Discuss the history and musical style of jam bands.

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In music, the term "jam" refers to musicians getting together for the enjoyment of playing, and sometimes to discover and develop musical ideas for songs. The Grateful Dead is considered to be the first Jam Band, coming out of the Bay Area in the sixties. Unlike many popular bands of the day that focused on recordings, the Grateful Dead were known for their live concerts, which featured songs that were never performed the same way twice. In the eighties, the band Phish started playing, but didn't become popular until after the death of Jerry Garcia. They were known for playing free-form concerts that combined folk, jazz, country, bluegrass and pop styles. The Dave Matthews Band formed in 1993. Dave Matthews is originally from South Africa, but is based in Virginia. They are known for both long jams, as well as shorter pop songs.