nsp, these are some of my speculations in regard to why new jazz just doesn't "wig" me.
I spoke of "origination", which is where the musician, and the listener came from. When they both came from one of the major cities, they were on the same frequency, and communicated. Now that so much, meaning a large part of our major cities no longer exist, it complicates things. Music does not exist in a vacuum.
Clubs in our major cities were where so many jazz artists honed the art of making jazz. Presently, the jazz environment is in a flux. If you look to somebody from the country to produce good jazz after going to a good music school, you might be disappointed.
So many times I hear about how good the artists in the past are compared to today. I've also noticed how today's artists can excel at playing classical, but not jazz, or they can play jazz as long as it's written down. That tells me artists of today, are as good as artists of yesterday, when it comes to their instrument, but they haven't mastered the jazz vocabulary or feel.
The improvising skills required to play good jazz are honed in night clubs with other jazz musicians. If these clubs, and that environment don't exist, the music has to come up short.
In the meantime, while the new jazz musicians work out the kinks, I'll be listening to the old jazz.