diff --git a/web/app/assets/javascripts/accounts_jamtracks.js.coffee b/web/app/assets/javascripts/accounts_jamtracks.js.coffee
index 362a2e4d6..08785bc50 100644
--- a/web/app/assets/javascripts/accounts_jamtracks.js.coffee
+++ b/web/app/assets/javascripts/accounts_jamtracks.js.coffee
@@ -49,11 +49,13 @@ context.JK.AccountJamTracks = class AccountJamTracks
     #context.location="client#/createSession"
     jamRow = $(e.target).parents("tr")
     @createSession(jamRow.data(), true, jamRow.data('jamTrack'))
+    return false;
     
   groupSession:(e) =>
     #context.location="client#/createSession"
     jamRow = $(e.target).parents("tr")
     @createSession(jamRow.data(), false, jamRow.data('jamTrack'))
+    return false;
     
   createSession:(sessionData, solo, jamTrack) =>
     tracks = context.JK.TrackHelpers.getUserTracks(context.jamClient)
@@ -70,8 +72,8 @@ context.JK.AccountJamTracks = class AccountJamTracks
       data.musician_access = !solo
       data.fan_access = false
       data.fan_chat = false
-      data.genre = [sessionData.genre]
-      data.genres = [sessionData.genre]
+      data.genre = $.map(sessionData.jamTrack.genres, (genre) ->  genre.id)
+      data.genres = $.map(sessionData.jamTrack.genres, (genre)->  genre.id)
       # data.genres = context.JK.GenreSelectorHelper.getSelectedGenres('#create-session-genre')
       # data.musician_access = if $('#musician-access option:selected').val() == 'true' then true else false
       # data.approval_required = if $('input[name=\'musician-access-option\']:checked').val() == 'true' then true else false
diff --git a/web/app/assets/javascripts/dialog/openJamTrackDialog.js b/web/app/assets/javascripts/dialog/openJamTrackDialog.js
index 9d46a724f..8f58b0728 100644
--- a/web/app/assets/javascripts/dialog/openJamTrackDialog.js
+++ b/web/app/assets/javascripts/dialog/openJamTrackDialog.js
@@ -19,21 +19,22 @@
     var searchQuery = null;
     var cookieName = 'jamtrack_session_search'
 
+    // called by react autocomplote component
     function search(searchType, searchData) {
       window.JamTrackSearchInput = searchData;
       searchQuery = {searchType: searchType, searchData: searchData}
       $.cookie(cookieName, JSON.stringify(searchQuery))
-      doSearch();
+      doSearch(searchQuery);
     }
 
     function userSearch(e) {
       e.preventDefault();
       searchQuery = {searchType: 'user-input', searchData: window.JamTrackSearchInput}
       $.cookie(cookieName, JSON.stringify(searchQuery))
-      doSearch();
+      doSearch(searchQuery);
     }
 
-    function doSearch() {
+    function doSearch(query) {
       emptyList();
       resetPagination();
 
@@ -42,22 +43,30 @@
         var showSearch =  (user.purchased_jamtracks_count > perPage)
 
         var $autocomplete = $dialog.find('[data-react-class="JamTrackAutoComplete"]')
+
         if (showSearch) {
           $autocomplete.show()
           $searchBtn.show()
 
-          searchQuery = $.cookie(cookieName)
-          if (!searchQuery) {
-            searchQuery = {searchType: 'user-input', searchData: ''}
+          // if no query specified, look in a cookie for last query
+          if (!query) {
+            query = $.cookie(cookieName)
+
+            // and parse that cookie if defined
+            if (query) {
+              try {
+                query = JSON.parse(query)
+              }
+              catch (e) {
+                query = {searchType: 'user-input', searchData: ''}
+                logger.error("unable to parse search query: " + e)
+              }
+            }
           }
-          else {
-            try {
-              searchQuery = JSON.parse(searchQuery)
-            }
-            catch (e) {
-              searchQuery = {searchType: 'user-input', searchData: ''}
-              logger.error("unable to parse search query: " + e)
-            }
+
+          // if still no query (after checking cookie and what was specified in function, then default to anything
+          if(!query){
+            query = {searchType: 'user-input', searchData: ''}
           }
         }
         else {
@@ -197,7 +206,7 @@
 
     this.initialize = initialize;
     this.isShowing = function isShowing() { return showing; }
-    this.search = search;
+    this.search = search; // called by react
   }
 
   return this;
diff --git a/web/app/assets/javascripts/react-components/stores/SessionStore.js.coffee b/web/app/assets/javascripts/react-components/stores/SessionStore.js.coffee
index 65d06211b..846f84940 100644
--- a/web/app/assets/javascripts/react-components/stores/SessionStore.js.coffee
+++ b/web/app/assets/javascripts/react-components/stores/SessionStore.js.coffee
@@ -566,7 +566,7 @@ NotificationActions = @NotificationActions
       return unless @ensureConnected()
 
       # just make double sure a previous session state is cleared out
-      @sessionEnded()
+      @sessionEnded(true)
 
       # update the session data to be empty
       @updateCurrentSession(null)
@@ -1019,7 +1019,7 @@ NotificationActions = @NotificationActions
     selfOpenedJamTracks: () ->
       @currentSession && (@currentSession.jam_track_initiator_id == context.JK.currentUserId)
 
-    sessionEnded: () ->
+    sessionEnded: (onJoin) ->
       # cleanup
 
       context.JK.JamServer.unregisterMessageCallback(context.JK.MessageType.SESSION_JOIN,   @trackChanges);
@@ -1053,7 +1053,7 @@ NotificationActions = @NotificationActions
       @controlsLockedForJamTrackRecording = false
       @openBackingTrack = null
       @downloadingJamTrack = false
-      @sessionUtils.setAutoOpenJamTrack(null)
+      @sessionUtils.setAutoOpenJamTrack(null) unless onJoin
 
       JamTrackActions.close()
       NotificationActions.sessionEnded()
diff --git a/web/app/assets/javascripts/session_utils.js b/web/app/assets/javascripts/session_utils.js
index 9d54f2493..7e8de1acb 100644
--- a/web/app/assets/javascripts/session_utils.js
+++ b/web/app/assets/javascripts/session_utils.js
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
   };
 
   sessionUtils.setAutoOpenJamTrack = function(jamTrack) {
-    logger.debug("setting auto-load jamtrack")
+    logger.debug("setting auto-load jamtrack", jamTrack)
     autoOpenJamTrack = jamTrack;
   }
 
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
   sessionUtils.grabAutoOpenJamTrack = function() {
     var jamTrack = autoOpenJamTrack;
     autoOpenJamTrack = null;
+    logger.debug("grabbing auto-load jamtrack", jamTrack)
     return jamTrack;
   }
 
diff --git a/web/app/views/api_jam_tracks/show_for_client.rabl b/web/app/views/api_jam_tracks/show_for_client.rabl
index ce60ba00b..f9531ce94 100644
--- a/web/app/views/api_jam_tracks/show_for_client.rabl
+++ b/web/app/views/api_jam_tracks/show_for_client.rabl
@@ -2,9 +2,9 @@ object @jam_track
 
 attributes :id, :name, :description, :initial_play_silence, :original_artist, :version
 
-node :genres do |item|
-  item.genres.select(:description).map(&:description)
-end
+child(:genres) {
+  attributes :id, :description
+}
 
 node :jmep do |jam_track|
   jam_track.jmep_json ? JSON.parse(jam_track.jmep_json) : nil