Is Jazz a kind of contemporary art music?

The original poster's question has been answered, so I don't see the logic in starting a debate/continuing this discussion about improvisation in this thread. I think another thread would be better to talk about it...

EDIT: By the way, I AM a jazz player. My instrument naturally forced me to go that way (the alto). I've played in many student ensembles taught by jazz professors and I've done a few gigs with the pros. I love jazz. So I know a little about where you're coming from ;)

Ah, this is true.

But then again, the purpose of this thread was not to say "Hi, how are you"

It was asking a question, which has been answered.

Simply for the sake of relevance.

In that case, feel free to stop talking about it then. For me, it's been the most interesting discussion I've participated in since I joined YC and I hope others will continue to chime in. As a sax player, I'd be curious to know what you think of the audio samples I put up, but if you're done with the topic I'll understand.

By the way, Nicola, that was a fun analogy.