There’s no jazz club on Greene Street, but on Tuesday nights, a nearby church isn’t far off.

Organized by junior jazz studies student Josh Anderson, Jazz Jam is held at Greene Street United Methodist Church. It’s a weekly gathering of University of South Carolina students, many of them musicians, some just fans of the music. Anderson, who joined the group two years ago and took over leadership this year, said he wants as many people as possible up on the stage.

“My goal is to get everyone who wants to play, to play,” Anderson said. “You don’t have to play jazz, you can play some funk, or maybe some hard rock, if that’s what you’ve got. I just want people to feel comfortable to come in and play whatever they got.”

Ethan Bautz, a masters student of music and jazz performance, said gatherings like these are essential for jazz musicians.

“A jam is common practice in the jazz idiom,” Bautz said. The have created “a community of people to just come out and practice jazz. And this is the only way you can practice jazz, by playing jazz with other people.”

From saxophones, guitars and a piano, a wide variety of instruments took center stage.

Sophomore jazz studies student and fellow organizer Jackson Goldy specializes in drums. Goldy said his passion for jazz runs deep.

“I grew up listening,” Goldy said. “My grandpa was a jazz drummer as well. And just watching him play, I think that really inspired me to want to do it myself.”

Goldy said music provides him an outlet like nothing else can.

“Getting the chance to play with other people and share your ideas is the best way to connect with other people,” Goldy said. “I feel like I’ve always had a hard time expressing myself through words, but that, it’s kind of my safe place.”

Freshman jazz studies major Shauna Dashiell said that while there’s no shortage of music in her classes, she valued playing more casually at the jam.

“I’m around this all the time, but this is a nice way for me to take a step back and play stuff I want to play,” Dashiell said.

Recent USC graduate Andrew Tomlinson, who spent last summer touring in Europe, said Columbia has a more active jazz scene than many may realize.

“If you know where to find it, if you know where to look, you’ll find it,” said Tomlinson.

There are more than jazz studies students in the house on Tuesday. Freshman singer Trynity Alston is studying marine science. Despite that, Alston said her passion burned the same way.

“I’ve been singing all my life, and I just come out here because I love music,” Alston said. “I just feel connected.”

Goldy said events like this aren’t just keeping jazz alive in the modern culture, they’re proof it never left.

“A lot of people say jazz is a dying art, which I highly disagree with,” Goldy said. “It’s one of the few art forms that is truly unique to this country. And jazz, being traditionally Black American music, is something we need to really work to preserve.”