Jazz from 1957 to 1967 was the most definitive.

Can't say I agree that Jazz (or "Jass" as it was reportedly first called) from 1957 to 1967 was the most "definitive." I would agree that during that time period, Jazz morphed into something different than everything in the idiom that had come before it. What a lot of people don't get is: "new" and "radical" are hallmarks of Jazz. When it first came out, it was "new" and "radical." And since then, each decade sounded different than before. Therefore I don't agree that after such-and-such date Jazz lost its definition. As long as Jazz is constantly evolving it is alive and well. It's out there--seek and you shall find.

IMHO, the one group of jazz supermen that could seemingly do anything and take the music anywhere, who played with such telepathy and total command of the idiom, that will always be copied but never quite duplicated, is Miles' Second Great Quintet. This group ran from roughly 1964 to 1968. When you fully understand Miles Smiles, you "get" jazz.

Agree with Chazro. It is easily to glorify the past and call something a "Golden Age." Did anyone know it was a "Golden Age" when it was in real time? Probably not. There could be a Golden Age (in any genre) in the making right under our noses. The key is to keep exploring what's out there currently.

Orpheus, there is a well documented and defined lineage of the different "styles" or "generes" (or whatever you want to call them) within the realm of "Jazz." None of these styles or genres exist or came about independently from one another.

Well said, Aldavis. I think you set the record straight.

To add to Elizabeth's last post: when trying to introduce someone to Jazz, I generally try to be cognizant of the fact that a person either "gets" Jazz or they don't. There's really no in-between. So, I find that all you can really do is expose a person to some good recordings and let the rest run its course. In the Ken Burns series, Wynton summed it up pretty good when he said (and I'm paraphrasing) "Jazz doesn't come to you, you have to go to it." In a world where everyone wants convenience and instant gratification, not many people are willing to invest the time and "go to it." Just my 2¢