Guitarist Robben Ford takes the stage and tests the amp. Soulful double-stops morph into a web of nasty blues licks resolving to a rich jazz chord. It's the perfect soundtrack to the blue hues of the Pasadena night, and the LA Music Academy Performance Hall is full in an instant, students quickly exchanging the friendly banter of the courtyard for a seat. Ford issues another quicksilver burst of bebop filtered through blues, the students absorbed by his stunning lyricism, tone and fluidity. It's an amazing sound — and that's just Robben Ford checking the amplifier.

The Northern California-raised former saxophonist who became one of the guitar's leading proponents is visiting the Academy to share methods and insights gained from playing alongside the biggest names in blues, jazz and pop, as well as to demonstrate to students the soulful 6-string expertise found in his work with the Yellowjackets and on his own Grammy-nominated recordings. He begins with a history lesson: "The music I grew up on, you could hear anything on the radio, back to back. It was very eclectic. There was a general sense of it being just music, not a type of music.

"Radio was playing a ton of R&B," he continues. "Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, the Stax-Volt recordings, Muscle Shoals…It was a very exciting time. I feel so fortunate to have come up in the '60s. There was so much experimenting going on and everyone was into it. It was a very passionate time," he enthuses.

"When I was 18, I was playing in clubs in the San Francisco Bay area opening for Freddie King, Otis Rush, Junior Wells and Buddy Guy…It was an amazing experience," he relates to the packed audience. And then there was the big catfish himself, Muddy Waters, who was so impressed by the band Ford had formed with his brothers that they were offered a contract with Chess Records. "I was out there, in it, doing it," Ford says, looking back to the start of his career. "I can't say that I knew how to do it, but I was doing it."

Hired by legendary vocalist Jimmy Witherspoon, the Charles Ford Group played everything — blues, jazz, originals. "We were trying to play jazz. We didn't know how, but we tried. We tried real hard, in front of people. So, just as a footnote," he leans into the microphone for emphasis, "Don't wait until you're good enough to do it, to do it. Just do it."

It's this kind of sage wisdom, dispensed frequently — thoughtful insights and practical advice for the striving musician — that has made Robben Ford one of the most in-demand clinicians in the world.

"Shall we play a couple of tunes?" he asks, applause greeting the backup band of ensemble class bassist Jeff Novack, easy-grinning instructor Dave Hill on guitar and LA Music Academy graduate Mike Hughes (Class of '06) on drums. The group launches into an original Ford boogie, "Cannonball Shuffle," transforming the hall into a Texas juke-joint with heavy-swinging upbeats and relaxed support that get the room rocking.

Ford's strong melody and tasty comps hit our ears, and soon he's deftly switching from bent-string roadhouse funk to ornate jazz lines with ample dexterity and taste. One of the first to bring the expressive power of blues and rock guitar to jazz, Ford is clearly the real deal, a fact confirmed by his associations with many high-profile artists, among them George Harrison, Joni Mitchell and Miles Davis.

The band kicks into its second song, the New Orleans-laced strut of "Tiger Walk," and delivers a master class in the use of space. "I play with a group," he says, after complimenting the band. "That's very important. Are we all on the same page? Are we listening? It's not about how great you are, it's about what we can do together."

"Communication," one student offers.

"It's a team effort," he confirms. "Musical thinking is what makes music happen."

Another student asks how he developed such remarkably fluid phrasing and inventiveness in jazz.

"The single instrument that I've paid the most attention to in my life is the saxophone, the tenor in particular. John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter I listened to a ton. I love guys like Roland Kirk, Archie Shepp, Yusef Lateef — a lot of humor in the music, a lot of emotion. All these guys had their own style, their own sound, their own approach to music. That was always something that was important to me — variety, rather than latching onto one thing."

"What you listen to is very important," he continues. "Phrasing is about nuance; it should be connected to the voice. Many of my favorite singers are women. I listen to Billie Holiday and Aretha Franklin — a lot."

"I listened with ears this big," the self-taught guitarist responds to a question about his training, using his arms to make an exaggerated cartoon gesture…well, maybe not that exaggerated.

"Train your ears to hear music, as opposed to learning a lick," he advises. "Remember that music is an audio experience. I think of my playing as finger painting: often I'll play all over the bar." As for jazz, "that's where all the interesting stuff happens, in the altered chords. I'm playing two-five-ones, even if the band isn't."

He demonstrates several harmonic approaches over a progression of chords, revealing hip scalar possibilities before concluding, "Music is about communication. That's the number-one thing. If you don't have anything to say, don't say it."

Ford then cues the band into "Freedom," a soulful ballad from the instrumental album Tiger Walk. His solo builds from swamp to sophistication, chords to octaves, students leaning forward to study his vibrato — how he gets that sound. Overdriven or clean, melodic and emotive always, listening to Ford play you begin to hear the traits of the man himself: persistence, courage, honesty.

More questions from the audience: What was it like to work with Miles Davis?

"It was a challenge. I dug it…I met him 20 minutes before we went onstage having never played with the band. It was terrifying. All he asked me before we played was (adopts trademark whisper), 'Robben, watchu gonna wear onstage?'

"He was a Darth Vader-kind of character, almost. An awesome, powerful personality. He didn't have a low self-image," he laughs. "He'd already done everything that you could think of. I always like to say that anything you heard about Miles Davis is definitely true. I don't care what it is!"

Ultimately, Ford got his own record deal with Miles' label at the time, Warner Brothers. "When I left, he said, 'If you ever want to come back, just come back.' The greatest compliment in my life."

After sharing a wealth of guitar techniques and offering practical advice on how to work and thrive in today's music business, Ford and the Academy band close with a stunning cover of "Loving Cup," a tribute to his original guitar heroes, Mike Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop. For some it's the first time they've heard him sing, and Ford's voice rings clear, powerful, true. Somewhat like James Taylor, but with the expressive urgency rooted in the Southside of Chicago.

Knocked out by the range of his performance, students prompt Ford to discuss his own evolution as an artist. "I decided I was going to use songwriting as my way to grow as a musician. It's since become my main musical practice." It's a practice that, with the album Supernatural, led to both critical acclaim and his breakthrough as a songwriter. With each album Ford discovers new ways of composing while adding fresh dimensions to a fascinating career.

In today's sprawling music scene, Ford sees Radiohead and Meshell Ndegeocello as standouts. "I like music that can cross boundaries. Pop music has so much potential, there's room for everything in there. Funky, really good musicianship, a good lyric…All of these things are important to me."

With more than a few projects on the horizon — the promotion of his soon-to-be released album Truth; an upcoming worldwide tour with fellow great Larry Carlton; interests in both Indian music and the expansion of "sonic textures" with his instrument — Robben Ford looks to the class and offers some parting advice.

"The best thing you can do for yourself is to be sincere about the music you make. Make it because you love it and push yourself. Make yourself grow.

"Throwing yourself into the fire is a great way to learn. It's a hard way to learn, but ultimately you're gonna have to do it sometime. I learned so much in those situations. Far more than any other situations I was ever in, I was really learning."

As Ford thanks everyone and concludes the clinic, graciously taking time for photos as he packs his guitar, there are looks and nods of recognition as students reflect on the evening's lessons:

Study and listen intensely. Expand your artistry and versatility. Have the courage to throw yourself in the fire in order to grow.

All things that LA Music Academy grad Mike Hughes, still buzzing from the success of his impromptu drum exchanges with Robben Ford on the bandstand, knows and understands well.