IB - you talk as if traditional English music is, and has always been, as free as American jazz...but, if true, we wouldn't have that body of songs/tunes that you just recommended I again dip into.

Ignorance rears it's ugly head again. Jazz has a large body of songs/tunes in it's tradition, much like folk music.
Mere playing of random notes does not jazz make, just like sticking fingers in ears and singing tunelessly is not folk music.
http://www.jazzstandards.com/