JHC...that's about the size of it. It's what causes this music we love to generate such excitement.
I love to hear say, Joe Lovano, or Joshua Redman play and interpret a number that Ben Webster or Duke Ellington loved to play.
I enjoy small group encounters, 3,4,5, maybe 6 musicians stretching, twisting, searching for each voice, creating call and response, within his own interpretation of the number.
Sometimes it's ok for this music to be disjointed, and not pretty, and searching, because that what life is, not always picture perfect.
This is my personal view, and certainly not for everyone.