'Jazz is my 'go-to' genre, especially at night (something to do with atmosphere I suppose, but I dont know).
But, like Greybeard, its limited. In my case to 2 main periods: Swing (I'm a competition standard jiver) and Bebop/Hard Bop.
Both major on rhythm, or 'rhythms'.
I like some jazz singers the most popular of which are women, once they got a foot in the door: (Ella without the scat, Dina Washington, Sara Vaughan, Amy Winehouse). Then there were the male 'shouters' such as Joe Turner and Cab Callaway - immensely popular with Lindy Hoppers (I can do some partner Charleston).
I find it really interesting that Audio Al et al., dont 'get it'. I think that's stronger than 'dont like it'. Speculating, it wouldnt surprise me if differences in musical taste (let's use Ian's term) reflect or are reflections of different ways of assembling a hifi system. 'Separates' lend themselves to blending and the process of upgrading is really a sifting of the mix in order to end up with a system that you like more, or, is more to your 'taste'.
For example, there's a bunch of us who meet on the South Coast who all have expensive and well sorted systems, but which all sound different. One might hypothesise that the sifting mechanism/process should produce homogeneity or at least some convergence, but it doesnt seem to have.
This leads to the question - do we all have distinguishable 'tastes' in music that are related to the sound of our hifi systems. For instance my system is 'high efficiency' and uses SET amplification and backloaded horn floorstanders and I'm into jazz and blues; 2 of us have electrostatics; Ian (Baggawire) is less keen on electrostatics and favours Yamaha NS1000s and is keen on jazz (as we know), Lurch is eclectic. We are all vinyl lovers.
The answer to that question is 'no', probably not. And the area is under researched and too complex to analyse (though one I am frequently thinking about). Is it 'personality' related or is there a link with sense of humour?
Some men and women can dance (to music) and some cant and arent even moved to dance (by music).
Something's going on because everything is caused. Just dont know what...
Jack NSM