James MinchinMr. and Mrs. Tedeschi TrucksEarlier this week I had the chance to catch up with Derek Trucks, the Grammy-winning guitarist who’s been holding down the slide-guitar gig with the Allman Brothers for a decade, and is the hubby half of the husband/wife-lead Tedeschi Trucks Band, which comes to the Paramount on June 15. In between notes about working with his wife and releasing a new live record, Everybody’s Talkin’, Trucks shared a few sage words. Here’s the first of a few excerpts I’m going to share on the blog:When I asked Trucks if he’s been practicing, he said had hasn’t been as much as he should, but that he’s been listening to good music, which, he says, is a lot like practicing:”To me, putting on a great record is something that challenges you to listen. A lot of times, I feel like it’s ear training. You can play what you hear, you can play what you think, then it’s making sure you stay mentally inspired. I feel like proper listening has been as important (as practicing), if you listen to the right music and are turned on to the right things. It really is about taste. I can listen to a player, and you can kind of know what’s in their record collection. It’s important. If you’re an athlete, you really gotta be careful about what you put into your body. If you’re a musician, it’s the same (with music). You gotta be careful.”Here are a few of the artists/records he’s been listening to:Donny Hathaway, Live Stevie Wonder, Music of My MindThe Band, Music From Big PinkDuck Dunn, VariousOtis Redding, Various