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Molding motifs - creating/building something from a simple idea - in one's improvising, shows some musical 'intelligence' or 'depth'.

I feel that one of the things sorely lacking in many really good younger players/ improvisers, is they don't know a lot of standard tunes, which would naturally introduce them to motivic development. One of us would play the melody while the other played a simple background or counter-line, usually based around the root or another chord tone. I had my own leather bound Bb Fakebook of about 100 tunes that I copied out in ink with the chords above in colored pencil.

When I was about 14, I played/jammed on standard tunes with a friend - we both played clarinet. whose wonderful melodies all are based on simple motifs. Firstly: listening to both classical music (which is based on motifs) and standard tunes - like "Over the Rainbow", "Autumn Leaves", "If I Should Lose You", etc.The motivic development in my improvising comes from many sources/influences (both consciously and unconsciously). It's pretty rare to hear a player not repeat themselves!

With really good players, certain licks (even if they're repeated a lot) are simply a part of who they are. I can't control which way I end up creating my solos.the bottom line is, whichever way(s) I do it, I always try to play 'from the heart', or I'd rather not play a note. I don't think this kind of improvising is really contrived, but maybe just more mental than the first way mentioned. But on the other hand, since I've written a number of books on improv and have taught at Berklee for 25 years, there are many moments in my soloing that I am 'aware' of developing/ shaping my lines/ideas - using motivic development. That way, I'm like a child in 'wonder' of it all. I'm simply allowing the ideas to flow out from me freely, organically and uncontrived.