Sound is the first thing that we tune into.
As long as there are people trying to play music in a sincere way, there will be Jazz.
Most jazz players work out their solos, at least to the extent that they have a very specific vocabulary.
I always felt as a horn player, a jam session wasn't satisfying enough for me. I should have been a rhythm section player, actually.
I'd like to feel that whatever I play is a result of whatever I've heard.
You just keep playing. If someone special comes along and organizes it in a new way, then you'll have another approach and everybody will jump on it to try to learn.