Why Doesn't Contemporary Jazz Get Any Respect?

"Almost all of the real jazz artist are long dead."
Rok2id

Spoken like a card carrying member of the Dead Poet's Society.

My listening room walls are laced with wall hangings of a few of the greats. Miles, Trane, Gillespie, Gordon, Parker, Peterson, Montgomery...I've run out of wall space and have a ton of wall hangings boxed in the garage.

It sets a certain mood while sitting amidst visual reminders of these 'dead poets'...each of them a poet in his/her own right.

It's enjoyable to revisit this thread on an annual basis. Happy New Year 2 All!

I tried to like it,but it just did not take.

I love Contemporary Jazz! I just don't like how much of it is recorded.

Comtemporary in a musical sense could be defined as 'an imitation of the original. All things go through natural trajectories. Right now technology and medicine etc... are going up at an amazing speed, while music, literature, social cohesion and many other things are heading downward at an even greater speed. Nothing stays great forever. If you are a musician and you play in a 'comtemporary' genre, that means you are just a pale imitation of the original. It would be more accurate, and perhaps kinder, just to 'retire' the genre at a certain point. There are just a few still worthy of the name Jazz player or bluesman. Once they pass on, that's it folks. We can all snooze then. And don't get me started on gospel, R&B or country.

"There are just a few still worthy of the name Jazz player or bluesman. Once they pass on, that's it folks. We can all snooze then. And don't get me started on gospel, R&B or country."

Brother, all I can say about this astoundingly naive statement is; you're 150% wrong! It stands to reason that if you think a genre of music is dead/dying, you're probably not actively looking for new music within the genre. While I'd agree that POPULAR Jazz, Gospel, R&B, and Country is practically unlistenable, as far as Jazz is concerned, there's such a wealth of great music being created here and abroad. Sorry dude, yr proclamation simply sounds ignorant. And I say this with all due respect!;)