Well, they go hand in hand. Experience educates you. You have to put in the time. You have to put in the work however you educate yourself. You have to acquire knowledge and then put it into your fingers and into your music, and there are a lot of different ways to do it.
Experience is essential to play.
We don't live in a microcosm. You don't live in a glass bubble, you have to get out there and play with people and experience what music is all about and the different way it can be played. Probably a small jazz club, but not all the time. I like both. The smaller settings are the optimum place to hear the music and to feel the music for us and for the listener, but I love the outdoor jazz festivals and would miss that experience.