Saturday morning success!

[french frank]

It's not uncommon for jazz musicians to be their own worst advocates when it comes down to talking about their own music; they often leave a feeling that for them inspiration speaks for itself and often goes beyond explanation, so they talk instead about circumstances, associates past and present, the latest recording, but about influences in a very general way.

I have no objection to that. But R3 should delve deeper into musical subjects rather than having celebrities talking about themselves. This is why I grew tired of Private Passions, not per se but because it was the same old same old as far as R3 was concerned: Inside Music, This Classical Life, even Composer of the Week.

[Ein Heldenleben]

It's not uncommon for jazz musicians to be their own worst advocates when it comes down to talking about their own music; they often leave a feeling that for them inspiration speaks for itself and often goes beyond explanation, so they talk instead about circumstances, associates past and present, the latest recording, but about influences in a very general way. References to models ("So-and-so gave me useful tips about breathing and embouchure, and not indulging in alcohol before performing") can be useful as one can then go the model in the hope that he or she is more articulate. Some jazzers are understandably suspicious of critics and choose to throw the interviewer off the scent, having been stung in the past by negative reviews.

The days when BBC TV would get Oscar Peterson and Andre Previn to record a series of specials on the ins and outs of jazz piano playing are long gone. The shows were fascinating as they focused on solo jazz piano which as OP rightly pointed out is one of the most difficult things in music. He reckoned only half a dozen people could really do it - Bill Evans , Art Tatum and a few others. They were of limited use to the aspirant solo player as his technique and ability to sustain pulse have never been matched - not even by Art in my humble opinion . Even when you hear virtuosi play them as encores they’re never as good as Oscar .His ability to mimic Tatum and Garner was also truly uncanny . The only thing was I never found his substitutions as interesting as Bill Evans’. These are where the pianist takes they chord progressions of the Broadway tune and (usually) introduces more harmonic complexity by using other chords related to the original.
When Previn had a go he was pretty good as well. Now his substitutions were impeccable.