Ted Gioia and the need to approach artists on their own terms

In chapter 6 of How to Listen to Jazz, “A Closer Look at some Jazz Innovators”, Ted Gioia writes about: 
- Louis Armstrong 
- Coleman Hawkins 
- Duke Ellington 
- Billie Holiday 
- Charlie Parker 
- Thelonious Monk 
- Miles Davis 
- John Coltrane 
- Ornette Coleman 
With each musician, he not only writes about their style and contribution to jazz but also suggests how to approach them, and what to look for in their music, so to speak. For example, approach Billie Holiday’s music through its emotional valence instead of analysing the technical aspects; see John Coltrane’s music as a quest; look for the unity and core values in Miles Davis despite all the different styles; listen and take in Ornette Coleman without thinking about theory, jargon, or what other people have said, etc. 
Then he says: 

“What other takeaways should you bring from this exploration of these jazz innovators? I hope that 1 lesson stands out: namely, the need to approach artists and styles on their own terms. As you have seen, the listening strategy can’t be the same for every musician. I try to start each listening session with an open mind, and as the performance unfolds, I ask myself: What is this artist attempt to do? Some musicians are cerebral, others are passionate; some want to swing like crazy, while others are seeking a poetic romanticism; some are plunging into the future, while others want to preserve our legacy from the past. You can’t judge all of these with the same rubric, and this is more than just a matter of fairness to the performers. More to the point, you will severely constrain your own listening pleasure if you fault New Orleans trad players for not sounding like beboppers or avant-gardists, or gripe that some introspective ECM ensemble doesn’t swing like the Count Basie band.”  

This is like the way I try to approach a writer or a literary work—on their own terms. It is, for example, silly to read a Charles Dickens novel and dismiss for not being like a Jane Austen. 
With literature, I can put aside my personal taste, make a cool judgment, and recognise the literary merit. With music, I’m too much of a pleb at the moment to do the same. I don’t know if I’ll ever get there. So now I just listen, and my responses are personal, emotional responses. 
I suppose it is good that Ted Gioia has an open mind and embraces everything in jazz—everything. The problem with jazz today, he says, is not that there are no heroes, but that there are too many of them and people don’t know where to start or whom to listen to—there is too much diversity in the jazz world. He also argues that jazz musicians today are better technically because of formal training. 
I’m not so open-minded. Maybe some day. Certain things in jazz just don’t appeal at all to me. Meanwhile I’m just going to focus on the 1950s-60s.