
''The point I am trying to make is this. The music genre we naturally enjoy creates feelings for us. What I mean for example is; if on the night you broke up with ur girlfriend, you were listening to "April in Paris" by Louis Armstrong, the next time you hear that uncommon song, it would remind you of something. It would either remind you of the best lady you never married or a good riddance to bad rubbish. Now that's what music does. But the mistake instrumentalists make is that they cannot stand listening to Charlie Parker's "the bird" for a minute yet they wanna play jazz.
Back in University of Benin, I was the only guitarist who owned an archtop. Virtually everybody else owned electroacoustics. you could see them under the trees from 7pm till mama calls, playing r&b music to catch the fancy of a nubile female. The only time you saw me with my guitar was if i were on my way to or back from a concert. Jazz musicians don't entertain a single person audience, and not in an environment as obscure as under the shades of a terminalia catalpa tree too.

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GEORGE BENSON |
I have listened to every piano jazzist and albums. Those days, bob James "restoration" was my best track. I have eaten chick corea, art Tatum, Michael camillo, Oscar Peterson, Joe sample, George duke etc. I play bass in church whenever I choose to. The bassist in my church was my student about 3-4 years ago. I inculcated the art of listening into him, now he is one force you wanna reckon with on the bass. I have listened to assists such as jaco pastorious, Marcus miller, Richard bona, bright gain etc Wooten doesn't really groove so don't be angry I didn't add him. I don't play the trumpet, but I had spent quality data listening to miles Davies, dizzie Gillespie, Arturo sandover, Louis Armstrong etc. On the Alto saxophone, I listen to Dave koz any day of the week. On soprano, I love Dave koz, kirk whalum etc. On the tenor, I love James Carter,Joshua redman, Grover Washington, Dave sanborn, Gerald albright, kirk whaling john coltrane, Scott Hamilton etc. On the guitar, the list is endless. First on blues guitar, I love jimmy Hendrix, bbking, Stevie ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton etc. On blues rock, I would take Eddie van halen. On metal, I love eumggie malsteem, Joe satriani, Steve vai, Michelangelo, mike tremotis etc. On jazz guitar, I love George Benson, Norman brown, Joe pass, django Reinhardt, Charlie Christian, tal farlow, Wes Montgomery, earl klugh, etc. I cannot over emphasize the point. But the truth is after consuming so many jazz tracks and albums, your ears would already be tuned in the right directions even though your hands and legs aren't yet. This helps you to know whether an intending teacher really has a harmonic root or is just blabbing.
JAZZ!... BRIEF HISTORY
Jazz has been defined as a musical genre that originated from African American communities in the united states during the 19th and 20th century. It is characterized by sycopation, improvisation and usually a regular or forceful rhythm. What appears to have confused some persons, is the fact that like every other musical genre, this greatest musical genre too has suffered or enjoyed, depending on your view, a lotta modifications over the last century. I won't trouble myself with the rigmarole of employing a chronological approach to expose these changes. However, in the mid 1940s and late 1905s jazz styles such as bebop and free jazz were developed respectively. If u are trying to play bebop for example, remember that its somebody's traditional song the way juju, Afro, Fuji, ariaria, ibio, etc are traditional to the people of Nigerian communities. A lot of persons have asked me how they can best easily begin playing jazz. Some have tried studying it with a brash academic approach because it originated from America. Anyway, blacks like you and me developed it. Now, lets deviate a little to study some native musical styles and their respective flavours. If i compose a song with bebop flavour and igbo vocals, that song is of bebop ethnicity. Point established: the flavour determines the music. Now, our highlife music in the 60s-70s were played by veterans such as commander ebenezer obey, king sunny ade,ik dairo, sir victor olaiya, the late fatai rolling dollars, Orlando owoh, oriental brothers, mike ejeagha, sir victor uwaifoh, sunny okosun etc. These venerable men played undiluted high life music. They had their own bands, little education throughout most of their musical careers, and played their instruments professionally. They were honoured and respected all over the world for whom they were. Today we don't have all those musicians basically anymore. The high life in Nigeria has been left to the uneducated.In the same Vain, jazz music has spread to all over Europe and the universe as a whole. That's why it While the Europeans developed scales, beats and choos to create new styles under the same genre, we sung the same songs and danced differently to them.'' says ID

My advice therefore is, rehearse jazz tracks, but first listen to ton and tons of them while doing a research on the lives, childhood, music careers, choice of instrument type and brand etc. It would shock u to know that even though George Benson signature guitar models sell hot for ibanez, he does his favourite tracks with his 1951 d'angelico archtop. So what does that prove?...
Learn more about jazz by connecting with Baba ID on idailuiredia@gmail.com
or yoeu could connect us on deestinctmusic@gmail.com
So what do you think about learning to play Jazz? Tell us in the comment section below
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