A news flash on http://www.npr.org in January of this year says that the Jazz maestro Kenny Burrell talked a UCLA professor into a pledge to preserve Jazz music. He called Jazz ‘America’s Gift to the World’. This passionate, 81-year old jazz guitarist still has the same passion that he had at the beginning of his musical journey. Kenny’s involvement with Jazz education is due to his concern to save the legacy of his music genre, and putting his best effort to create awareness among the students.
Music lovers may remember Kenny’s memorable ensemble performance at the Grammy Museum on January 26, 2010 in Los Angeles. It was a tribute from a master to Jazz music and its achievers. In the modern era, where pop, rock, and hip-hop are ruling the roost, artists like Kerry still continue the process of innovation despite their old age. Jazz has been tagged as the ‘classic’ form of music considered too versatile and difficult to learn. Though the primary reason is learning Jazz depends on the teaching methodology – both theory and practice. In addition to that, it takes intense practice and sessions of improvisation for years to be anywhere near guitarists like Kenny, Wes Montgomery, Django Reinhardt, Charlie Christian and others.
Just like any other music lover you may be obsessed with guitars and want to play your favorite pop/rock tunes. Learning to play the Jazz guitar is like being in touch with the essence of music at the grass roots level. Once you learn Jazz through structured models that blend history, theory and ensemble practice sessions effectively, you’ll be able to play any kind of tune. No need to worry if you don’t know how to play the guitar, as there are facilities like private lessons that will teach you all the basics of guitar including chords, scales, jamming etc. After you become confident with guitar and all of its fundamentals, then pursuing Jazz will be easier. 
During your learning, keep listening to great Jazz albums. There are hundreds of them actually. Albums like ‘Jazz Guitar Virtuoso’ by Eddie Lang, ‘Untouchable’ by Danny Gatton, ‘Guitar and the Wind’ by Barry Galbraith and other creations will help you develop an ear for picking the intricacies of Jazz compositions. It’s a continuous journey beyond age and time along with limitless scopes of creativity.
New York Jazz Music 