GeePawHill@GeePawHill@mastodon.social
And, of course, improv.
Jazz, especially high-church jazz, expects its players to make shit up on the fly.
Not because they never heard the song before, of course they have, and not because they haven't rehearsed, of course they have.
But because, in the moment, jazz values people doing things they've never quite done exactly the same before.
GeePawHill@GeePawHill@mastodon.social
And finally, virtuosity.
Jazz players are players. (Singers are included here.)
They long to astonish, and they have the skills to do so.
Two incredibly cool aspects of live jazz performances: 1) when two or more players of the same instrument play "the dozens" with each other, competing to see who is the best (in the moment), and 2) when a player raises their game so high so fast that their fellow players gape in astonished appreciation.