If winning an award is based on how many units are sold by an artists, than Kenny G, for example, passes the test hands down. The ethos of the record execs is to cut corners at the expense of true innovation. The music industry will say this trend to cut production costs is a response to the changing demands of the market place - and that's good business. They will tell you the public wants to be entertained, not educated, or quibble over how well the rhythm section sounds. Unfortunately, the industry exploits this breach, and the public's indifference, to the point of no return.
Artistic merit is placed on the back burner whenever commercialism carries the day.
The industry knows the consumer always picks the low hanging fruit, rather than climb higher for the sweeter reward. Without them, we never truly understand where today's music and its players should be placed within the legacy and cannon of jazz. The critic is a griot, or historian. In ancient times the griot's role was to recall the living history of the tribe. Much of the history preserved through the griot's memory.