8. "RE: what about the big band stuff?" In response to In response to 5
>and also, jazz is more than just improvising.
Much more, obviously. But the core is, and was from the very beginning, improvisation.
To be sure, there is highly written jazz, such as swing. And ragtime. And a lot of fusion. And smooth jazz. But you should understand all of those as logical outgrowths of what came before. Basie's and Ellington's emphases on composition makes sense if you place Euro/classical influences in the tradition of Louis Armstrong's improvisational bands.
Jazz has always adopted the conventions of other genres. It's a big tent.