| First advice I had was "Listen to jazz - live jazz - eat jazz - sleep & dream jazz". Learn the jazz form, get the rock backbeat out of your head. Get the ride cymbal be your guide. Think triplet...
Then here one of a good post I had the chance to read from an another forum jazzer.
Listen to Jeff Tain. He's can be busy as a mf'er, but it goes with what is happening at that particular moment. Check out the way Philly Joe comps on his snare. It's riff-based, so it makes the music groove more. Get Miles' "Milestones." Tony Williams called that album the most perfect jazz album ever made (or something like that). Listen to how good pianists comp, as well.
As far as the cymbal goes, it's okay to accent 2 and 4. In fact, you should, just don't go wild with it. You don't really need hi hats if you have a good cymbal beat. Check out Roy Haynes. Sometimes he takes his foot off of the hi hat pedal but he's so swingin', you don't really miss it. Leon Parker plays with no hi hats at all and it's still swingin'. You have to have the element of the hats in the ride.
The rimclick will work on at just about any tempo. I don't bust it out unless things are really grooving, like when someone is playing really bluesy stuff or when the pianist switches to block chords in his or her solo.
As far as switching cymbals goes, doing it at the beginning of each solo is a good call. Use your higher pitched cymbal for instruments with a lower range (i.e. trombone, tenor sax, etc.) and vice versa (trumpet, soprano sax, flute, etc.). A good soloist should make it clear when his or her solo is over. Unfortunately, this doesn't happen a lot of the time. Sometimes the drummer must take it upon his or herself to end someone's solo for them. Art Blakey was the master of this. He rolled cats right off the stage!  | 
Linear Mode
