A connoisseur of jazz is someone who has excellent taste in jazz. An aficionado is someone that is passionate (that's it). ... Passion like beauty is in the eyes of the beholder but a connoisseur is something very different. A connoisseur is an expert judge in matters of taste. There is a difference between having passion (aficionado) and being an expert judge (connoisseur).
After many many years as a dedicated aficionado of jazz, one finally becomes a "Connoisseur" of jazz. That is the title I have bestowed on myself, but it's not quite that simple. Only after years of selecting what I consider to be the best jazz, and having confirmation of this from many other sources, do I feel comfortable with the title of "Connoisseur".
This connoisseur has a symbiosis with the musicians who have created the very best jazz; we were raised in the same environment; we have resonance. "Modern jazz" came from our once great cities. The artist might have been born in a cotton field, but at a very early age, his family migrated to the city.
While it is stated that modern jazz is a "Black creation", I maintain that it's a sociological creation that happens to be predominately Black. Two of the artists that prove my point are Zoot Sims and Pepper Adams. Of course there are others, but those two came to mind.
Pepper Adams was born in 1930, that seems to be the general time period for many of the best "modern jazz" artists. More important is where he was raised, "Detroit Michigan" one of the great cities in this country that has fallen on hard times. I was fortunate to spend time in that city when it was one of the greatest. At the time I was there, it seemed that everyone owned a brand new car, dressed elegantly, and lived in a nice home; not to mention that you could be entertained every night by live music of a different genre.
Back to my stated title of "Connoisseur of modern jazz", it is one that requires confirmation from other aficionados, without that confirmation, the title is not legitimate.
Enjoy the music.