What are some elements of musical expression that would make the music more interesting?

Jazz is
certainly a genre that lends itself to much musical expression because of the improvisation that
enters into the playing of jazz. The jazz player must inherently have a good "ear" for
his/her music and then can insert "licks" into a piece or improvise in other ways,
such as changing the tempo.

In a 1988 interview,
trombonist J.J. Johnson said, "Jazz is restless. It won't stay put and it never
will."

Some other unique characteristics of jazz
that provide an interesting presentation of melody are the flatted fifth chords and modern
harmonies and substitutions.

Sometimes musicians play their instruments in
usual ways that create different sounds. For instance, there is a jazz violinist who sometimes
turns his violin backwards and runs his bow across the neck. Trumpeters often place their hands
or a mute inside the end of their instrument.

Another element of musical
expression that creates interest is the mixing of genres. One popular mixture is what is called
jazz-fusion, jazz that is combined with another genre. Or jazz with an ethnic tinge, such as
jazz with a Spanish tinge gives a different expression.