Tip 1: There's nothing like paying $200-$300/month to focus the mind and your practice efforts. Use this!!! Make it a priority to practice the tunes on your set list daily... even for 5 minutes.
Tip 2: Use your Amazon Prime membership for Amazon Prime Music. It gets you a lot of Jazz tunes for “free” if you’re the primary Amazon Prime member. So use it to create a playlist and add many versions of each tune from your practice set-list to it. This helps you to practice away from your instrument. If you have a 30 minute drive, now you're practicing the song form and getting it drilled into your ears... Get yourself to be able to sing the head for every with tune excellent timefeel.
Tip 2a: Use the Amazon Music desktop app if you want to see even more versions of songs... the phone version only gives you a limited list.
Tip 2b: Look at the length of songs... the ones that are longer than 5 minutes are guaranteed to have multiple soloists... those are the ones you want to aim for.
Tip 3: Use iRealPro to practice, but do so with care. Turn off the play position marker so that you can't cheat. Use your ears to find your way back if you lose the form.
Tip 3a: Make sure you do enough repetitions on each tune that you get to play the head in and out, take a couple of choruses of solo, and practice trades. (Even if you're not a bass player, practice "walking". Even if you're a bass player, practice harmony with double-stops and 3-note chords.)
Tip 3b: If you get lost during a Jam with other people, rely on your rhythm section to help you get back. (If they get lost too, you're sunk... but it's still good practice)
Tip 4: Don't look at the chart while you're taking your solo. It's all about your ears and instinct at that point.
Tip 5: Go to jam sessions. Then fix your weak spots.
