[amyFB]

For me, the eye opener regarding Jazz took place during a concert at Suummer Jazz WOrkshops a few years ago.

up on a big screen during the performance, the music was displayed.
someone sat there with a laser pointer, and bopped along the music as it was being played.

the music was marked to draw attention to the leads and solos and how so many of them were simply arpeggios or bits of ascending or descending scales.

it was possible to see and hear how a progression of altered chords changes and melody worked together.

Since then, I've been working steadily on comprehending the structure of the chords i've learned and played by rote memorization. When I 'grok' another one, it's such a satisfying feeling.

When I can hear a new chord name and successfully modify a chord I know to become the new chord, I'm so full of myself I could burst.