If it’s January, you know it’s time to jam at the Great 48. This first big local music event of the year will bring hundreds of performers from all over the state to jam at the Bakersfield Marriott at the Convention Center.

The name of this annual gathering organized by the California Bluegrass Association is now a bit of a misnomer.

“It’s the Great 72 for all intents and purposes,” said Jeff Russinsky, co-producer of the Great 48, who notes the jamming runs from late Thursday through Sunday morning.

“The lobby activity is crazy on Thursday afternoon and evening. … Sometimes the best jamming is on Thursday night. They show up and they jam all night. Then they spend the rest of the weekend catching up on their sleep.”

The musicians jam in the lobby, in hallways, meeting rooms and ballrooms as well as rooms on the second, third and ninth floors of the hotel, which the event has called home since 2017 (after its previous residence at the DoubleTree Hotel).

Russinsky said, “It starts very busy and stays very busy. The only slowdown is on Saturday nights,” when more players move up to the suites to jam.

Activities also slow on Friday and Saturday evenings with special programming available to attendees.

On Friday, an open mic kicks things off at 6 p.m. (Sign-ups start at noon that day at the welcome desk.)

Fiddler Annie Staninec will curate the workshop presenters’ concert that follows the open mic.

The final performance of the night will be a concert with The Soda Crackers at 9 p.m.

Led by Zane Adamo, a Bakersfield-born vocalist, rhythm guitarist and fiddler, the five-piece band with Central Valley roots has made a name for itself in the current country western scene. The booking might seem like a stretch for a bluegrass event but Russinsky said it works.

“The Soda Crackers are very different for the CBA not bluegrass but a traditional band. … Musically, traditional country and bluegrass have a lot of the same chording.”

“The CBA’s year of events has always kicked off in Bakersfield. So these folks will get an idea of what the Bakersfield Sound is all about.”

Something special is also planned for Saturday with two performances by the John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band at the Stars at The Fillbrandt.

For the last four years, the CBA has teamed with the local Guitar Master concert series, run by Rick Kreiser, for the Satuday concert. The partnership allows the parties to pool resources and audiences for a great show.

This year, there will be two concerts to accommodate the maximum number of attendees since the venue moved from the larger Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace, which closed last summer.

“We’ll drag them through Eastchester and they can see a little more of the town,” Kreiser joked about bringing the visiting bluegrass lovers to the Chester Avenue venue.

The concert promoter was excited to bring Jorgenson back to town, this time with a bluegrass backing outfit.

The musician was also game for putting on two shows.

“John Jorgenson is a fabulous talent and wonderful to work with,” Kreiser said. “He said, ‘Whatever you need, Rick,'” of adding the second show.

As of Wednesday, the 4:30 p.m. show was just about sold out and the 7:30 p.m. performance was 70% booked but Kreiser said they’ll do their best to accommodate attendees.

“We’ll make room for anybody who shows up as long as the fire marshal’s OK with it.”

Noting that his season ticket holders are “not a stage diving group” — “They like tables, they like chairs, they like food, and they like drinks.” — Kreiser said there will be a buffet from Mossman’s for the shows.

Musicians and bluegrass lovers can purchase tickets for the Saturday concerts ($40 per show at guitarmasters.org) as well as wristbands ($25, $20 for CBA members) that include most of the workshops and the Friday concert ($10 without the wristband).

There will be seven workshops:

• Bluegrass Fiddle, with Annie Staninec and Dennis Fetchet

• Bluegrass Harmony Basics, A Guided Practice, with Maureen “Mo” Blumenthal

• Career Pickin’: How to grow your business with more income opportunities, and strengthen your music toolbox, with Joanne Ledesma

• Guitar — The Heartbeat of the Jam, with national flatpicking champion Tyler Grant

• Learn an Old-time Fiddle Tune, with Geff and Masha Crawford

• Mandolin — An Introduction to Bill Monroe Style, with Ken Smith

• Welcome to Bluegrass Gospel, with Sandy DeVera

Those new to jamming can add the Wernick Method bluegrass jamming class with Mike and Gail Thomas, which will offer four sessions starting today.

The three-hour class covers basic jam etiquette, how to join a bluegrass jam, how to take solos in a jam and how to sing with a jam.

The cost is $60 and includes personalized coaching.

Full details for the workshops and registration is available at californiabluegrass.org/cbaevent/great48.

As far as jams, musicians are free to form their own or check out the hosted jams with varying themes. Among those in the works are Friendly Old-time Jam, with Geff and Masha Crawford; Gospel Jams, with Sandy DeVera; Slow Jams, with Julio Boysenberry; Traditional Bluegrass Jams, with Tyler Grant; and Bluegrass Jam with Pointers Along the Way, with Chad Manning.

The Great 48 runs through Sunday at the hotel, 801 Truxtun Ave.

A full schedule with times for all Great 48 events is available at californiabluegrass.org.