You know about Duke Ellington’s big band and some of his most popular compositions. But the songs we are most familiar with are typically melodies from larger works. Of note: His arrangements gave the musicians in his big band freedom to improvise, to play like themselves, cooperation that still adheres to the singular vision of the composer. Pretty amazing.

Sitting in and playing a song with musicians you don’t know in a key that someone randomly calls can be exhilarating or intimidating. Jazz educators promote jam sessions because they help players get better.

The podcasters share their approaches to practicing, including insights from Kevin as a teacher on how he instructs his students to practice, and Mike on how he developed his own practice habits without instruction. How about using YouTube as your instructor?

Classical musicians and some music educators in the past have had a tendency to look down on jazz as something less than serious. But they’re different disciplines. Players of classical music must adhere to the conductor’s understanding of the piece as well as the notes on the page, whereas jazz is rooted in improvisation: never play the solo the same way twice. Of note: Some of the greatest classical composers improvised as they performed their creations.

Kevin Bales and Mike Shaw kick off their new podcast series with a discussion of jazz as an expression of democracy, including how authoritarian regimes have outlawed jazz due as its reliance on improvisation, the ultimate display of freedom in music.