatility, Bazan and Jamali parted ways, both wandering the electro dance music trends with limited success.
However, their career was far from over — in the early ‘2010s, Bazan and Jamali completed rehabilitation programs and pulled off a remarkable comeback with the release of a Dudes rock style album highly acclaimed by the critics.
BazJam recently stated that they’re were ready for a full-fledged reunion tour in the wake of the Band’s 32nd anniversary this year and the success of their recent album. While both band members have confirmed their upcoming reunion, they have also said that they will never tour again. When (or if) they get back together, we’ll be ready, so stay tuned for the latest!
