Jazz is a special process for making music.
It is instrumental and vocal dance and, like dance, cannot be learned academically by way of literature. Performing with others is engaging in musical conversation, so neither can it be learned sufficiently by playing or singing with recorded music. Playing with jazz musicians is the only authentic way to learn the process. During a lesson the vocal or instrumental student will be accompanied by a professional jazz pianist, which will additionally give the student opportunity to see jazz demonstrated live and explained. The performer must feel how his or her own musical input is responded to, and how to respond in turn.