How we all as jazz listeners relate to virtuosity is worth considering. The Collins dictionary definition actually uses jazz in one of its examples, defining the ''V'' word as belonging to ''someone such as an artist or sports player'' who demonstrates ''their great skill.'' And that example? ''At that time, his virtuosity on the trumpet had no parallel in jazz.''

So ''great skill'' by definition is there centre stage especially when jazz students are at music college and their teachers dish out prizes at the end of their recitals. They spend years improving their technique and technique is at the heart of ''great skill'' but there is a lot more to it than that.

To be deliberately absurd for a moment: what about the jazz icons who are not vituosi? Is that actually possible? Can their lack of possession of ''great skill,'' actually a very loose term indeed, hinder their being considered eminently ''great'' in jazz terms. It is worth pointing out that virtuosi can be untutored, they can be self-taught and certainly in early jazz decades largely were.

I wouldn't want to name names and say this musician or that is or is not a vituoso. More orthodox and conservative educators tend to exalt technique and virtuosity over everything. To a great extent the whole notion is subjective.

A jazz educator can easily pick holes in someone's technique and point out ''the mistakes'' or the ''bad fingering'' because they exist. They might in addition fundamentally disagree with a person's approach to their instrument, their interpretation of it. They might impose a set approach and often do.

I would contend that the things that we as listeners love most about jazz is the individuality of the players and the bands. We are not looking for textbook demonstrations of prowess.

Of course it is a joy when we all encounter a superb instrumentalist whether taught as is mostly the case since the explosion of jazz at tertiary level or not.

Someone coming along who can play anything brilliantly, can win any competition going, can blow everyone off the bandstand is like looking at the tallest building, a fireworks display, the sun in the morning.

Think however quietly for a moment about that band you love who you know has limited repertoire, plays the same old licks all the time, always sounds the same no matter how many records they make. How do you figure that out? Are they any lesser in your estimation? Suddenly your prioritising virtuosity has without even thinking about it disappeared. You are not calling on your favourite band to do musical somersaults. You never were. Actually you know they probably could not even if you did. You buy that box set with all the alternate takes when the musicians, the icons you idolise, could not play over and over again what they were trying to play in the first place. It is all there documented! The emperor's new clothes perhaps. You come away hearing all the clinker notes and you know it still does not matter a damn because virtuosity is vastly overrated. If only we could be brutally honest about it.