I can hear a musical phrase, and when I hear it again, recognize it, but I can't tell where I heard it the first time. Another thing is when a musician is "clinical", his music doesn't flow; I think that's the "Juilliard" effect. When people have been taught precisely how to do something, that's the way they do it; maybe classical music works in that fashion, but not jazz.
I have observed that when a musician has had little formal musical education, but somehow he's getting his musical message across, you only hear the part of his playing that reveals a lack of formal training.
When a person goes from one extreme (a degree from Juilliard) to the other extreme, which would be no formal training but has, what I can only identify as God given talent; in jazz, it's quite possible that the person with natural talent, to sound so much better than the person with the degree from Juilliard; especially if they're playing extemporaneous hard bop.
I notice you like to use the expression of "nuts and bolts" to indicate formal training, and musicians who rely on formal training sound mechanical; hence, your expression of "nuts and bolts" is quite appropriate.
Enjoy the music.
