For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.
The way to learn the language is to rip off other players. As Benny Golson told me, "We all start off sounding like other cats. And gradually, a lick here or there,we start to sound like ourselves. But it takes a long time to do so. . . " That'swhat he told me, and it worked for me.