Listen "Beyond Category: How Three Music Writers Navigate a Genre-Fluid World"
Episode Synopsis
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 specializationLearn more about our guests:Michelle Zeto and "Jammin' Jazz" Geoffrey Himes and "Hard Rain and Pink Cadillacs"Rob Shepherd and PostGenre.orgOur host:Lawrence PeryerAnd our organization, the Jazz Journalists Association. Take a look at the Jazz Omnibus, the 600-page anthology of 21st century photos and writings by members of the Jazz Journalist Association, available online and wherever books are soldDon’t miss new episodes of The Buzz. Make sure you follow us wherever you listen to podcasts. For more from the Jazz Journalists Association, go to JJANews.org.
More episodes of the podcast The Buzz: The JJA Podcast
It's All About the Music
03/11/2025
Jazz in the Age of AI
04/08/2025
2025 JJA Book Award Winners
07/07/2025
2025 JJA Awards Special Edition
05/05/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.