duval

That's an interesting point Brem, and is in a similar vein to the argument between playing licks or not. But your assertion that the notes are picked out of the blue seems a bit misleading...the notes you pick will usually be from a scale that is derived from current chord/key. On top of that phrases usually start on chord tones... so there is a harmonic foundation on which to build your lines, you don't just have to guess what sounds good. Constructing new and interesting lines every time one takes a solo is part of the challenge (and fun) of Jazz. I believe that Miles once said that if in any gig he came up with 2 minutes of new material he thought he was doing pretty well.