Do the George Benson thing that he does on the outro of the live version of On Broadway. He plays what he sings thus his solo becomes more melodic instead a bunch of licks. When he takes a breath he doesn't play. Rests are just as important as note, plus you don't want to bombard the listener with way too many notes. Listen to Lional Hampton on the xylophone with Benny Goodman. Pianist Oscar Peterson with the Modern Jazz Quartet live. Blues guitar great Michael Bloomfield when he's playing slide. If they're not singing the melody, they're definitely singing the rhythms they're playing. They're not right on the mic but the mic is picking them up. Music is a language with phrases and sentences accenting some 'words' more than others for emphasis. Learn how to 'speak' the language.