Unrelated but awesome anecdote about Miles Davis: After Sketches of Spain (his most impressive album IMO) was released, there was a huge debate about whether it was 'jazz' or not. When asked about it, he responded "it's music, and I like it." Perfect response.
Equivalently, it's difficult to say whether Anthony Braxton's or John Zorn's music is jazz, even though they use improvisation, and are referred to as jazz musicians.
