There’s something liberating about Jazz. I am by no means a jazz clarinetist. With advanced studies in classical clarinet, I tend to like the box that is classical music. That being said, Jazz has it’s own set of rules. There is a structure in place with guidelines for success in a jazz solo.
While it may look like a soloist has a touch of the divine in them to produce such melodies, the behind the scenes is the formation of such magic. The hours of practice of scales & patterns, legendary solos excruciatingly dictated to perfection, rehearsals galore, multiple takes on your favorite album etc, leads to that moment with you in the audience adoring in complete wonder and reverie. Spellbound.
The practice is critical so when that decisive moment comes, you have the tools to elevate the extraordinary to the iconic. But no man or woman is an island. It takes a team to improvise with on stage or studio. It takes an ensemble to improvise magic.
