Hey, I'm a classical pianist but due to the nature of my work I look at a lot of Jazz at the moment, and want to be more involved by learning to play it myself! I also, just personally, long so much to be a jazz pianist - jazzers astound me :) if I could have just even a percentage of their brains I'd be happy.

I don't know where to start, when I try to improvise I think it sounds horrendous, even though I've listened to lots of jazz seminars listening to how to get started by embellishing melodies... When I try to play from real books my chords are so disgustingly basic.

I feel like it's such a vast world and I have no idea what direction to go! I also feel like people spend focused periods of their lives learning jazz and building up a vocabulary of licks, genres, playing styles, harmonies, structures that I can't do anymore, being in my 30s... How do I begin, and is it too late?

Edit: thank you for all your responses, for your tips and resources; every message has been so lovely and reassuring to read :)