They remember jokes. When it comes to musical conversation, a.k.a. collective improvisation, many musicians concentrate on their ego and their technique and make sure they are following the rules before attempting to converse. They show off, communicate to the audience more than to each other. It ends up as a string of monologues, not a conversation. They require energy, concentration and spirituality.
Collective improvisation involves a unique combination of soul, empathy and intuition.
These are Bill Frisell's axes. He did not have to learn intuition, and there are no textbooks on empathy. He learned long ago that playing as loud as Jimi Hendrix or as fast as John McLaughlin were not his bags. He relies on an eccentric delivery, like a knuckle-baller. He lets the human spirit do the work.