Interesting. Detached or aloof are probably the last two characteristics I would think of. I find his playing to be very direct and committed.
This points to the challenge of dissecting esthetic experience and attempting to describe it verbally. I didn’t mean indirect or uncommitted. He’s clearly neither.
It’s probably best to avoid interpreting my experience in terms of what I think he’s doing or where he’s coming from, as I can’t know those things. My mistake!
What I do know: I find his playing unengaging on an emotional level. I have the same experience with Jim Hall and Weather Report, to name two other examples.