Classical Saxophone and Soundpainting

In the two disciplines that I've brought to the table, I hope to present a few terms that will help clear up common misconceptions of what I do

1) Classical saxophone - Despite the use of the term "classical", the saxophone was not invented during the classical period of music (1730-1820) but was patented by its inventor Adolphe Sax in the mid-1840s during what is considered the Romantic era of music. In a typical course of study in classical saxophone, music genres range greatly between French concert pieces, like those of Jules Demersseman and Jean Baptiste Singelee, and modern music, like the works of Georg Friedrich Haas and John Adams.

2) Prompter - In the Soundpainting community, there is a strong effort to differentiate the role of a conductor of a band or orchestra and a prompter in Soundpainting. A conductor typically works from a musical score of pre-existing material provided by a composer. A prompter, on the other hand, generates suggestions of musical ideas which are left to the ensemble members to interpret and perform. So although conductors and prompters share similar spots on a stage, the subtle differences in their roles in their ensembles demands that each discipline be acknowledged as its own craft.

3) Improvise - Just as I want to respect that conductors and promoters are master of their respective crafts, I think it would be a crime to say that I play jazz because I have not spent time or have had training to be proficient in that medium and I respect jazz artist tremendously for what they do. My work as an improviser stems from the work of the Creative Arts Orchestra: it simultaneously abandons pre-existing notions of genre, style, or structure but embraces them as they appear in spontaneous music making. 

To extend what I brought up in my expression of what I do as an improviser, I want to address the distinction between different saxophonists. For better or for worse, the way saxophone is studied in higher education institutions have led to the categorization of saxophonists as being "classical" or "jazz" saxophonists. The divergence in culture and traditions of each branch saxophone playing is so great that it is extremely difficult for an individual to be proficient in both languages so it is really unfair to assume that a saxophonist is completely fluent in both languages. It would be the equivalent of asking someone on a sports team to be able to play any position on the team - although it would be ideal to be able to be a master of everything, there simply aren't enough hours in a day to be able to do all of that! I would love to answer questions/comments about this idea!