Mario,

We're on the same team when it comes to theory. You don't need no damn theory to tell you if you like a tune or not.

You do need some sort of conceptual approach if you're going to deconstruct a tune and replace it with new harmonies, voicings, etc. But this conceptual approach doesn't have to be formal music theory as taught in schools.

A person could invent their own theory starting from the atomic building blocks: scales, modes. But the theory will always be a kind of unseen cloud hovering over a tune, determining what the weather is like down there.

And thanks for the kind remarks.

Dean