Why Doesn't Contemporary Jazz Get Any Respect?

I'm on the contemporary jazz side too but not smooth -- sounds tooo sentimental and naive and share the thought with Bobalool. Miles Davis is one of my favorite jazz musicians came through several generations of jazz and his last albums don't sound traditional rather than contemporary. The smoothest jazz(or maybe it's not jazz at all) I can listen to is Pat Metheny which I collect every album and always wait for the next one to come.

Albert: Check out jount album Pat Metheny and Ornette Coleman to listen some "smoothe jazz".
I believe and probably you too that Pat isn't from that pop kitchen described on that tread.

Clueless: Pat to me sounds smooth(that's how I feel listening to him) I can continue my list with Chick Corea, John Scoffield, Mike Stern etc... That's the jazz musicians that certainly have a jazz level of sophistication but on the other hand I do not need to concentrate my attention as deep as I did before when I first started to listen to them.
Believe it or not I can listen to Ornette Coleman to relax myself knowing all his colours and thoughts comming through his sax.
I can also listen to CD101.9 "SMOOTH JAZZ" NY radio station but there will be no trace in my memory of any piece played -- just simply not interesting.

...sometimes the post becomes a chat where we continue to share and can be redirected by us off the topic which is OK imo. That's what the chat is here for.
Someone said that smooth jazz is good for background music which is complete true. If I'm sitting in the cabaret and having dinner before the party hearing some smooth jazz --that's where I want to hear it -- not rock not classics... I never remember SJ musicians except David Benoit or George Benson.
As an expert on musical experiences I can say that the smooth jazz listeners can "jump" to listen to something more sophisticated later on. It's good that kids listen to the SJ. Maybe later on they'll be listening to Carla Bley or Ornette Coleman with their dads and/or moms.
For NY area 101.9 listeners I strongly recommend from time to time to switch off to 88.3 public jazz radio for REAL jazz.

Once Chuck Berry asked Keith Richards when they were together in the studio for a joint project:
-- Men, you've got a hell of a skill -- why don't you play jazz?
-- There is no money in there he..he...

Chris Botti had been on the BLUE project that is a blend of progressive rock, jazz and acid.
Kenny G is just cool lookin' dude with soprano sax.