The purpose of this work is to clarify the place of improvisation in modern performance and to identify its main types in the jazz and academic tradition. The study was conducted in 2025 as a qualitative comparative analysis of 24 musical samples – 12 jazz and 12 academic works, which contain elements of improvisation. Each sample was evaluated according to three criteria, using a scale from 0 to 2. These criteria took into account the degree of performance freedom, the features of working with musical text and the function of improvisation in the structure of the work. The obtained data clearly distinguish two performance practices. In the jazz group, the maximum set of values (2-2-2) was recorded in 9 cases out of 12, which indicates the formative role of improvisation and its determining influence on the musical structure. In the academic group, the sets (0-0-0) prevail in 6 cases and (1-1-1) in 5 cases, i.e. the variability is limited, and improvisation performs an auxiliary function. Only in one sample did a mixed configuration (2-1-2) occur, which indicates a local expansion of performance freedom. Based on the repeatability of the parameters, we identified three models of improvisation: structural, controlled, and hybrid. The results confirm that improvisation is a universal mechanism of musical interpretation, but its influence on the formation of forms significantly depends on the performance context. This is important for the development of modern performance practice and music education.
