h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

OK, so I now understand better how this works. I am moving the discussion of time in jazz to a guide entry. This is more keeping track of my direction in practice and my playing, meaning my playing in front of other people.

Playing:
I am working with a trumpet player, playing duo dates and studying the music. Last Sunday, we spent the afternoon in a really nice studio with a great piano that had just been tuned brilliantly. We played two tunes with a singer and a bass player, two tunes in a trio with the bass player, and three tunes as a duo. I have heard just a couple of the rough mixes and, OK, so I am really surprised at how we sounded. The last tune was "Solar," a beautiful, open, Miles Davis tune. The first take felt really careful, without a core. We were both pretty exhausted musically, but between takes, the trumpet player suggested that we hit it. So, in our exhaustion, we came at it pretty aggressively. I wasn't expecting much, but it probably worked better than anything else we played. It is the kind of playing I want to do-- lot's of space but with surprisingly faithful time. I got to a place, but just, where the playing and my head were relaxed.

Practice:
At the instrument:
1. A fair bit of rubato playing, allowing exploration by both hands of the harmonic landscape, both written and altered. The duo playing requires that I learn to work with both hands as separate but complementary instruments. I am really not there yet.
2. A fair bit of time working on just comping with no linear playing in the right hand. Learning to use a lot of the piano while leaving a lot of space. I need to do this until it feels completely natural-- until I feel the natural space and the natural conversation between hands.
3. Playing along with records, but only with my right hand. This is a practice aimed at learning how it feels to play relaxed time.
4. Over 2-3, keeping time on a larger scale. In 4/4, this means two bars are thought of as one for medium tempo tunes, and four bars are thought of as one for really up-tunes. This is where the my affliction becomes most obvious.
Away from the instrument:
1. Listening to a lot of duo and trio music without a drummer.
2. Learning to hear this music as 4, above, describes it. So I'm counting while I'm listening, often aloud. Embarrassing while driving.