Passing the Torch

Jazz is a unique tradition, one that continues to evolve from its humble New Orleans roots. This noble American art form is unique within Western music, in that it’s essentially an aural one, passed down through generations. As a result, the system of standard music notation is very limited for learning jazz. The idiosyncrasies, the nuances, are learnt not only by listening to recordings, but from countless hours of study with a teacher. This is a fundamental essence of what makes jazz so unique: the “passing of the torch” from one generation to another. To the student, the teacher is much more than merely a teacher. We are mentors, guides, dare I say spiritual gurus, instructing our disciples in the ways of a century old tradition. However, it is at this juncture that I feel it necessary to point out a slight unfortunate paradox. We jazz musicians are, by nature, lazy buggers. Our two passions in life: playing music and sleeping all day. Sure, “pass the torch” and all that stuff... but the last thing we want to do is wake up before noon to go and teach. But alas, the gigging life is an unstable one, and those bills aren’t going to pay themselves. So teach we must. But luckily for today’s lazy jazz muso, there are many useful ways to teach with a minimum of effort. So here we go with the Professor’s Guide to “Phoning In” a Lesson. Let’s start at the beginni