Jazz from 1957 to 1967 was the most definitive.

I think creativity in Jazz and its relevance to the masses peaked in that general time frame with the likes of Miles Davis, John Coltrane and various other cohorts. THings kind of hit a plateau then in terms of creativity and diversity. Also, more competition from other genres being taken more seriously. Not to say there is not a lot of great jazz before and after, just fewer "giants" to lead the way yet perhaps many more talented musicians doing various things below the radar screen of most perhaps after and into today. Plus the lines between Jazz as a distinct form and other genres is more blurred than ever these days. Bad for "jazz" per se but probably good for music as a whole.

"As bop and later hard bop distanced itself from danceability and stopped being an easy listening experience, jazz became a niche musical product."

That's very true! The most popular music forms almost always lend themselves to dancing. I don't see that changing much in the foreseeable future. A tough fact for those more attuned to the art, content and sound quality to accept!

Onhwy61 speaks many truths!

Fun discussion!

Reminds me to give Ken Burn's Jazz Mini-series a play again sometime soon. I recorded the entire series on vhs back when it first ran. That is a must view resource for anyone who would like to learn A LOT about the history of jazz and its makers!