listen to the song Jazz Guy by the Presidents of the USA
it sums it up nicely

particularly the bit that goes:
I wanna learn all the chords
solo till everyone in the room
is bored
beyond belief
I can't wait for the end of my solo
sweet sweet relief
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Fri 17 Sep 2010, 15:53, 1 reply, 15 years ago)

The song makes a good point
Arguably the best thing to do if you're trying to play jazz is not to try to be an expert, just to learn enough that you can improvise interesting but enjoyable melodies. If you learn too much your playing becomes too thought-out; too much head and too little heart. And for those reasons, even though he is a far better piano player than I will ever be, Brad Mehldau can fuck right off.
(LongJohnBaldry, Fri 17 Sep 2010, 16:05, Reply)

that's my view
sort of how my band works too. We know enough to play interesting stuff, but the loose structure of things means we can write songs very fast, and it stays fresh and enjoyable.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Fri 17 Sep 2010, 16:14, Reply)

I think the most important thing is to keep the 'feel' in the music
Our guitarist has studiously learnt umpteen million different techniques, and could probably shred over our stuff if he wanted to, but has thankfully recognised that more mellow, melodic blues playing fits a hell of a lot better.
(LongJohnBaldry, Fri 17 Sep 2010, 16:21, Reply)