Are you listening? If you want to play jazz or get better at it, you really need to be actively listening to jazz music being played by professionals. “Actively” means not in the background but paying attention to it. This will help you improve provided it is done along with practice, lessons, playing in combos, & jamming.
Another tip is, know WHO you are listening to: which musicians, what band, which instruments, what recording, from when? This background will serve two useful purposes.
First, it will help your playing and understanding of the music and its styles. Second, this kind of knowledge is like a currency among jazz people. The more you know about this aspect of jazz, the richer you are in that world.
In jazz, knowing names, tunes, recordings, and styles are important. They are one of the ways other jazz people judge you: Are you serious? Are you one of us? If you show a keen interest in jazz and evidence of listening to it, other musicians are more likely to take you seriously and want to play with you or help you.
The best thing about this is that listening to jazz is awesome! So, get listening.
