Why Doesn't Contemporary Jazz Get Any Respect?

Phil - I started reading this thread out of morbid curiosity (the subject was a frequent topic with my high school friends growing up).  I was pleasantly surprised by the different perspectives and mostly lack of flaming.

But Phil, I could not agree any more strongly with your points.  The title of the thread reads why doesn't contemporary jazz get any respect...  It does by fans of the idiom.  It may or may not get respect from those with real knowledge of the jazz tradition (be they players or listeners), but it is an entirely illogical premise in that smooth jazz is a completely separate category of music.  Yes, great jazz musicians have performed in the idiom, some quite well, but jazz musicians can do that in most styles of music (Ala Brecker playing his ass off on a James Taylor album, Herbie Hancock recording a Ravel piano concerto, even the guy trying to sound like Freddie on the Us3 cataloop).  The moniker of Smooth Jazz was absolutely a term devised by a marketing exec to piggy back off the prestige and image of the Jazz art form.  Today, it is so bastardized that people who see jazz being advertised in a local club really have no idea what they are going to find if they go (jazz, smooth r&b, show tunes, funk, etc...).   No wonder audiences are confused and sometimes give up... 

And Phil, while I will probably never get to hit with Elliot Zigmund or some of the other cats you play with, you are not the only full time jazz musician on the thread!  We exist...

Greg
Piano
Washington DC

Though I find a lot of contemporary Jazz interesting and beautifully recorded, nothing pulls at my heart strings like a good swing pulse. Seemed more transparent to me as well.

To me, the modern smooth jazz souds as if it is being performed by musicians on Paxil. There seems to be no real tension, creativity or nuance. The accent seems to be on flow and a relaxed groove. It puts me to sleep.

Jazz-Lovers Take Heed!! A few weeks ago NARAS decided to cut/get rid of quite a few categories from the Grammy awards. One of the genres chopped was my favorite music; Latin Jazz! I realize there aren't many fans here but cutting Latin Jazz further marginalizes ALL Jazz within the context of the Grammys. A knee-jerk reaction would be to think; "who cares about the Grammys, they're irrelevant!", and you'd largely be right. While this decision doesn't affect MY listening or buying habits, I can't help but think by further limiting the already tiny amount of exposure Jazz (ANY kind) gets doesn't bode well for the future of the music. Doesn't affect US NOW, but how about our grandchildren?

The Grammys have decided MY Jazz is irrelevant, how long before they come after YOURS!?

The funny thing is that if you ever go to see any of these "contemporary" jazz musicians live you are probably goin gto be treated to some good playing. There are always exceptions, of course.

The bad thing is, as good and as full of fun and life and chops in a live setting, sometimes the albums just sound dull and lifeless and over produced. Mindi Abair comes to mind - what a great player live, but her ablums make me sleepy.

Rick Braun's early albums had planty of life and live he is a blast to see, but the later stuff sounded stunted by comparison.