Lots of people do. I’m not talking about personal taste, though, but jazz musicians’ lack of recognition as artists in comparison to even the worst pop bands.
Lets use the imperfect lens of record sales.
According to the RIAA, of the top selling albums in jazz history, only 8 have been certified platinum. And of those, only 1 went multi platinum. #6 on the list is a compilation- the soundtrack to Ken Burns’ documentary,
Jazz. Of the 92 albums certified Diamond, none are jazz.
Here is a list of the highest selling jazz (and jazz fusion) albums based on RIAA info. This list is meant to be informative only...again, based on record sales, and not the opinion of myself or any individual I know of. This is not necessarily a "BEST OF" list of the genre--and certainly not...
rateyourmusic.com
In contrast, there were 4 platinum albums halfway through 2019.
You‘d think that the skill & talent of jazz musicians would translate into sales, but it doesn’t. Regardless of the music’s intrinsic worth, it isn’t connecting to big audiences.
Sure, there’s more going on. I was on a trip to Michigan & Illinois when my hosts brought me to a local record store...along with their gaggle of tweenagers. I bought two of Soundgarden’s earliest releases. Each little girl bought the latest NKOTB release...one CD for each member of the group, and named for him.
Irrational? Sure- remember, “fan“ is derived from “fanatic”. And it’s probably an exception rather than the norm, even within the NKOTB fanbase. But that kind of behavior not only boosts sales, by doing so, it distorts the lens we were using to compare musicians.
However, it also reveals people not engaging with the music on the basis of its quality, but rather, the celebrity of those who made it.