Brian,

I can only speak from my experience. The "Mentor" or advisor program was something that was always there when I first heard about NSAI in the mid 80's and was one of the things the people that had been in it before me, had joined for. THat was in Birmingham before I moved to Nashville. The main reason I went to Nashville in the first place was from NSAI members.

I didn't find out about JPF until around 2001 when I did a workshop in Orange County Ca. One of the members was in the NSAI group out there.

There are a lot of organizations out there. Like most of music they all derive things from each other. Much like the conversation on the creators of the blues on another thread here. Trying to derive the true source of anything is pretty hard to do.

MAB