Duke Ellington , Count Basie and Louis Armtrong wouldnt get booked in many FOLK clubs either !!

Indeed, but despite Satchmo's definition of Folk Music, they belong to a whole different tradition of music, whereas the Third Ear Band still define the essense of Folk Music in an Indo-European sense; they seem to embody A L Loyd's notions of a Dreamtime of migrations of melismatic modal hunter-gatherers following the retreating ice-sheets across ancient continents before borders had ever been dreamed of.

That said: Duke Ellington is my God, John Coltrane my redeemer, Rahsaan Roland Kirk my Saint Paul, and Louis Armstrong's Hot Fives and Sevens are pure Old Testament prophecy. In such a context Miles Davis will always be Lucifer...

David Toop's fascinating book.

Indeed, as is his Exotica. Toop himself was quite the improvisor / experimentalist back in the day; he released some amazing albums of New Guinea ritual flute music on his Quartz label (I've still got one of them - unless there was only one; I seem to remember more) and he still does amazing things like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za8-tw4fndQ