Michelle Zeto, Geoffrey Himes, and Rob Shepherd have each built careers in music journalism and broadcasting. They discuss how genre categories shape both criticism and listening, the difference between being a savant and a polymath, and whether the post-genre world is liberating or limiting. The conversation explores the role of critics as translators, the rise of playlist culture, and why attention spans may not be as new a problem as we think.

In this episode, we explore: 

• How musicians themselves often resist the "jazz" label—and what that means for writers 
• Why shorter attention spans might not be the crisis we think 
• The tension between consumer advisor and cultural translator 
• What human curation offers that algorithms can't 
• Whether broad knowledge serves critics better than deep specialization

Learn more about our guests:

• Michelle Zeto and "Jammin' Jazz" 
• Geoffrey Himes and "Hard Rain and Pink Cadillacs"
• Rob Shepherd and PostGenre.org

Our host:

• Lawrence Peryer

And our organization, the Jazz Journalists Association. 

The Jazz Omnibus is on sale now at 25% off. This 600-page anthology features 21st-century photos and writings by JJA members. Details at: bit.ly/jja25

If you're a media-maker working in jazz, the JJA is offering first-time members a special rate of $50. Join a community of colleagues telling all the stories of jazz. Sign up at members.jazzjournalists.org/join

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For more from the Jazz Journalists Association, go to JJANews.org.