Classical musicians are still subservient to the music. The jazz musician must shape the music in his own way and put his own stamp on it. Unlike his classical contemporaries, he can change some notes, rhythms, add inflections, etc - literally take the music to a new place. In short, classical music is European and Jazz is American.

Perhaps ragtime could be both classical and jazz. Yet, like jazz and popular music it seems too visceral and fun loving to be classical music. And it has not functioned that way. Even if ragtime at its best was high-class, it was high-class whorehouse music. Scott Joplin and Jelly Roll Morton were sportin' house pianists-that's where ragtime is from.

To play jazz, you must tell a story (few classical musicians would say