John Patitucci brought much more than his legendary bass chops to the clinic he and his trio led in the LA Music Academy's Performance Hall. Joined by guitarist Adam Rogers and drummer Nasheet Waits, Patitucci indulged a full house of students in an afternoon of instrumental performance and Q&A-based discussion. Hearing great music is always enlightening, and when the performers offer detailed insights into what motivates their particular approaches, you can't help but walk out of there a better musician.

The trio began by burning through a few bop-rooted pieces, reminding us all (not that we had forgotten) of why we came. Waits' Tony Williams-style futuristic swinging and Rogers' responsive comping provided Patitucci a precisely loose feel, enabling him to emphasize the melodic ranges of an acoustic and a 6-string bass. At the set's conclusion, he pointed out how the absence of a piano, with such easy access to the bass range, allows a bassist much more room to stretch, whether while soloing or comping.

Each discussion that followed generated from students' questions and spanned a variety of topics. All of the essentials were covered, from sight-reading uses to comping sensitivities to rhythm-training techniques. Not often does a bassist or guitarist talk about the importance of learning drum rudiments. Waits even demonstrated some exercises any instrumentalist should try on a drum kit.

As the clinic progressed, the conversational interaction between students and performers smoothly made its way into more personal musical traits. A question about body language while playing led the band into emphasizing the importance of one's individual style and tone. These guys articulated their own musical approaches with inspiring enthusiasm. "Play any music with conviction… never sound like you don't want to be there." This advice alone brings one's performance to a higher level.

To many of us, the best revelation about jazz musicians is learning what other genres influence them. After one student talked about his experience crossing over from Metallica to jazz standards, each band member talked about their formative and current favorites. Jimi Hendrix is, of course, universal. The variety also included Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding, James Jamerson (obviously), Albert King, B.B. King, even D'Angelo and Digital Underground.

As usual, after the clinic was over, the featured musicians stuck around, amiably conversing with eager students. Often when you field a question, you gain clarity from your own answer. John Patitucci, Adam Rogers and Nasheet Waits likely enjoyed this clinic as much as the rest of us, thanks to the opportunity provided them by students to answer thoughtful questions.