According to Wynton Marsalis, "Jazz is not just, 'Well, man, this is what I feel like playing.' It's a very structured thing that comes down from a tradition and requires a lot of thought and study." From imitation to assimilation to innovation, we will witness improvisation in action.
Preparation:
William Parberry's "Degrees of Freedom: Jazz and the Art of Improvisation", from Jose Ciprut (ed.), Freedom: Reassessments and Rephrasings
Paul Berliner's "Jazz as a Way of Life", from his Thinking in Jazz: The Infinite Art of Improvisation