Back in the day, when I was trying to learn, all we had was the LP's to
listen to. In an interactive situation which is the core of what jazz is,
WHY did he play that "lick" at that moment in the interaction is an even
more important aspect than the lick.
For an individual jazz musician, "signature" is a far better label than
"lick" because it identifies the personality of the individual musician.
You will only inwardly really realize the true meaning of the "lick" if you
listen to the whole group in a spontaneous musical interaction. Go Listen
until you remember it, understand its meaning in context, then work it out
and play it.
Dave Woods
